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Apartment search may take 6-12 months, so it’s more like 48 of 60. People hold to their rent-controlled contracts as long as possible for this reason. If you ar

Apartment search may take 6-12 months, so it’s more like 48 of 60. People hold to their rent-controlled contracts as long as possible for this reason. If you are new to this city, bad luck. If you live here long enough, you may pay ca. 1k€ per month for 90 sqm in Mitte or neighboring parts of the city and absolutely enjoy your life in Berlin.

thenaturalist 2y ago
Honestly, not much of this is typically a problem for "new" tech transplants. Their income still allows them to pick from what's on the market. Sure, if you become picky with regards to area, extras (balcony etc.) the supply is just so low it will take some time, but the reality is far from being unable to house yourself.
- klausa 2y ago
  And if you move _after_ getting a job, you also instantly get an access to a whisper network about people that want Nachmieters too; which is also immensely helpful.
  - FirmwareBurner 2y ago
    What does that mean exactly?
    - klausa 2y ago
      With all due respect, if you do not understand what that sentence meant; I do not think discussion about rental market situation in Berlin with you will be productive. Anyone who actually ever lived in Berlin would have no trouble parsing that sentence; and I do not think having this conversation with someone who does not have that experience is really useful.
      - FirmwareBurner 2y ago
        Where did I claim I lived in Berlin? I was asking because I'm looking to move there, but in your opinion that doesn't make me eligible for the conversation? Wow.
        klausa 2y ago
        Yes, I think not having personally experienced looking for apartment in Berlin makes you ineligible to comment on that, and I don’t think that’s a particularly radical stance. I wish you luck in finding a lovely place if you do decide to move, and hope you’ll have a great time!
        FirmwareBurner 2y ago
        So I'm not allowed to comment on this topic because I havent lived there, but you're an expert because of your pre pandemic experience that isn't valid in the current real estate market? Bruh....
        klausa 2y ago
        Yes, I think “relevant but potentially outdated experience” is better than “literally no experience whatsoever”; but I suppose reasonable people can disagree. The arguments about Berlin being “over” and it being impossible to find a place nowadays are constant since ~2012? I’ve definitely heard that I missed “the good times” when I got there in 2015. Did it get worse since? Sure, in some ways. Is it as hard as people make it out to be, if you’re not rejecting 90% of available supply outright? Not really. Again, I’m not trying to say that the situation is great, and it should be a model for other cities. But it genuinely does not take half a year to find a place, unless you’re trying to find a unicorn or have very specific needs/limits. (I, of course, also have friends who still live in the city and have moved since, so I do feel like I know what I’m talking about; but that is somewhat besides the point being argued here.)
    - ivan_gammel 2y ago
      I have no problem answering that :) When people move out they often want to do it faster than their contract allows, so they are looking for someone to take over the contract (a "Nachmieter"). If you have any connections e.g. people at work, you may hear about those offers time to time and there really good apartments can be found.
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
      - klausa 2y ago
        IME it’s not just about people wanting to move out faster; but in general it seems that most places get offered to friends/coworkers first, just as a gesture. Often having a Nachmieter is handy because you can sell them any of the furniture (or appliances) (…or entire kitchens) you no longer want, and they can also take over responsibility for any modifications to the place you’ve made. I once lived in an Altbau that had very high (~5.5m?) ceilings, and the previous tenants added a lofted bed to the space. By finding someone (me) to take over the contract, they didn’t have to remove it and fix the holes in the wall etc, and the next tenant after me also got to keep the bed setup.
klausa 2y ago
Admittedly the last time I had to look for an apartment in Berlin was pre-COVID; but the search took more than a month only if you were limiting yourself to only the places that were close to Mietspiegel (or below), and the competition shrunk dramatically if you were willing to pay even slightly more. I know that made me a bad Berliner, but I’d rather just take the hit (and it wasn’t _that_ much more, we’re talking maybe 15%, not 2-3x) rather than try to find the perfect place for half a year? Or did the situation deteriorate much more since then?
- ivan_gammel 2y ago
  It of course depends. For a single engineer things are certainly easier than for a family with children when one of the parents is on parental leave. At 75-80k salary that would be only a median income per person and you may not be able to afford paying 2500€ per month or more for 3-4 rooms, so you will want rent-controlled apartment.
  - FirmwareBurner 2y ago
    >At 75-80k salary that would be only a median income per person My googling tells me the median Berlin salary is around 55K per year. >2500€ per month or more for 3-4 rooms How many families can afford 2500k rent? I'm talking about average people, not SW engineers. >so you will want rent-controlled apartment How do you do that when you move there?
    - ivan_gammel 2y ago
      > My googling tells me the median Berlin salary is around 55K per year. Right, so it’s even below average. > How many families can afford 2500k rent? I'm talking about average people That must be 7500 netto and should be affordable to families where both partners work and earn average salary. I don’t know the statistics and cannot give you exact number. My point is that a family with a single working partner is unlikely to afford it even if it’s an IC tech job. > How do you do that when you move there? Do what?

