Here we list the basic options for the first two semesters.

1. WG (Wohngemeinschaft - shared flat)

+ (Advantages)

• cheaper than an individual apartment (possible to find one for not much more than 300-350€)

• similar price but usually higher quality than Studentenwerk and House of Nations

• getting to know new people, social life at home

• real flat: normal kitchen, bathroom etc., easy to make a good internet connection

• no waiting lists, always many options available

• if you have your BMS Letter of Admission or other document verifying that you are able to pay, the landlords shouldn't have any problems with accepting you as a lodger. Sometimes you need to obtain a German certificate of debt-freeness (Schufa), which can be done online.

- (Disadvantages)

• unknown landladies/landlords - be very careful with giving money to them before you met them, and always ask for written records of everything! Recommended to find your first permanent place through official webpages, or to see it in person before you pay

• unknown flatmates - sometimes living together may be hard

• sometimes landlords speak only Germans. Communication can still be managed by email (Google Translate etc.), but you may need the help of people speaking German if you have to do phone calls

• if you want to join a WG, usually there are many applicants -> hard to get in, writing applications, interviews for candidates. 

General advice: you can try to move together with friends (e.g. other BMS students)! Then you can occupy an empty apartment together fund a new WG, and there is no problem with being accepted by the current members of an existing WG. Also it is typically easier to live together with somebody whom you already know. 

2. Individual flats

+

• undisturbed adult's life in a real flat :)

• usually places can be found close to the center

-

• more expensive than WG - typically only available with Phase II funding

• usually furniture is not included

• unknown landladies/landlords - be very careful with giving cash to them, and always ask for written records of everything! Recommended to find a place through official webpages.

3. Studentenwerk dormitories (attention: application is only possible when you are enrolled at one of the universities in Berlin!)

+

• usually very cheap compared to other types of accommodation - in some places there are single rooms for <200€, single apartments with own kitchen and bathroom for <300€

• well-working application system available in English

• living individually, in a couple, or in a WG with other students are all possible in a Studentenwerk dormitory

• social life

• utilities like table tennis, table football, laundry room etc. are available at the dormitories

• furnished rooms/apartments are available in many places

• low level of deposit (usually only the amount of rent for 1.5 months)

-

• not available for the first semester - you can only register when you are enrolled in Berlin

• waiting list: at least 4-5 months, in some places 18-36 months -> dormitories in more distant districts are available in the second semester. Occasionally places become free

• not all buildings are of good quality (check the pictures!)

• shared bathrooms and kitchens may be nasty (happens quite often)

• the apartment may be noisy (this is not typical in Berlin, only in places where one-semester exchange students accumulate, e.g. the dormitory at Siegmunds Hof)

4. House of Nations

+

• similar to Studentenwerk, but you can apply with BMS letter of admission - available for the first semester

• well-working application system available in English

• furnished rooms/apartments available

• living separately or in a couple/double apartment is both possible

• some of the places are available with Phase I budget

• social life, utilities like table tennis, table football, laundry room, bars, cafés etc. are available at the dormitories

• no waiting lists, application 1 month before moving in (if there are free places)

• the houses are usually in an acceptable state, and they have good transportation connections - except the one in Hanielweg, which is very far away and the house is really neglected.

-

• more expensive than Studentenwerk, even than some WG's 

• horrible (virtually: non-existing) internet connection is available in the houses -> you have to come to the universities in the weekends to use the internet there, or order a separate internet service for extra money...

• moving out is only possible in the middle or in the end of the month, and you have to indicate 6 weeks in advance that you are leaving -> you may need to pay for 1-2 weeks after you had already left

• large deposit (amount of 2 months), end they only give it back 2 months after you left

• shared bathrooms and kitchens may be nasty

• in double apartments, sometimes the kitchen is inside one of the rooms. It's hard to sleep in the morning when your flatmate is having breakfast, and it's hard to have breakfast when your flatmate is sleeping...

5. Studentendorf Schlachtensee/Adlershof: http://www.studentendorf-berlin.com/ - two "student villages", currently some BMS students live there. It is similar to House of Nations.

Schlachtensee: 

+

• close to FU, acceptable (40-45 minutes by bike or public transport) from TU

• the cheapest rooms are significantly cheaper than House of Nations, really convenient also for Phase I budget

-

• the cheap option is only a room with shared kitchen and bathroom

• usual dangers of dormitory-like places: nasty kitchens/bathrooms and noise may occur

• very far from HU

Adlershof:

+

• very close to HU

• comfortable, well-equipped

-

• very far from TU/FU

• rather expensive

6. Other organized accommodation services: similar investigations to Studentenwerk and House of Nations, but we have less experience with them:

• EasyLiving: https://www.easy-living4u.de/. Furnished private apartments, better quality than the previously mentioned dormitory-like places, but more expensive, not very good locations.

• New place at HU: http://medienfenster-adlershof.de/de/#apartments [new in 2016, very close to HU, very far from TU/FU]

If you have found other types of accommodation that is worth mentioning, please don't hesitate to tell us! :)