The no kitchen thing bothered me at first but I realized this way I have my own appliances and can set up the kitchen the way I want. As for the noise it is very nice to know that you can depend on it being quiet at night and even from 12 noon till 2 pm.
That's depend also on the length of the rent. For 1 year, imo that is a burden to buy then carry with you to the next rental apartment the whole kitchen furniture and appliances. But for a 5-10 years, you may want the kitchen as you imagine it, also there is the possibility to change something along the years.
People buy their own kitchen and the prices are quite high. Why leave them in a rental apartment if moving to other place? On the other hand, many people offer and sell their kitchen to the next renter before they move out and buy a new kitchen matching to the new apartment.
@@ExperienceCN Thats wrong, you pay what you destroy. Normal wear and tear is part of a Landlord. Thats the rules. Sure, if Renters dont know or are not interessted in knowing their own reights... Landlords proof to make cash. With the stupid´s you make the easier deals. :-)
Just imagine flats came with built-in desks and computers, TVs and stereos, and you had absolutely no control over them. People feel the same about their kitchen appliances.
The noise level probably won't be controlled by anyone as long as you don't annoy your neighbours too much. So it may be written in the contract, but will under normal circumstances rarely lead to consequences. Usually your neigbours will be tolerant if you for example have a birthday party with loud music, cause they will do the same in some occasions. But, of course, if you permanently make loud noise everyday, someone will get annoyed and complain.
Also worth mentioning, germany has so called quiet hours (usually from 10pm to 6am) and if people are too loud during these times, they can call the police. The police will then drive by, knock on the door and ask to be more quiet.
Yes I´d say it depends totally on the situation, like what your neighbour are, communication, how you behave towards them, what kind of noise you make and so on. You can be lucky moving to a place or not with that. When a was at university we lived in a small house with 5 people and behind that house there was our terrace on top of the landlords garage. There was often partylike atmosphere, a lot of people, barbecue, fire, guitar and so on sometimes even the whole night through. It was right inside an old 10k town, i lived there for 4 or 5 years and we never had anyone complain. It was a miracle to me 😂 Maybe they liked us 🤔
I think the point is to have legally binding rules for the case you described. after all "where there's no plaintiff, there's no judge" as we say in Germany. If there is no noise complaint, no one will enforce anything. if you are noisy and your neighbors complain someone could actually measure the noise and law enforcement could impose a fine based on facts not on subjective "it's somewhat too loud". It's just to enable legal liability in such cases.
@@tobias3446 And, if you are disturbed by a neighbor for a very long time, you can reduce your payment to the landlord (who can (and will try to) take it back from the disturber or he might try to cancel the rental agreement with the disturber if the financial damage is too high).
The Tiny House thing was made a little too big in the video. This movement may exist, but almost no one buys Tiny Houses in Germany. That's not really a thing. And yes it is absolutely common for rental apartments to not have kitchens (but it does happen). This is also the reason why I never had a real kitchen in my whole life, because I was always too lazy to take care of it and I didn't feel like having to take care of it when I move out again. But it's common to have at least a stove and a sink with base cabinet in the kitchen in every rented apartment. Also, depending on the landlord, sometimes you have the possibility that the next tenant will take over a kitchen, but this is not the rule.
people from the tiny house and mobile homes communities always try to make it seem like it's a great thing that everyone is adhering to. the thing is, those homes require a place for you to keep them, usually a lot that you gotta pay for, and they're not considered houses, so they never go up in value, they're more like cars, that go down in value the older they get. so you buy one of those for like 20k in a few years, if you wanna sell it, you'll be lucky to get half
Probably because this is a Deutsche Welle YT channel, which is funded directly by the government (in "contrast" to ARD, ZDF & which are funded by compulsory fees) 😭🤣🤣
I think, that in a densely populated country like Germany, tiny homes are a joke. We just dont have enough space for this idea. You can stack tiny homes and it would be called apartments. Which just makes more sence.
