Shared flat or your own space? How to search for an apartment in Osnabrück!

Those who can no longer live at home or no longer want to, need a new place to live. Compared to other big cities in Germany, however, living space in Osnabrück is still affordable and with a little bit of searching you can find a nice room or apartment. We show you what you should look out for and what your options are.

#1: Your own space

© Osnabrück University | Noémie Vieillard

The first own apartment is something very special and a big step towards independence. Depending on what kind of person you are, living alone can be positive or negative. Introverted people, for example, look forward to a relaxed evening in peace and quiet to recharge their batteries. But more sociable people may well drop the covers after a few weeks. Nevertheless, having your own apartment naturally has the unbeatable advantage that this is your own kingdom: Nobody steals your food from the fridge, nobody leaves toothpaste stains in your sink and you don't have to coordinate with anyone when it comes to shopping or the cleaning schedule. Wonderful! In addition, you can concentrate on your studies within your own four walls and can keep up your daily rhythm without worrying about others.

As the sole tenant, you are also responsible for the maintenance of the apartment and you have to take care of all current contracts, such as for the internet. Especially in your first own apartment, this can be quite a lot a might feel overwhelming at times - in a shared apartment, these responsibilities can be easily divided among several people. In addition, living alone is on average much more expensive than sharing a flat with other people. While an average room in a shared flat in Osnabrück costs about 310€/month (warm rent), the rent of even a small one-room apartment is considerably more expensive at 450€/month (warm rent). These rough estimates vary depending on the size and location of the rental property, but on average you can expect to pay about 50% more than for a room in a shared apartment (for more exact figures, check the rent index of the city of Osnabrück). In addition, all additional costs such as the costs for internet access have to be paid by you alone. So if you want to save money in the first instance, it is better to look for a shared flat.

If you want to rent an apartment successfully, keep the following things in mind:

Make a call!

If you find a good offer and there is both an email address and a phone number, then call!

This way, a personal contact is established directly and you are faster than the mail writers. In addition, you can already collect your first sympathy points!

Offline-search for a flat might be worth it!

Searching for apartments online is convenient, but many do it.

You will miss out on all the interesting apartments that older landlords traditionally advertise in newspaper ads. Often there are no photos to be seen, but that's why there are usually fewer interested parties and you have better chances. Sometimes a real dream apartment is hidden behind the dreary quatrains! So buy the local newspaper and go through the advertisements. Which also works wonders: Advertise yourself! You will hardly believe how many private sellers will contact you! And often you have no competition at all!

Be an early bird!

Get the earliest possible date to visit and be on time!

If you are the very first person to make a good impression, landlords often cancel all subsequent viewing appointments for the day. After all, they also want to have their free time. So sometimes the early bird really catches the worm.

Have your documents ready!

Schufa (credit report), surety and short handout to your person.

All these things show that you are well prepared, reliable, and that you are seriously interested in the apartment. With a short handout (photo, short description of yourself) you will be remembered by the landlord. You will also have an advantage over all your competitors who had no documents at hand a still need to organize them. After all, the landlord also wants a new tenant quickly and he or she preferably wants to save time.

A wonderful alternative for all those who easily get bored alone and rather want to build up a social network and make some friends in a new city while saving some money: A shared flat (or in german: WG)!

#2: A shared flat

© Osnabrück University | stock.adobe.com | Antonioguillem

Especially during the first months in a new city it is super helpful to get some tips from roommates who already live in Osnabrück for a longer time. Where can you get the best pizza and where is the best place to party? If you move into a shared flat, you'll get this information faster than someone who spends the evenings alone with Google to ask only.

If you are able to compromise, show good will to get involved and stick to agreements such as a cleaning schedule, then this is a fit for you and by the way, it is the only way to achieve a harmonious life in a shared flat. However, if you are a very tidy person and can't stand the sight of dirty dishes for long, a word of caution is in order here: The roommate with the highest standard of hygiene usually suffers most in a shared flat. Good arrangements, e.g. a common cleaning plan and reliability of all the roommates, are important for the house blessing!

If you are looking for a room in a shared flat, here is some advice:

Living together for conveniance reasons only?

Or do you like to socialize as well?

Are you new in town and are you looking to make new friends? Or do you just want to save money, because you are you only home during the week to sleep and on weekends you commute to your parents anyway? Both options are legitimate, but for both there is the right form of flat-sharing. If it's important to you that people cook together, exchange ideas and spend time together as friends, then don't move in an appartment that is only designated to save money and represents a pragmatic solution! But if you yourself don't have the time or nerves for anything more than small talk and the coordination of the shopping list, don't move to a shared apartment that emphasizes an amicable atmosphere. That way you save yourself a lot of stress and the flat mates know the deal.

Introduce yourself!

A standard copy and paste mail is really boring and not helpful for the flat share when looking for a roommate.

What is your personality? What do friends appreciate about you? Tell them about yourself, your hobbies, your studies, your plans in your own way. Nobody wants to live with just anybody, but with someone who fits in with the other tenants. But: stick to the truth. If you're someone who needs some time for himself and likes to have some peace and quiet in the evening, don't write that you want to participate in a series marathon every evening. In the end, that just makes everyone unhappy.

Be natural!

You are looking for a housing option that suits you and the tenants are looking for a roommate that suits them.

If you are invited to some form of casting, be punctual, friendly and well-mannered, but do not pretend to be fundamentally different from what you are as a person. After all, you should feel comfortable with your future roommates and not always just play a role. If it just doesn't fit, then this is not the right flat for you! Listen to your gut feeling and keep looking!

Ask questions!

During a flat tour, show interest not only in the apartment, but especially in the future roommates.

You have been invited! This is your chance to find out more about the shared flat and to familiarize yourself with the habits (cleaning schedule, shopping, service charge settlement). Don't buy a pig in a poke but find out how things are done here. In small talk with your potential roommates you also have the chance to find out what you have in common and build on that. For example, do you like playing soccer and are you still looking for a club to play in anyway? Who knows what opportunities are available here and in the end you will earn sympathy points. Above all, be open and interested. If it's not a special-purpose shared apartment, nobody wants to live with a disinterested loner.