Because housing demand is high in Hamburg, you should start your search for accommodation as early as possible. It is advisable to respond to as many offers as appeal to you. You must act quickly when looking for accommodation in Hamburg because there are many people looking and attractive apartments go fast.
See the pages of the Hamburg Welcome Portal for a lot of helpful housing search tips.
There are various housing portals online and newspapers (e.g., Hamburger Abendblatt) if you are looking to rent an apartment. Here are a few housing portals you can search:
AreaOne
ImmoScout24
Immonet
Immowelt
Immo-Suche
Nestoria
Trovit
Rooms in shared apartments (“WG” in German) are often an affordable alternative to rental apartments. In shared apartments, you have your own room; and share other rooms such as the kitchen and bathroom with the apartment’s other residents. The number of people in an apartment varies. Here are a few housing portals you can search:
WG Gesucht
ImmoScout24
When you first arrive in Hamburg or if you are in the city for only a short period, you should look for a short-term rental. When you search online, use terms such as “Wohnen auf Zeit,” “Zwischenmiete,” and “Kurzzeitmiete,” all of which indicate you are looking for short-term accommodation.
We are also happy to provide information about hostels or hotels with apartments if you are only looking for short-term accommodation.
Fraud
Beware of fraud! There are various clues, however, to these kinds of offers:
- Your contact does not name a price or is not local (e.g., lives abroad).
- It is not possible to see the room or apartment in advance and you must pay to have a key sent.
- The rent is extremely cheap for the central location of the apartment.
- The apartment has already been given to someone else but, for money, you can get a list of available apartments.
In Germany, it is not standard to pay or provide personal data before you see an apartment.