Sometimes tiny houses are put on top of existing flat roof apartment buildings, that's in my opinion a very good concept and should happen a lot more than it does. Mix it with some plants and some solar panels and some homes for bees up there (and playgrounds of course). What about suspension bridges from one block to another? Let´s have some fun here 😀 It's gonna save room, help the environment, it brings down the rents in the city and lightens up the monotony in those areas like where the sovjet-style city planning took place (or similar hoods in western germany) Finally it attracts probably creative people to otherwise maybe more problematic suburbs. Voila
About the kitchen thing: Some apartments do come with a kitchen, but it is not the norm. Having your own kitchen is neat, especially as it is really yours and have a design you like and the appliances you want. My current kitchen is all white and I really dislike it and I would LOVE to exchange the oven because it's handling is complicated (Ikea). I brought my own fridge with me because the installed one was just too small, especially the freezer part. The built in one now serves as a cupboard. About the noise: This mainly refers to nighttime. It's german law to keep the noise down between 10pm and 6am to not disturb your neighbours nightrest. If you disregard this rule, your neighbours can call the cops on you. During the day, you have the right to be as loud as possible though, but that also depends on whether you want to be liked by your neighbours. Being blasted with music all day will not make the your friends and it is always a good idea to be cordial with your neighbours, as a good neighbourly community can sometimes save the day. Houseshoues for example have softer soles as outdoor shoes, so they make less noise on the floor, which could be heard by the neighbours below. I once had an upstairs neighbour that liked to wear high heels at all times of the day and sometimes I felt like ripping her feet off. Edit: The painting is in case you painted the walls a different colour, or habits of yours (like smoking) have heavily effected the colour. For example, my living room currently has two turquoise walls and my bedroom two yellow walls. Unless the next renter does not tell me specifically to leave it to them, I will have to paint them back to white when I move out one day.
Ob Küche oder nicht liegt primär am Bundesland, in einigen Bundesländern gehören Spüle und Herd zur Wohnung. Wenn der Vermieter das also schon stellen muß, baut er i.d.R. auch eine Einbauküche ein.
@@Rick2010100 Das wusste ich bisher noch nicht. Ich habe bisher in NDS und NRW gewohnt und hatte beide Fälle in beiden Bundesländern gesehen. Ich habe allerdings auch nicht vor, NDS jemals wieder zu verlassen.
@@Rick2010100 In Berlin zb. Hieß aber in der Realität ein Herd stand in der Ecke und die Spüle hätten sie eingebaut (alles frisch renoviert gewesen), wenn wir nicht freiwillig selbst eine eingebaut hätten (mein Mann ist zu groß für normale Küchenhöhen). Der Herd war aber alt, und die neue Spüle samt Unterschrank hätte dann eben nicht zum Rest der Küche gepasst.
@@kreativuntermdach7351 In Berlin sind Herd u. Spüle gesetzlich vorgeschrieben. Wenn der Vermieter anbietet diese auf Verlangen einzubauen ist dem Gesetz damit auch genüge getan. Es gibt oft auch die Möglichkeit mit dem Vermieter über eine EBK zu verhandeln, die Miete steigt dann natürlich. (Übliche Kalkulation: Lebensdauer einer EBK ca. 10 Jahre, daher die Kosten der EBK auf 120 Monate umgerechnet + 10% Verzinsung für den Vermieter) Ich vermiete in Berlin und handhabe dies so seit Jahren.
How loud we are allowed to be in our homes is (of course) regulated by law in Germany. The guideline values are: - 40 decibels for daytime - 30 decibels for nighttime (between 10 pm and 6 am) And yes, some people have a decibel meter and check the volume of their neighbors when they constantly violate quiet hours. "Ruhezeiten" are taken very seriously here and I think that's perfectly fine.
Hey Joel, when you live in a multi-family house, there are always fixed quiet times that you have to stick to. Where we used to live in the city was from 10.p.m. to 6 a.m and from 1 p. m. to 3 p.m which was really good if you had a small child at the time who was taking a nap. Meanwhile we have been living in our own house in the country for 26 years. Here the neighbors don`t take it so seriously if you hear loud music.But on Sundays and public holidays of course, you stick to the quiet times such as no loud music, moving the lawn , etc.
Sometimes, you have the chance to buy the kitchen from the previous renter, but I think in general, Germans want to have their kitchen fitted and according to their own taste. And about the noise thing... I know this sounds strange to a lot of - erm - non-Germans, but in my personal experiences, this sound more restrictive as it actually is. Last Sunday night, at 9 pm, someone somewhere in the house started drilling holes and probably finished the job undisturbed since it went on for about 20 Minutes. So while everyone has the RIGHT to their evening and Sunday tranquility and CAN call the police if its after 10 pm, for example, this does not mean that it will actually happen - it all depends on your "environment". Two sayings for your German expression list: "Die Freiheit des Einzelnen endet dort, wo die Freiheit des Anderen beginnt" ( the individuals freedom ends where the freedom of the other individual begins) and "Wo kein Kläger, da kein Richter" (no plaintiff, no judge). 😛
Noise complaints are actually not a police matter, but an "Ordnungsamt" (regulatory agency? / public order office?) matter. Though, if you call the police, they will notify the right people...
