Get an apartement when you are new foreigner

German landlords are very conservative - and rightly so, because rental laws make it very difficult to get rid of a bad tenant.
As a foreigner, you are always at a disadvantage in their eyes - not just because of your lack of credit history.
What you can do is showing them beyond doubt that, despite being a foreigner, you will be a good tenant, will cause no problems or complaints and can continuously pay the rent.

Thanks beppi. But we are not yet in this step (being a good tenant and paying the rent ) we are still looking for rent.

dououd wrote:

Thanks beppi. But we are not yet in this step (being a good tenant and paying the rent ) we are still looking for rent.

That‘s exactly the phase where you have to make this impression and convince the landlord that you will be a good tenant - otherwise you will not get the flat!

yeah, and my question is how to do that? any tips?

Well, that's a difficult one to answer, because there are as many different expectations as there are landlords! Here are some general hints:
- When replying to a rental ad, introduce yourself properly with all the information a landlord would possibly want to have. The minimum are names (and relationship to each other, if several people want to move in), ages, nationalities and visa status (if not EU citizen), professions and approx. incomes, pets (if any, otherwise mention no pets), smokers (if any, otherwise mention non-smoking). It does no harm (and might increase your chance of being invited for a viewing) to write a few personal sentences: How long have you been here, what are your interests, how good is your German (and what are your plans to improve it, if not yet fluent), etc.
- When you have a viewing appointment, be punctual (!!!) and in proper attire. First impressions count - and this is the only chance you have to make one! If at all possible, bring along a German-speaking friend who knows the rental market.
- If after viewing you find the apartment suitable, you'll probably be asked to fill in a tenant questionnaire with more personal questions than you are comfortable with (e.g. about financial situation, debt, former landlords with contact details, etc.). Answer them all and be honest (it will be checked with paper proof later on anyway).
- Ask the landlord (or agent) when you can expect a decision. Follow up, e.g. by calling them, at that time and ask politely for the result.
- If you are chosen and get a contract draft, have it checked by a friend knowledgeable in rental law (or the local Mieterverein) and clarify any questions before you sign.
- Arrange for a handover of the keys at commencement of the rental. View the apartment again with the landlord and document all damages present.

The housing market is very tight in many German cities. Like Beppi mentioned, being a foreigner is almost always going to be a disadvantage. The thing to keep in mind is that the personal impression you make is very important. If somehow you don’t hit it off, or cannot give them straight answers that give them the security they want that you will be reliable tenants, then you have little chance. This means being friendly but not to the point where it feels fake and they suspect you are trying to hide something.

Probably the single most important factor is that you will be able to pay your rent. Thus showing that you have legal permission to be living in Germany and a good, well-paying job rather than some vague ideas how you might earn money is vital. But even with a secure income, any landlord with weak English skills might feel uncertain if they will be able to communicate well.

And I would NOT mention it if one has pets but do mention if you don’t. I don’t want to go into too deeply in to this subject since I have written at length about it on other threads. But normal pets like dogs, cats etc. (as opposed to something exotic like a lion which is not allowed in Germany anyway) are allowed. Landlords cannot legally refuse one an apartment because of a pet except in unusually cases like they live in the same house and have a strong allergy. If an animal does cause problems then they have to bring a lawsuit and find a solution – but a blanket disallowance of pets is illegal. That said, if they know you have pets, and they don’t like it, they might refuse you the place and make other excuses. The same goes for children. A “no kids” policy is simply illegal.