Accomodation

Please note our remark on scam offers when looking for an apartment!

The two most common forms of living for students in Germany are shared flats (“Wohngemeinschaften”, often shortened WG) and dormitories (“Wohnheime”). Most of the exchange students in Karlsruhe are living in dormitories, some of which have a fixed number of rooms which always is rented on one- or two-semester contracts. The dormitories are also usually the little bit cheaper option. In both cases, it is common to share kitchen and bathroom with several other students, while having your own room to sleep in.

Dormitories

A lot of the dormitories in Karlsruhe are operated by a public student service called “Studierendenwerk”. It is highly recommended to apply there.

Another option worth considering is the Hans-Dickmann-Kolleg (HaDiKo). With 999 rooms it is by far the biggest dormitory in Karlsruhe and also biggest self-administered one in Germany. Due to its large offer of rooms, it is also the most common place for exchange students in Karlsruhe to stay.

There are several more dormitories, which are privately managed or also self-governed. Notable examples are:

Shared flats

Renting a room in a shared flat is the alternative to dormitories. In many cases it is possible to sub-rent a room for a limited time from students who temporarily left the town for an internship or to go abroad. There are several websites for finding shared flats in Karlsruhe, the biggest one being wg-gesucht.de. Other platforms include immonet.de and wohnungsboerse.net

While shady flat offers are not that common in Germany, it is always advised to be careful. Rooms offered on a suspiciously low price often belong to fraternities (usually with a big number of flat-mates and often male-only). Fraternities in Germany are not comparable to those in the United States and some other countries. They do not have the best reputation in the student body and some of them might be less than welcoming towards international guests[1].

“Zwischenmiete” is a German term you might find useful. It is often used for the sub-renting an apartment, usually for a period of 5-6 months.

[1] https://www.fzs.de/2013/05/23/falsch-verbunden-fzs-fordert-aufloesung-von-studentischen-verbindungen/

Scam offers when looking for an apartment

Detailed information is available in the pamphlet provided by the Baden-Württemberg Police.

What sounds like a bargain can quickly turn out to be a scam

The most important things in a nutshell:

  • Never pay money before viewing an apartment
  • Do not accept checks
  • Do not have keys sent to you by mail or through agents
  • Don't submit sensitive information like a copy of your ID in advance

How to recognize dubious offers and scams

If the apartment rent is significantly below the local average, you should pay attention. Also, the advertisement itself can be inconsistent. Does the address in the text change between we/I or Sie/Ihnen? Does the landlord say he lives outside of Germany?

If you message the ad in German, a dubious contact usually responds to your inquiry in English or faulty German and does not answer your questions.

In general, we recommend not to send personal documents by e-mail, but to bring them with you during the apartment viewing.

Mainly two types of fraud occur: Deposit/advance fraud and check fraud.

DEPOSIT/UP-FRONT PAYMENT FRAUD: If no viewing is possible, the alleged landlord wants to send the key by mail or wants money transferred in advance, it is definitely a fraud. In general, you should refrain from advance payments of any kind.

CHECK FRAUD: The method used by fraudsters is to make the payment due by check. This check will then show a higher amount than what was agreed upon. The fraudster will then ask you to wire him back the difference, then they cancel the check after a few days, thus recalling the money.

Report suspected fraud:

Ads can be reported on most of the popular portals.

Source: WG-Gesucht