What about tastes and styles? If you live in the same kitchen that was put in by the landlord, you would expect it to be rather cheap and possibly in a color or set-up you hate. Or a previous owner put it in and it is horrifically old-fashioned or, again, in a color you hate, or it only has small cabinets but you’r prefer bigger ones, etc…. When I moved into my first apartment in Germany, I loved the fact that I was able to install a gas stove, for example, and that I could choose the exact types of cabinets I needed and did not have live in the ones, someone else picked years and years ago for the amount of stuff they had back then…
kitchen is nothing else than furniture. so it makes sense that I want to own my kitchen and take it with me while moving. when you're making too much noise (loud music that can be heard during the chill times in other apartements, drilling etc) you get in trouble with your neighbors and, maybe, with the landlord
The conditions are really good for renters. In the UK, I have been used to landlords having lots of power in a contract, but in Berlin my landlords are so helpful and responsive if there is anything wrong. They seem to take an active interest in my wellbeing, and I like this situation better!
You're lucky then! Especially in bigger cities your apartment building might belong to a big company that basically doesn't give a sh** about the flat's condition and that are only interested in collecting the rent. Especially in social, publically funded housing you can find that quite often. On the other hand renters do have a good portion of legally protected rights.
In the UK as a renter you are always threatened by the (legal) no-fault eviction ie your landlord can kick you out practically whenever they feel like.
Having your own kitchen is actually a good thing. You know what you like and need and your energy consumption doesn't depend on the goodwill of your landlord.
Since most people don't move too often the kitchen is usually in kind of a bad state whenever they do decide to move out (obviously time is not too kind to structures that are used daily). So it makes sense to just buy a new custom-made kitchen whenever you move.
"too much noise" are things like drilling a hole into the wall at 3am, mowing your lawn at 5am, deciding to have a piano lesson at 11pm etc. it's all common sense but sadly you can't always rely on people to have that so instead we have rules. i have a friend who lives in nyc who's constantly complaining about loud construction at night and loud neighbours that keep her up. it's nice not to have to worry about that type of stuff. usually your neighbours will be fine if there's a special reason to be loud, for example my neighbours host one big party every summer and they always let the rest of the house know several days in advance and no one here would get mad at that, it's just about respecting each other in a shared space like an apartment building
Renters are very protected in Germany and cannot be kicked out easily. Many livebat the same rental for 20-30 years…and the rent cannot be easily increased on an existing rental agreement. So the longer you live in a place the cheaper it gets. If you live in a place long term you want to determine the style of your kitchen and not get something cheap your landlord chose.
you look after your kitchen quite more than a rented one! its the same with cars. you get 3 warnings when u are too loud with the 4th you get thrown out.
In Germany there are so-called rest periods. During these times, some things may not be done. They vary from municipality to municipality, but generally there is a midday rest between 1 and 3 p.m., night rest between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and all day on Sundays/holidays. During these times, for example, no leaf blowers, lawn mowers or noisy tools (cutting machines, etc.) may be used. Otherwise, you shouldn't bother your neighbors with noise at other times either.
With the kitchen it depends ... some appartements come with a whole kitchen, but it's not that common. At least in my experience (may also depend on the city/region you live in). The city I live in now you have at least a stove and a sink in it, but you have to take care of the rest yourself. So either bring your old kitchen from the appartement before or buy a new one. The city I lived in before the kitchen had actually nothing in it (and that was the case in all 3 appartements I had). For the "noise making": it's actually like you can't/shouldn't make any noises louder than "household noise level" after 10 or 11 pm til 6 am. Meaning for instance no over the top loud music or drilling at those times. And ofc on Sunday you shouldn't do that at any time. If it happens only once that you make loud noises in the "forbidden times" I guess no one will complain. But if you do it regularly others will certainly complain with the landlord.
Lol! I always wanted to have my own kitchen, why on earth would I pay my landlord for his own taste? And what do you know? I always found it hard to see apartments without a kitchen! 😂 And when I left my old apartment and was willing to leave my kitchen no one was interested!
6:35 The repaint part of course only applies if you painted your falt in a "non neutral" color during your time there. Also the air out part is to prevent mold
7:00 Well first of all if you are too loud for city standarts someone will call the police to knock on your door and tell you you have been a naughty citizen. Some people renting shit out have devices to measure how loud you are (from outside your flat of course) and will throw you out if you are to loud since that is a violation of your contract
the painting in neutral colors before you leave totally depends on your contract with the landlord. I experienced both, painting required and not required.....
Many people let the kitchen furniture in , because it wouldnt fit in the new flat or it could get broken when take it out again. Dependable of the age and quality the next pays a tip for the old ones , so he/she doesnt need to buy.
