Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Wohnung Gesucht

It's been ten years since I've had to move, but it looks like it's that time again.

So, although much of what follows won't make much sense to those outside of Berlin, here's what I'm looking for.

At least 50 M2, not too high up (lots of stuff to schlep, so 2OG or lower), rent around 500, maybe a little more if warm. Ideally, I'd like to stay in the neighborhood I'm in and only move a block or two, but failing that I'll take Mitte generally, Prenzlauer Berg if I have to, and I'm open to other ideas, although K36, Neukölln, Wedding, and Friedrichshain are of no interest. Also ideally, a Nachmieter or Untermieter situation, although the latter may be hard because I have furniture and books, etc.

Move-in between Jan. 1 and Feb. 1, 2008.

E-mail address is right there on the page.

I suspect that neither the search nor the move will be a whole lot of fun, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

10 comments:

Karl-Marx-Straße said...

Most landlords would prefer something known as a Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung from the previous landlord.

Arabella said...

Well, good hunting Ed.

Moving can be a royal pain but if friends and drinks can be included at some point, you never know it might have it's fun moments...
I'm addicted to it. In fact I'm doing it right now! Not coast to coast this time but Hyde Park to Burnet. Pie at the Frisco diner conveniently situated in the middle of the route.
I hope to be able to say "Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung" after a cocktail.

Anonymous said...

Hi Ed,

What's wrong with Friedrichshain? I stayed on Warschauerstraße when I spent a long weekend in Berlin, it seemed a bit shabby but far safer than anywhere in London.

How much do you think for a one-bedroomed abode in that area, per month, kalt?

Ayeup, sorry mate, it's your flat-hunt...

Anonymous said...

The landlords of the place I'm currently in didn't want a Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung.

I'll keep an ear to the ground, though the places I tend to hear about seem mostly to be on your not-wanted list.

Karl-Marx-Straße said...

YOu should be able to find in most central districts of Berlin a one-to-two room flat in a reasonable condition (i.e. of a modern standard, with bathroom, in-flat toilet, a modern form of heating) for anything between 180 and 300 Euro "kalt" (including rates, not heating) depending on where it is, the landlord, and how ignorant you are of the cost of living in Berlin...

You can also go down to a rent of around 100 Euro/month including rates at the lowest for a flat in the central parts of Berlin without 'mod-cons', should you really want to find one.

The Central Scrutinizer said...

Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung. Beautiful - the only term I came across that I liked even better was "Eheschliessungsunbedenklichkeitsbefreiungsbescheinigung", encountered when attempting to complete the necessary steps to wed at the Standesamt. Yeah, we went to Odense, Denmark instead - the Vegas of Europe!

Anonymous said...

Hey Steve, I don't know what part of London you're in, but my neighborhood seems very safe. I've only been here since April, but I am aware from tv news and the papers that there are large parts of town that are very scary.

Oh Ed, having just moved from NYC to Boston to London in the last 12 months, I certainly feel for you. Ever a short move is a pain.

Anonymous said...

A nice 1BR in central Berlin for EUR 300 kalt, with NBK (but no heating)? I am afraid this is overly optimistic. The going rate nowadays for good properties is more like EUR 8-10 pro qm kalt (no NBK); unless you want to live in a closet-sized flat, you do the math...

Karl-Marx-Straße said...

If you count Prenzlauer Berg, Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, parts of Mitte as "central Berlin", then it's not overly optimistic, but a fact. Such flats are still on the market. I didn't say "nice", I said "in reasonable condition". And what's "nice" is a matter of personal taste.

Your closets must be fairly big, Olivier....

And "the going rate" is crap. That would be fairly good value in Munich, but this isn't Munich. Look at the Mietspiegel. And the still-large social-ish landlords GSW, WIP, WBM etc.

Anonymous said...

I haven't been back to Berlin for a while but I can certainly agree about not Wedding. I actually lived in Tegel for a while and hated it. Finally moved to Grunewald, just off Hubertusallee. Much better!