Feierabend

The trouble is, to get on Zuhause im Glück you must at least be suffering from some dread disease, have a severely handicapped child and your OH has collapsed and died after having started major renovations to your mould-infested house. Or some other jolly combination of dreadful circumstances. No, Ab in die Ruine is the show to watch. Gung-ho would-be renovators buy a tumbledown place for nothing, and with a tiny budget and matching know-how attempt to turn it into a palace. However, a dose of watching these programmes is very good for developing one's German vocabulary of technical building/decorating terms. And the financial and legal surprises that are uncovered with every blow of the hammer!   All the best to the OP. After all, people do actually build their homes quite successfully all the time. But it's wise to factor in costs for the seemingly inevitable and unwelcome surprises ... (Raus aus den Schulden is the follow-up programme to learn from!)  

Backed by Labour it seems. Rotten to the core, the lot of them.

Have you looked at Wildau, near Königs Wusterhausen? It has technical Fachhochshule so is used to a student population. It's on the S Bahn, and at KW you can get the RE2 and RB quickly into the city. (or Cottbus!)   https://www.wg-gesucht.de/wg-zimmer-in-Wildau.136.0.1.0.html  

Thank you everybody. The wheels are now in motion and must just now attempt to remember all my past addresses for the form, and wait for the Hamburg dept. to get into gear for the UK part.   Re. possible causes of delays: at the Deursche RV I was asked to choose whether to either wait to receive the German pension until they can calculate the final sum after I get my final wage, when all contributions will have been paid in full, or to allow them to calculate the final amount immediately, i.e. 3 months before the pension is due, based on an average of what the contributions normally are. The latter would result in the pension being paid out on the first due date, the former will result in a delay of 3 months. The issue is probably only important if you have very varying contributions each month. (I may not have explained that very well but maybe that is what has happened to other people.) Eventually back payments will be made.

Thank you HEM, I'll probably go with the most straightforward way, pay directly here, when the decision is due.   Just a supplementary - can one change one's mind at a later date?!

Thank you Fraufruit, so do I understand that Worldlink is the default transfer system used by the UK?   A bit of browsing led me to a similar question by someone elsewhere: https://www.expatfocus.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=22549/   I'm beginning to think that unless one is super efficient about tracking exchange rates and the ins-and-outs of the various exchange services, then it's hardly worth the effort to do it yourself.  But if anyone has better advice I'd be grateful to hear!  

Will have to decide in the near future whether to have my UK pension paid into my German or UK bank account. If paid into the German bank, what exchange rate is used (e.g. is it the market rate on the day of transfer or something else?) and are there additional transfer charges? If paid into the UK acount I would have to transfer fairly regularly anyway, and not being the most organised person ever, am wondering if it's worth the extra bother.  Would appreciate experienced opinions!

I am currently applying for my German and UK pensions, and so far have not hit any hurdles. However, I have not  received a Rentenbescheid as such, as this would be legally binding and they, like all of us, are in the dark about post-Brexit conditions. They did however give me a Rentenauskunft, which basically states what I get, under present rules.    Their letter stated,  "Bis zum Austritt (meaning Brexit) gelten die europaïschen Verordnung zur Koordinierung der Systeme der sozialen Sicherheit uneingeschrankt weiter." i.e. Up until Brexit, current regulations apply.   So maybe you could ask them for a Rentenauskunft to present to your German company, and be strong about saying you are claiming your current rights as an EU citizen and they should treat you under these terms.

Just to reiterate a point that was buried in a longer post above, before inaccurate information gets reinforced by quotes etc:  Notre Dame de Paris is not owned by the Catholic church. It is owned by the French State, managed by the Ministry of Culture. http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/friends/history/   (Spelling edit.)

It depends on the state you live in and its regulations. We are in Brandenburg and they will not allow the process to even begin until you have all the documents and the B1 cert. complete. This has become a problem for OH, who has the Einburgerungs test and passed the oral B1 but failed the written. No flexilblity or willingness to grant a reasonable exemption, even though at 70 he will not be job-seeking, owns house, grown up kids employed here, me an EU citizen (thanks Ireland!) and employed etc. I really think there should be a federally applicable law on this. In Berlin I know older people who were grated citizenship without the B1 because there it is discretionary, other things being equal.

John Bercow has been the one golden nugget amongst the steaming pile of dog poo that Brexit has shat upon the nation.

 I don't live in Hamburg but have found header tapes in any shop that sells curtain fabric,  e.g. Höffner, which I think is everywhere. I 've also used Curtains, curtains, curtains in the UK for ready mades in "proper" lined curtain fabric and not the ubiquitous nets. https://www.curtainscurtainscurtains.co.uk/fabric-sitemap.html  

This thread should help you understand what the role of the notary is here, which is very different to the UK for example. You would be very ill advised to sign a contract on the advice of a Makler getting 50% commission supported by his pet lawyer. You as the buyer have the greater say in the choice of Notar. It would not be a waste of time and money to search for an English speaking lawyer or Notar to advise you independently, and may save you a packet of future heartache. If you are being pressured to complete, run.  

I have always had good, fair and painless treatment by my German dentist. Lots of emphasis on prophylaxis and parodontosis prevention.  A couple of ancient amalgam fillings were replaced by ceramic at my choice when said fillings cracked. My kids grew up mostly here and have no fillings. (Unlike my mouthful of NHS vintage dentistry!)

Sorry, was trying to respond to john_b (How do you properly get rid of a wrong quote?)   Anyway, I live in the sticks so you just pop into the Amt and the friendly lady remembers you!