Actually the landloards do not want electrical tools be part of the rented apartment, as this means he has responisibility if they fail. This can cause a lot of work and money - and even legal fights, whever the failing might be caused by inapropied use by the user. For myself: I owned a 1 room apartment while studying and I rented it out afterwards. I didn't need the kitchen (wasn't a very nice one anyway). So I gave it for free to the first rentier, so she became the owner of the kitchen and I got rid of the liability. She modernized it, and at the end of the lease she asked me if I can ask the next rentier If he/she would buy it for a small amount. This went on a few times. So while the apartment lease was without kitchen, it still practicly came with one. Also, if the kitchen is part of the lease, the user can not change anything without written aproval of the landlord. You do not like the coulour or want to modernize the kitchen? You are quite limited if you are not the owner. Also, as most aparments are owned by companys (unlike mine), time is money. So renting out applience you have to care for as the landlord is not so cheap and adds up to the rent. Anyway, as most kitchens are made out of elements with standard measurements, it is not hard to move a kitchen. It is mostly the top plate you have to renew - and thats something you should do from time to time anyways. Even bathrooms often come with the bare minimum. Showers without a cell or curtains, or even a shower head (in germany there is no fixed showerhead normaly) as they are "consumables" (esp. in regions with hard water). So it is up to the user to take care for it. Still, the ceramics in the bathroom are mostly part of the apartment (esp if the toilets are wall mounted). But actually a friend of mine rented a house without any bathroom eqipment at all... Renting out with bare minimum in my opinion actually is the best way to do it. It gives the user most freedom to do everything in his own taste and preferences. Also one very importent difference between US and Germany: In Germany the landlord can chancel the lease normaly only in two conditions: You are delayed with your rent for a certain amount and time or he needs the apartment for himself (or a first grade relative like kids and parents). Also the way and amount for rent increases is regulated by law, as most leases are not time limited. So you actually can invest in customize your living space. So unless you only intend a short-term lease anyways, it makes much more sense to equipt everything to your own wishes and needs.
And if you intend a short term lease, there are apartments with furniture available. Though most landlords prefer long-term renters, they are less of a hassle.
All my apartments were always without a kitchen. I don't want a kitchen in the wrong color and design, with little animals possibly living somewhere behind the cabinets ... Quiet hours in an apartment building hardly differ from the general legal quiet hours. You grow up with that, it's just totally normal. And a fine thing to lie in the deck chair over lunch instead of having to vacuum the apartment - forced of course, you can't help it 😇 And you usually only have to paint the walls if you've completely soiled them or painted them a color. Unless your new tenant likes the color and tells the landlord. These are all just official rules. In practice it is always an agreement with the landlord.
kitchen furniture is the most heavily used furniture in almost all apartments, homes etc. you want to change, replace it anyway once in while. And, often the former tenant will try to sell his used kitchen to the next tenant usually for a good price as he wants to get rid of it. Re. noise, here is a secret :) ask and talk to people and neighbors BEFORE you plan a party, some renovating or other noisy activities on resting days. Talking to and asking Germans can work wonders. That applies too if you should ever visit.
Talking is always good. I mean, just imagine you intend to renovate the same weekend after which your direct neighboor has an important test and really need quiet to learn. So you just talk and maybe you can pick another weekend, or you compromise somehow. I think most of those rules are based on the fact that Germany is so densely populated. We need to get along somehow in the space available.
Noise is a special issue in multi family houses: there are so called "Ruhezeiten" (times, in which one is supposed to bequiet, like form 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.). Noone will chop your head off, if you accidently drop stuff, but having a party with loud music after 10 p.m. may result in a visit by some police officers, telling you to quiet things down. Even if you warned the neighbors beforehand, someone who has to get up early in the morning or has little kids, that need their sleep, will soner or later try to quiet things down. Depending on the quality of the relationship with your neighbors, that may be knocking at the door and asking to turn the P.A. down a notch an d may escalade to calling the police more than once. On the first time, the police officers will be rather friendly and just ask to reduce the wolume, on the third call, they will mmost likely ask your guest to leave. On the other hand: as long, as noone feels annoyed, specially if there are no neighbors around, you are pretty much free to do as you please. So basically, it is a question of common sense: if you want your peace an quiet times, so do others. If you let things pass from time to time, so will your neighbors.
don't panic, you only have to repaint the rooms if you have lived there for more than 5 years or sometimes 3 years. So that the next tenant does not have to do that when moving in. So leave the apartment as you had it in the beginning
You can literally call the police if ‘Nachtruhe’ [lit. night silence] isn’t respected. Tbh, it’s very rarely breached, and it actually makes for quite a respectful community, because the idea behind the rule - of course - is to not bother your neighbours with your noise.