thenaturalist 2y ago

Honestly, not much of this is typically a problem for "new" tech transplants. Their income still allows them to pick from what's on the market. Sure, if you become picky with regards to area, extras (balcony etc.) the supply is just so low it will take some time, but the reality is far from being unable to house yourself.

klausa 2y ago
And if you move _after_ getting a job, you also instantly get an access to a whisper network about people that want Nachmieters too; which is also immensely helpful.
- FirmwareBurner 2y ago
  What does that mean exactly?
  - klausa 2y ago
    With all due respect, if you do not understand what that sentence meant; I do not think discussion about rental market situation in Berlin with you will be productive. Anyone who actually ever lived in Berlin would have no trouble parsing that sentence; and I do not think having this conversation with someone who does not have that experience is really useful.
    - FirmwareBurner 2y ago
      Where did I claim I lived in Berlin? I was asking because I'm looking to move there, but in your opinion that doesn't make me eligible for the conversation? Wow.
      - klausa 2y ago
        Yes, I think not having personally experienced looking for apartment in Berlin makes you ineligible to comment on that, and I don’t think that’s a particularly radical stance. I wish you luck in finding a lovely place if you do decide to move, and hope you’ll have a great time!
        FirmwareBurner 2y ago
        So I'm not allowed to comment on this topic because I havent lived there, but you're an expert because of your pre pandemic experience that isn't valid in the current real estate market? Bruh....
        klausa 2y ago
        Yes, I think “relevant but potentially outdated experience” is better than “literally no experience whatsoever”; but I suppose reasonable people can disagree. The arguments about Berlin being “over” and it being impossible to find a place nowadays are constant since ~2012? I’ve definitely heard that I missed “the good times” when I got there in 2015. Did it get worse since? Sure, in some ways. Is it as hard as people make it out to be, if you’re not rejecting 90% of available supply outright? Not really. Again, I’m not trying to say that the situation is great, and it should be a model for other cities. But it genuinely does not take half a year to find a place, unless you’re trying to find a unicorn or have very specific needs/limits. (I, of course, also have friends who still live in the city and have moved since, so I do feel like I know what I’m talking about; but that is somewhat besides the point being argued here.)
  - ivan_gammel 2y ago
    I have no problem answering that :) When people move out they often want to do it faster than their contract allows, so they are looking for someone to take over the contract (a "Nachmieter"). If you have any connections e.g. people at work, you may hear about those offers time to time and there really good apartments can be found.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - klausa 2y ago
      IME it’s not just about people wanting to move out faster; but in general it seems that most places get offered to friends/coworkers first, just as a gesture. Often having a Nachmieter is handy because you can sell them any of the furniture (or appliances) (…or entire kitchens) you no longer want, and they can also take over responsibility for any modifications to the place you’ve made. I once lived in an Altbau that had very high (~5.5m?) ceilings, and the previous tenants added a lofted bed to the space. By finding someone (me) to take over the contract, they didn’t have to remove it and fix the holes in the wall etc, and the next tenant after me also got to keep the bed setup.

klausa 2y ago

Admittedly the last time I had to look for an apartment in Berlin was pre-COVID; but the search took more than a month only if you were limiting yourself to only the places that were close to Mietspiegel (or below), and the competition shrunk dramatically if you were willing to pay even slightly more. I know that made me a bad Berliner, but I’d rather just take the hit (and it wasn’t _that_ much more, we’re talking maybe 15%, not 2-3x) rather than try to find the perfect place for half a year? Or did the situation deteriorate much more since then?

ivan_gammel 2y ago
It of course depends. For a single engineer things are certainly easier than for a family with children when one of the parents is on parental leave. At 75-80k salary that would be only a median income per person and you may not be able to afford paying 2500€ per month or more for 3-4 rooms, so you will want rent-controlled apartment.
- FirmwareBurner 2y ago
  >At 75-80k salary that would be only a median income per person My googling tells me the median Berlin salary is around 55K per year. >2500€ per month or more for 3-4 rooms How many families can afford 2500k rent? I'm talking about average people, not SW engineers. >so you will want rent-controlled apartment How do you do that when you move there?
  - ivan_gammel 2y ago
    > My googling tells me the median Berlin salary is around 55K per year. Right, so it’s even below average. > How many families can afford 2500k rent? I'm talking about average people That must be 7500 netto and should be affordable to families where both partners work and earn average salary. I don’t know the statistics and cannot give you exact number. My point is that a family with a single working partner is unlikely to afford it even if it’s an IC tech job. > How do you do that when you move there? Do what?