karin_brenig

do you maybe own a driver's license from some other country? If so, try that. Or simply use public transportation for another three months.   Happy travels :)

well... from the landlord's perspective, let me give you an idea about how things went when I advertized my 56m² apartment (Einliegerwohnung in my house) in the Munich S-Bahn area on Immoscout24.   I had taken time to publish a very descriptive ad with a dozen good detailed fotos, a floor plan, competitive pricing at Mietspiegel average for the location, and no real "restrictions" as to what I need the tenant to have, or not have.    My ad was posted for three weeks. I got over 5,000 views/clicks, over 300 responses/emails, we made 6 appointments for candidates - until we found "the one".    Some of the potential tenants had made no effort to present themselves at all. The message sounded something like: "I want to rent the place, when can I see it?". That level of desinterest doesn't really spark joy in me. They don't get a reply. Some people told me a very moving story about why I should help them out. Long winding sob-stories are slightly off-putting to me. They don't get a reply. Quite a few people gave me a good overview of their personal and financial background, whith a reason why they want to move, and some assurance that they are willing to stay "long term" and able to pay the rent. Those I seriously considered, put them in order of higher (or lesser) interest on my part, and gave them a chance to see the apartment.  Very few candidates had a full-fledged profile and some kind of "prime" membership on Immoscout24. I looked at their profiles out of curiosity, but it didn't improve their chances noticeably over the ones who simply wrote a nice detailed personal message.    As for the ones whom I gave an appointment, I had them visit one by one (in the order of my personal preference). If the candidate said "no" for whatever reason, I simply invited the next one on my list - until we had a mutual agreement. I found it interesting, that the visitors who didn't want to rent the apartment after seeing it were not as good a fit "in person" than I had first thought so "on paper" - I didn't have to say "no" to them, they said it first.   So, my advice for renters: you don't need to spend money on some "prime" membership, or a "profile" - but you do need to take some time and put some effort into your response to an ad.

if your wife makes less than you do, your child can be "familienversichert" in TK with you.  

well - if bilingual is good for your brain, trilingual may be even better. I believe children are way more flexible than what we tend to give them credit for. Nobody says you have to go to Gymnasium right after 4th grade. Depending on where in Germany you'll be there may be Orientierungsstufe, or other alternatives - or your son may not even notice a difference between a German or Swiss dialect.   BTW, even though Hochdeutsch and Schwitzer Dütsch sound very different, the grammar and spelling rules are the same. It's the same even within Germany, when you have somebody from the North moving to the South - colleague of mine from Aachen needed translation in some meetings when people from Niederbayern were trying to explain stuff.

well, first there is the "Sperrfrist" - time that you have to wait after the purchase before you can claim "Eigenbedarf". This is a minimum of 3 years, can go up to 10 years in certain municipalities. Let's assume the "best" case szenario for you: 3 years of Sperrfrist plus sitting tenant since 2016. That means your tenant was renting for at least 7 years. If you hurry up at that point your lead time (=Kündigungsfrist) would be only 6 months. Wait another year, and it will be 9 months.   So, if all goes well, the earliest that you could move into that apartment would be somewhere around mid 2024.   But your tenant can contest the Eigenbedarfskündigung - many do - on all kinds of "hardship" claims. How old is the tenant? Do they have low income? Dependants? How well documented is your Eigenbedarf?   When I buy real estate that is rented out, I wouldn't plan on actually living there myself - I'd see it as an investment property. If you really want to live in that town, pay a little more money and buy something that is free to move in.   Good luck!

well - normally all vacation days accrued must be taken within the same calendar year. It is customary, though, that most employers will allow you to carry over up to five days into the new year, usually until March 31st. This is totally at the company's discretion. Some people (like myself) really like that little bit of wiggle-room  especially this year, for example, when I will carry 4 of my 2020 vacation days into January of 2021 - and use only 10 vacation days to be away from work for a full three weeks. Holidays....   If, however, your employer put you on Kurzarbeit part of your salary is being paid out of Arbeitslosenversicherung. That means Arbeitsamt is paying your wages - and Arbeitsamt goes by the exact wording of the law - all vacation days have to be taken within the same year. You can't postpone anything from 2020 into 2021.

well, simple: compare the interest rate you're paying for that personal loan (I'm guessing something around 3,8%) to the current mortgage interest rate (maybe somewhere around 1,5%) - then you have your easy answer.   Just pay off your debt, and then buy that house.  