Friend, please do not forget, we are a very small country in size. With a lot of people. We can´t build houses everywhere, we need some space to grow food.😃
7:00 yes, neighbours will either tell you right away, or they get in contact with the landlord, or they call the police Too much noise e.g. in the night would be like turning your radio all the way up, washing machine or party guests yelling around the entire time.
About the no kitchen included in renting: There are some flats, that actually come with a kitchen, for example if the previous renter left his kitchen there in order to get himself a new one. You usually agree on a particular amount of money, called "Ablöse" that you pay to the previous renter in order to keeping the kitchen. Same is possible for other furniture that you might want to keep in your flat. Other flats come without kitchen, but with the possibility of getting a new, customised kitchen installed via the housing association that you'll pay a little extra to your rent for. Other flats actually come without a kitchen and you'll have to get yourself a new one or bring the one from your previous flat. But make sure you are allowed to remove it from there, too.
Repainting sounds so normal to me. Because you get the apartment with neutral color walls so when you move out you have to bring it back to the stage you got it.
Kitchen: Landlords have to provide a stove and sink by law which is mostly super basic and old if it was used prior. Mostly you disassemble them and store them in the basement to assemble a real kitchen until you move out, then you have the options to sell the kitchen to the next tenant or take the kitchen with you. It works the same with flooring that you install yourself which is more rare.
I have lived in two rental apartments, both small, and they had kitchens. A friend of mine was living in a flat without a kitchen but he simply sold it to the next guy when he moved out. Also the renting vs owning argument is very different depending on where you are. In rural areas most people own their homes.
To the painting thing: If you get the rooms unpainted, you leave them as they are. If you get the rooms painted, you have to give them fresh colour at the end. Even it is not nessecary. To the noise thing: There are defined noise levels allowed for each period of the day. 10 pm to 6 am be silent, its sleeping time. 8 pm to 10 pm is time of reduced noise, so no heavy tools like drills are allowed but partying is. 6 am to 8 pm is normal live. From 1 pm to 2 pm is Mittagsruhe with reduced noise. These rules are local and differ from place to place. In case of noise violation the Police will react with priority.
Hi Joel. Home ownership rate in Germany increases the more rural you go, and the smaller the village is. Property prices are still much lower in the countryside as most people don't prefer to commute to work a long distance. Yepp, the removal of the kitchen when moving out was, and still IS to some degree a thing. Repainting the walls dito. Not completely overdo them, just paint over any holes or scrapes. Recently there has been a subtle shift to fully furbished kitchens. If the previous renter bought and installed a particularly nice kitchen with appliances this might increase your rent noticably, as the landlord/lady might have had to give the previous renter a good deduction or payback for it. Obviously the removal of the kitchen is the case only for long term rents of over a year or even way longer. Most very short term rents WILL include a fully furnished kitchen. Often even a fully furnished apartment is part of the rent. The noise levels are under state law, not federal law but usually it includes 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Often quiet hours are observed in the afternoon in more rural areas with little to no industry or other noise sources from 1 to 3 p.m. Consider that not to be a common thing everywhere. However Sundays are ALWAYS considered a quiet day where you shouldn't make any significant noise. Sure, a dropped pot isn't going to be a reason for calling the cops. But consistent banging, shuffling of furniture, dance parties on the floor above, playing instruments loudly, etc, anything that anyone with a bit of common sense would declare as noise polution is an actionable offense vs the law of respecting quiet hours. Sure, there may be Karens/Kevins who jump at the very sign of anything approaching their own minuscule tolerance levels of noise, but that won't be the majority.
In the city or if you have neighbours without balls = police is coming over up to 3 times to warn you to tone it down With cool ass neighbours and I see this more on the countryside = they either come over to friendly say to tone it down, they are totally chill and dont come over or they randomly come over to party with you
On repainting: When you rent a flat the color of the walls are usually white or off white. If you don't like the color of the walls, you are free to change it. However, you do need to repaint it back to white when you move out. It helps, imo, or it is easier for an Immobilien to rent it out to the next person. Anyway, you DO NOT need to repaint the walls if you plan on keeping it white/ off-white.
The only thing I disagree on is the kitchen being unfurnished. I believe it’s mandatory to provide sink and oven/stove combination. At least it is in Hamburg where I am renting!
I'm not allowed to play the piano between 1 and 3 pm. But it's legal for me to drive with 200 mp/h (or more) on the Autobahn while i'm drinking Jägermeister (or other alcohol).
