Apartment scam, or legit? (Anmeldung question)

[IzzyDel 1]

I'm searching for an apartment and toured one yesterday that's all but perfect. The owner is not originally german, and lives outside of Germany. He said he needs to still be registered at the apartment since he works in Germany for like 1 month of the year, so we would register in addition to him though we would be the only ones actually living in the apartment. We'd just collect his mail and set it aside so he can pick it up like 1x a year. 

 

Am I right that this seems sketchy/scammy? Is it even legal for him to do this? The only reason I'm even asking is because the apartment is so nice, I would love if it was all legit... 

[Marone 9]

If he doesn't live there it's not legal for him to register as his residence. But that's between him and the city and wouldn't really concern you.

 

But I could see that most renters would find it weird to collect someone's mail. Would you even get your name on the mailbox and doorbell?

 

Renters have a lot of rights in Germany. Just do the contract first, and if possible, wait with the cash until you get to move in.

[fraufruit 41,623]

Who would you contact when you have an immediate problem with the flat when he is not in the country?

 

Don't give any money until you have the keys. After you have made sure the contract is on the up and up and you understand all of it.

 

He sounds a little dodgy. Up to you if you want to rent from him or not. You say he is not originally German which means he is simply not German.

[almafreya 59]

Probably a scam

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/germany/wiki/living/problems/

[IzzyDel 1]

Thank you everyone! It seems I was right to think it sounded sketchy. Maybe he's not actually trying to scam us, but even so I'd rather just keep looking. Yay more apartment hunting... Lol

[Marone 9]

@almafreya, thanks for sharing! Looks like the "landlord lives out of the country" red flags are all shady reasons for requesting a deposit. In Berlin at least this type of arrangement isn't all that unusual, but you'd pay cash when you get the keys and maybe use an insurance vs actual deposit. There's so much new money in Berlin, some landlords seem sketchy and unprofessional. But yeah, don't do anything that doesn't feel right.