About this list
Today we'll cover the German you need to navigate an apartment viewing with confidence. Vocabulary for rooms and features, rental terms like Kaltmiete and Kaution, and phrases for talking to the Makler and asking the right questions on the day.
When you're searching for an apartment in Germany, there’s a good chance that you’ll need to attend a .
Apartment viewings are full of specific vocabulary that can be hard to understand at the B1 level or even higher. In this post, we’ll walk you through essential German words and phrases you'll hear or need during an apartment viewing.
Rooms & Areas of an Apartment
Let’s start with the basics. These are the key German words to describe parts of the apartment and its condition:
- die Wohnungapartment, flat
- das Zimmerroom
- die Küchekitchen
- das Badezimmerbathroom
- der Flurhallway
- der Balkonbalcony
- der Kellerbasement, cellar
- die Abstellkammerstorage room
- der Bodenfloor
- die Wandwall
- die Deckeceiling
- das Fensterwindow
- die Türdoor
You might also want to check out our word lists on German home vocabulary, which covers the different rooms in a house, and German furniture vocabulary to help you talk about what’s inside.
Condition and Features
Here are useful words to describe the condition or special features of an apartment:
- renovierento renovate
- frisch gestrichenfreshly painted
- möbliertfurnished
- unmöbliertunfurnished
- hellbright
- ruhigquiet
- zentral gelegencentrally located
- gut geschnittenwell laid out
- gepflegtwell maintained
- die Einbauküchebuilt-in kitchen
- die Fußbodenheizungunderfloor heating
- der Parkettbodenparquet flooring
Talking to the Agent (Makler)
In many apartment viewings, especially in bigger cities here in Germany, you won’t speak directly to the landlord, but to a real estate agent.
It might be helpful to know a few polite and clear phrases so you can communicate confidently:
- der Makler / die Maklerinreal estate agent (male/female)
- das Maklerbüroreal estate agency
- ein Exposéa brochure / listing document
- der Besichtigungsterminviewing appointment
- eine Wohnung besichtigento view an apartment
- Unterlagendocuments (e.g. for your rental application)
- die Selbstauskunftself-disclosure form (for rental applications)
Asking Questions
Knowing a few set phrases will help you ask useful questions during the viewing. Here are some common ones:
If you’re looking for a more in-depth explanation of how to ask questions in German, be sure to check out our lesson on asking questions in German.
Important Rental Terms
During an apartment viewing — or when reading a listing — you’ll hear many common rental-specific words. Here are the most important ones to understand:
- die Mieterent
- die Kaltmieterent (without utilities)
- die Warmmieterent (including utilities)
- die Nebenkostenutilities / additional costs
- die Kautionsecurity deposit
- der Mietvertragrental contract
- die Hausordnunghouse rules
- der Vermieterlandlord
- die Vermieterinlandlady
- der Nachmieternext tenant / successor tenant
- die Kündigungsfristnotice period
Phrases
When preparing for a viewing, don't just memorize individual words, but try using them in short sentences or questions you might actually say at the viewing.
For example:
Final Thoughts
We hope that learning these essential German words and phrases, will make you feel more confident and better prepared when looking for an apartment.
And remember: language is about real life.
The more you connect vocabulary to real experiences like apartment hunting, the faster your German will improve.