It’s not so much about the amount of noise. It is more about the hours of the day where you are allowed to be noisy. So no drilling machines after a certain time or on Sundays because that’s the “Ruhetag” 😊
It is also common to paint the walls when you move into the flat (or put new wallpapers on). Then you move out without painting. That‘s because the next tenant might have a totally different style that he prefers.
the quiet times depend on whether you live in Germany surrounded by foreigners. In our building with 52 appartments, some foreigners will be loud during the night and do renovation on Sunday and holidays. Always. They don't read the rules and/or no one tells them.
Don't be shocked by the painting clause. there are several things like this in a usual contract: regulations on how to air, when to renew paint in which rooms etc. This is because the owners of the rented place what to preserve the value of their property, so they make the renters take certain steps to help with that. Painting in a neutral color on departure, more often than not you can negotiate with the following renter and usually, the painting can be skipped unless you have a hard-to-cover color on your wall.
The noise regulations depend on the place you live. Living in a house is different than living in a rental apartment in a multi family house. There are regulations to reduce the noise level during lunchtime and at night between 10pm - 6am. Same on Sundays no loud noise allowed whole day, for example don't use machines inside and outside. If someone acts against the rules, especially at night time you can call the police. If this happens 3 times the owner of the apartment (landlord) can terminate the rental contract.
The thing with the kitchen depends a little on the region (no idea why). In the north of Germany, apartments with built-in kitchens are a little more common. If that's not the case, still most people don't take the kitchen with them when moving, because like you said, it's a total PITA. Instead, they try to sell it to the next tenant. Which might result in spending a lot of money on a used kitchen you don't particularly like. 😕
the kitchen thing is a thing. if it doesn't fit into your new apartments kitchen you might sell it to your "nachmieter" (successor?) or throw it out and buy a new one, depending how old the old one is. for the noise we have something called "Ordnungsamt" (regulatory office). if some neighbours are too loud too often or at the quiet hours you can call them and yes, they knock at your door and tell you to lower it. if they don't they can get a fine.
when I see "renter-friendly" diys or makeovers on here and people aren't even allowed to hammer a nail into the wall to hang some picture frames or can't paint their walls the way they want to I think it's equally as outlandish to me as it is to you that we have to paint our walls white again when we move out here haha or all the plastic tile stickers people put on their kitchen walls etc. - here you can usually do whatever you want to the place as long as you put it back the way you found it when you move out. So yeah many people won't tile their walls but then again my parents lived in the same apartment for over 30 years and yes they will change the floors, wall and backsplashes to their taste of course lol Any structural changes have to be talked through with the landlord obviously but it's pretty much anything goes otherwise, which is nice when you rent a place longterm especially. And yeah the tiny home section was too big in that video. sure it does exist but you know :)
My german kitchen is huge and a big part of our living area ... and as I prepare food and cook daily (!) I want the kitchen I prefer, need and like ... not an already installed standard kitchen. I got my kichten as I wanted it to be and need! So my needs might be differ from (i am about to prejudge now!) from an american who doesn't cook frequently and prefers delivery food, fast food and so on!? o_O To the size of our huge kitchen: If google did the math right, we are talking about a room with around 650 square feet! (I hope it's right?! In my case it's ~60m² ... convert it yourself)... :)
The noise you hear in the flat, but no neighbour, that is still acceptable. But I had a neighbour who often had loud music on and when you have a late shift or an early shift or a night shift. Then it was almost unbearable to sleep. Another neighbour from the other side of the street even called the police because it was too loud for him. Just the other day, a Ukrainian woman asked me when she rents or buys a flat if it is true that there is no furniture. Of course there is no furniture. Especially since everything costs extra. And most people want to see their own look in the interior. But a kitchen can also be present, it always depends on what the previous tenant is like. My sister had also left her kitchen in, because it had to be dismantled. She can't. But in the new flat she had to have a new kitchen installed. It's absolutely rare that there are fully furnished flats and, as I said, that usually costs extra. Even when I moved to a 50m² flat where my uncle had previously lived, he had taken the kitchen out of the flat and disposed of it. But I was happy about it, my kitchen cost 2500€ but for seven years. It's still good, but who knows if the next tenant will even want the kitchen.
You want your kitchen the way you want it - if it is already there, you can't choose what kinds of appliances you want at what energy efficiency, what colors, what kind of layout etc.