well, a good starting point would be this website: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/taxpayers-living-abroad   more specific details about your German spouse can befound here: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/nonresident-alien-spouse   with special remarks here: If your spouse is a nonresident alien and you file a joint or separate return, your spouse must have either a Social Security Number (SSN) or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)..... If your spouse is not eligible to get an SSN, he or she can file Form W-7 with the IRS to apply for an ITIN. Refer to Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TIN) for more information.   The ITIN process is explained ingreat detail here: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/taxpayer-identification-numbers-tin with specific details pertaining to your situation here: To obtain an ITIN, you must complete IRS Form W-7, IRS Application for Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. The Form W-7 requires documentation substantiating foreign/alien status and true identity for each individual. You may either mail the documentation, along with the Form W-7, to the address shown in the Form W-7 Instructions, present it at IRS walk-in offices, or process your application through an Acceptance Agent authorized by the IRS.

interesting thought... while I agree with the basic thesis (auto industry has structural challenges coming, vs. IT is still going strong) I know from personal experience that the greater Munich area is an excellent place to be for some highly exotic IT specialists (like myself). There are big, old companies here still running thousands of ancient proprietary mainframe applications - and with a need for continued maintenance on those, while parallel developments for newer platforms are under way.

@Reexvan maybe I can help you to find out, what kind of document you have been issued :biggrin:   #1 this is Germany, so all official documents will be named something in German. So, logically, whatever you're holding in your hands is neither a "certificate of residence" nor a "residence permit card".   #2 if we assume your document title was translated to English (maybe as a courtesy to help you understand) "certificate" is usually a legal document confirming a status quo. So, logically, a "certificate of residence" would be confirming the fact that you reside in Germany. "Permit" in English usually means a type of document that allows you to perform certain activities. So, logically, a "residence permit card" would allow you to live in Germany.   #3 so, now we know what all these English words could mean in the context of Germany, we can surely understand why it is of the utmost importance to you to know what the specific document you seem to be holding in your hands means for your personal future. If it is just something like a "certificate" it doesn't say anything about the legality of your stay.   #4 my personal recommendation would be that you contact the office that sent you this document and inquire.   Good luck!

well, if you had income, you probably also did your Einkommensteuererklärung - so you can prove how much (or little) you really earned, and then pay accordingly (definitely less that your 71%).   Recommended reading here: https://www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de/DRV/DE/Rente/Arbeitnehmer-und-Selbststaendige/03_Selbststaendige/selbststaendige_node.html

oh boy....  I feel sorry for you. Which is why I always tell people: when you invest in real estate, planning to live there personally, you need to check out the other people (especially owners) before you check on the building. Buildings can be renovated, neighbors cannot.   At this point, I guess you'll have to dodge the bullet, get a lawyer, and take them to court - or just pay for "double" insurance. Maybe you can offer to pay for their half of the new policy, if they'll let you pick what insurance to get?

well, technically the building is an Eigentümergemeinschaft and as such has to have an annual meeting of all owners, where details like insurance, or the lack thereof, will be discussed. During the meeting, if you can get a two-thirds majority vote for your proposed insurance changes, it's a go.   "Two thirds" in this aspect refers not to the number of people in the house, but their share of the property, as documented in Grundbuch. In your example it seems like you own 50% of the building, "the woman" owns 37.5%, and "the man" owns 12.5%.   To get to the required 66.67% vote for your plan, you'd have to convince "the woman" - concentrate on her.   Your plan of "getting your own" insurance will not fly - unless the building is really divided vertically (as in Doppelhaus where you are the owner of one Doppelhaushälfte), not just horizontally (like the "flats" you are describing).

ok - you are moving out, so new potential tenants will have to be let in to look around. The landlord will have an interest in meeting candidates personally, and also has the right to enter your apartment to show potential candidates around.   The question really isn't whether the landlord has to be there or not, the question is whether you have to be there.   It seems you worry about two things: #1 COVID-19 and #2 your stuff getting messed with.   For COVID-19 I recommend requiring masks for any stranger entering your apartment, and staying at a six foot distance during their visit. As for your stuff - just remove/lock up valuables, and don't worry about your underwear, if you want to leave during the visits because of worry #1

depending on who you need the documents notarized for, you will either want a German Notar (if the documents are for a German legal entity), or you could go to the US Consulate in Munich (if your documents have to be notarized for a US legal entity).   What is the purpose of your documents?   A US notary public confirms your identity - and that a signature on your document/copy is your actual signature. A German Notar confirms the authenticity of a document - and that a copy of this document is a true and unaltered copy of the original.