Apartment Viewings Words | Vocabulary List

When you're searching for an apartment in Germany, there’s a good chance that you’ll need to attend a Wohnungsbesichtigungapartment viewing.

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:

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:

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:

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:

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.