My collection of books alone could fill up a tiny house. There are some huge volumes among them with 800 to 1,000 pages. And, yes, I lived for rent for many years in Munich and Berlin because I couldn't keep a job for more than three years until it got boring and I moved on to another district, and I knew that some day, I'd inherit a house in rural Bavaria. Thank you, grandpa, but little did I know how much cost and work is involved in owning a house. There's always something to maintain or improve. I once really thought about selling the house and the patch of ground around it, but I learned about the prices being paid, sat down, and looked at a picture of my grandpa for an hour or so, and then said to myself, no, you can't do that. If you're making too much noise, it may happen that your neighbors call the police. Of course most people will knock and tell you to be more quiet, but not all people are like that, and the police have to come and take a look. You don't need to let them in, but you should follow their advice. Repainting the walls, I always found that crazy. And by "neutral color", they usually mean white. I once moved into a flat where you could really see that the walls had been overpainted several times, and I scraped off a little bit of the recent white layer, and thought, wow, had they left the old color, that would have been great. But maybe it's a hidden industry subsidy: Moving out, you paint everything white. Moving in, you paint it as you want. DIY stores are a huge industry in Germany.
All flats I left with my wife for a new flat or house anywhere, I was searching for a new renter who buys some of my furnitures + the kitchen directly. And I gave them a lil discount for not having to paint all rooms white.
1. some apartments came with a kitchen or even with full furniture 2. when you are to loude the nighboors can call the cops especially on sunday or in the afternoon, but its for mowing gras and loud musik and such
Making too much noise means: if you have a party at 2am with hammering music, either the neighbours will show up or the police will come to you with a noise complaint.
Much more interesting is, everybody could be member of a local/regional Tenants Association for less money (approx. 120 €/year). They help in all important things. Also included is an insurance if you need a lawyer, mostly with a small selfpaying (per case 180€). They help in all legal matters. Not to be confused with a janitorial service.
The repainting the walls depends on the contract. In some apartments the owner will require you to leave the walls the way they were when you moved in, as long as you putty the holes...
Too much noise is for example loud music or doing your laundry in the night (after 10 pm). In our part of Germany (the Ruhrgebiet in western Germany) it is normal to get your apartment with bare walls, you have to renovate it before you move in, therefore you don't have to renovate it before you move out. And I prefer to have my own kitchen, not something that was already in the apartment.
You're too loud when the neighbors ring your bell after 10 p.m. and angrily say that they have to go to work early in the morning and want to damn well sleep.
I Swiss and I also think the German kitchen moving thing is weird. In Switzerland the kitchen is part of the flat, it's a pro but also a con. Because if you have old stuff or no dishwasher you have to deal with it.
I’ve always seeked out apparently that came with a kitchen, since I knew I’d likely move again for job or personal reasons. But then again, I’m from the countryside and always saw city living and apartment renting as a temporary thing and knew that in my 30s I’d want to own a single-family home in a rural area, just like I grew up. It’s not impossible to find appartments with a kitchen in them, but they are more frequently found in cities and often in new/recently refurbished aka more expensive apartments.
I'm glad we don't have a kitchen in rental homes. So I can set up the kitchen the way I need it, with the right heights, electrical appliances and tools how I need them. As my partner is over 6.1ft (2.01m) tall and I am only 5.4ft (1.65m) short, we need countertops at different heights and prefer our oven at an higher position. I don't need a microwave and because I prefer doing the dishes by hand, I only need a small dishwasher. I can set this up with my own kitchen, but I wouldn't be able to change it if I rented with kitchen.
The noise thing is something, that for sure Americans are not used to. We were on vacation in the US and lived in an Airbnb. The house owner lived on the fist floor, we on the upper floor. Every evening the owner got visited by another buddy and they've been sooooo noisy erverytime in the hall. Even at night when the friend left they chatted and giggled and smacked the doors. In Germany a big no, in the US just normal 😆
While I don't know how it is enforced in Germany, there are similar 'noise' laws in the UK which comes under the umbrella of 'anti-social behaviour'. Here it would start with complaints from one or more neighbours about the noise levels. The levels of noise polution from your property would then be monitored (in terms of their decibel ratings and the timings are logged) before the case is brought before a judge who can then issue you with a fine, an anti-social behavioural order (known as an ASBO) and/or order you to take part in 'community service' (activities like cleaning up graffiti or fixing things owned by the state).
I'm a student so I can't afford my own kitchen meaning many apartments to rent are simply out of question BUT there are so many more apartments out there these days that have a kitchen included luckily.
