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Renting a flat in Germany: 25 German words for tenants

🇩🇪 GermanB125 words

Flat-hunting in Germany comes with its own vocabulary: Kaltmiete and Warmmiete, Nebenkosten, Kaution, Besichtigung and the SCHUFA check. This list helps you read adverts, write to landlords, understand a rental contract and deal with everyday problems in the building.

Where you will use it: Finding, renting and living in a flat or WG in Germany.

German words for renting a flat — The word list

Meanings and translations are in English.

GermanMeaning and example
die Mietethe rent“Die Miete ist am Monatsanfang fällig.”The rent is due at the start of the month.
die Kaltmietethe basic rent (without utilities)“Die Kaltmiete beträgt 750 Euro.”The basic rent is 750 euros.
die Warmmietethe rent including utilities“Die Warmmiete liegt bei 950 Euro.”The rent including utilities is about 950 euros.
die Nebenkostenthe utilities; service charges“In den Nebenkosten sind Wasser und Heizung enthalten.”Water and heating are included in the service charges.
die Kautionthe deposit“Die Kaution beträgt drei Kaltmieten.”The deposit is three months' basic rent.
der Vermieterthe landlord“Der Vermieter wohnt im Erdgeschoss.”The landlord lives on the ground floor.
der Mieterthe tenant“Als Mieter haben Sie bestimmte Rechte.”As a tenant you have certain rights.
der Mietvertragthe rental contract; lease“Der Mietvertrag ist unbefristet.”The lease has no end date.
die Besichtigungthe viewing“Zur Besichtigung kamen zwanzig Leute.”Twenty people came to the viewing.
die WGthe shared flat (Wohngemeinschaft)“Ich wohne in einer WG mit drei Studenten.”I live in a shared flat with three students.
das WG-Zimmerthe room in a shared flat“Ein WG-Zimmer in München ist teuer.”A room in a shared flat in Munich is expensive.
möbliertfurnished“Das Zimmer ist möbliert.”The room is furnished.
die Zweizimmerwohnungthe two-room flat (plus kitchen and bathroom)“Wir suchen eine Zweizimmerwohnung in Köln.”We're looking for a two-room flat in Cologne.
der Quadratmeterthe square metre“Die Wohnung hat 60 Quadratmeter.”The flat is 60 square metres.
die SCHUFA-Auskunftthe credit report“Der Vermieter möchte eine SCHUFA-Auskunft sehen.”The landlord wants to see a credit report.
der Umzugthe move (house)“Der Umzug ist am 1. Juni.”The move is on 1 June.
umziehento move house“Wir ziehen nächsten Monat um.”We're moving next month.
kündigento give notice; to cancel“Ich muss die Wohnung drei Monate vorher kündigen.”I have to give three months' notice on the flat.
die Hausordnungthe house rules“Laut Hausordnung ist ab 22 Uhr Ruhe.”According to the house rules it must be quiet from 10 pm.
der Hausmeisterthe caretaker“Der Hausmeister repariert morgen das Licht im Flur.”The caretaker is fixing the hall light tomorrow.
die Heizungthe heating“Die Heizung funktioniert nicht.”The heating isn't working.
das Treppenhausthe stairwell“Im Treppenhaus dürfen keine Fahrräder stehen.”Bikes aren't allowed in the stairwell.
der Kellerthe basement; cellar“Unsere Fahrräder stehen im Keller.”Our bikes are in the basement.
der Balkonthe balcony“Die Wohnung hat einen kleinen Balkon.”The flat has a small balcony.
der Schimmelthe mould“Im Bad ist Schimmel an der Wand.”There's mould on the bathroom wall.

Tips for learning German words

  • Learn der, die or das with every nounThe article is part of the word: der Zug, die Fahrkarte, das Gleis. It decides the case endings and adjectives, so learn it from day one.
  • Type the umlauts and ßWrite ä, ö, ü and ß, not a, o, u or ss: schon means "already" but schön means "beautiful". Getting them right in WordNest trains your spelling.
  • Watch the verb positionIn a German main clause the verb comes second, and separable verbs split: "Ich rufe dich morgen an." Read each example aloud to feel the word order.

Standard German as used in Germany

German is spoken in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and a few everyday words differ between them: a tomato is a Tomate in Germany and a Paradeiser in Austria, a bicycle is a Fahrrad rather than a Velo. These lists follow Standard German (Hochdeutsch) as used in Germany, and WordNest's examples, audio and AI corrections use the same standard. You will be understood in every German-speaking country.

Add five or six of these words a day rather than the whole list at once, keep the example sentence on the card, and review them when they come due. WordNest schedules each word across seven growing intervals — same day, then 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days — so the list is still with you months later. Read how spaced repetition works if you want the reasoning behind those numbers.

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Questions about this list

Is this German from Germany, Austria or Switzerland?

Standard German (Hochdeutsch) as used in Germany. Where Austria or Switzerland usually use a different word, the list gives the one used in Germany, but every word is understood across the German-speaking world.

How do I practise German words for renting a flat?

Start with five words, listen and say each example aloud. Then recall the German word, with its article, from its English meaning and review it over several days.

How many words are in this list?

This list contains 25 words and phrases with English meanings and example sentences. It is a starting set, not a complete course.

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