About the kitchen thing. I have my own kitchen and can do whatever I want to do with it. If you have a appartment which comes with a rented kitchen you`re forced to take so much more care that nothing`s gonna be destroyed or scratched because you have to pay or get fined for every little damage when you move out. So it`s better you have your own kitchen.
every apartment i've ever lived in only came with the counters and cabinets in the kitchen. although it's becoming more normal for some appliances like stove and extractor to come with the place, there's still plenty of houses that have 0 appliances
The kitchen is not always taken out. But in most cases,i mean if you payed about 2k or more for it, you take it with you. You dont leave your big tv on the wall when you move out aswell, just because its havy. In some cases you leave the kitchen, but only if the person who rents your Apartment after you wants it.
7:00 In general, it is advisable to talk to the neighbors who are causing the noise. However, you are right, in large apartment buildings it is sometimes difficult to even find out who the party in question is. If a clarifying conversation does not achieve the desired effect, you can call the police and/or inform the landlord about the constant noise pollution. 7:20 Normally it only becomes critical when it comes to the rest periods. If there is a permanent party or something similar, then there is usually tension. For example, if every Friday after 10 p.m. the "dear" neighbors ring in their weekend with a party at home. 7:48 Remember what she said in the video: "Hardly half of the population lives in their own houses." Most of them live for rent and still want to have peace and quiet from the stressful everyday life at night.
About the kitchen: It´s not that common that a flat to rent comes without kitchen. More often than not there is one, being part of the rental contract. And it´s quite common, if it´s your own kitchen, not to take it with you but to sell it to the renting person that comes after you.
5:35 Of cause, it can be unpractical to take out kitchens of old homes and put them into the new ones. But that comes with typically less rent and the ability, to set up your personal space the way you like it. You can mess up your equipment, rearrange it or redecorate and the landlord has no say in it, if it is all yours. You can also choose energy efficient stuff to lower your bill for electricity instead of relying on whatever your landlord put in. And in many cases renters sell their kitchens to the next renter, instead of taking it out. 7:06 If you make too much noise, the neighbours might complain to you or ask the landlord to have a talk to you or - if you are extremely noisy in quiet hours, even the police might get involved. Of cause, you can accidently drop a pot or have a false smoke alarm or something like that. But you cannot always play loud music or use powertools or let your dog bark half the day. The limiting factor is the noise which reaches your neighbours (and how tollerant they are). Sometimes landlords put paragraphs about noise into the rental agreement, sometimes only the general legal regulations apply. But what is (for the most part) enforced, is, what is necessary to guaranty a more or less peaceful life without too much noise pollution. If you have your own house, you can usually produce more noise, before it surpasses acceptable limits for your neighbours. That is not the point. I lived in a building with a bank and an outpatient unit for some years and when those were not open, I could make as much noise as I wanted, including loud music at midnight and on sundays. 8:20 Repainting the walls is by default the duty of the landlord. But there can be exceptions in the contract (not all of them are legal). A common one, is the obligation to repaint, when you move out. But also, if that is not the case, you might be allowed to paint your rooms however you like them, whilst you rent them. And if that is the case, you are almost allways required to repaint in a neutral colour, before you move out. You should also consider the context. Renting in germany is normally for an unlimited time and your landlord cannot kick you out easily. The risk, that your new fancy kitchen has to be taken out or that your beloved neon-pink wallcolour has to be replaced at the end of the year is minimal, unless that is your plan. Therefore customizing it is not a scary investment. And the population density is high here, whilst buildings are typically old and not overly soundprove. Therefore a certain level of protection from noise pollution is necessary.
Good Video, pretty accurate from my experience in Germany, altho the appartment i rented was furnished coz i was only staying a year. The set up of the houses or appartments is similar to many places in western europe. Only difference : 1. the fact that most germans are renting 2.the absence of the kitchen. , these are specific to germany as far as i know ( and i know 😉, or at least like to think so 😅😂) ✌️❤️
There is over all one rule, that explains so many other rules: Your right ends, where the right of another starts. It’s all about consideration and respect. You don’t need a perfect line you are not allowed to cross, when you just know, that your next step will bother someone else. The whole German law is constructed around the idea of respecting each other.
Germans tend to live in one place, one apartment for a long time, often decades. Plus: For a very long time the kitchen was (and for many probably still is) the most important room in their homes where there they have their good German breakfast, invite their friends for a self-made dinner, have guests and so on. Therefore, they want the kitchen to be something that is their own, adjusted to their tastes and requirements, and not something that 'will just work for the time being'.
No kitchen may happen. But often times you negotiate with the former renter to buy their kitchen. In many cases it's in both interest not to dismantle it. E.g. a former single household planning to live together with her/his friend spouse with no need for two kitchen. And often times the kitchen is provided by the landlord. Tiny houses are not as often as mentioned because you still need the property to install. As a general rule you leave a rented appartment as you got it. Getting in fresh painted you leave with clean walls. If this means to repaint ... then repaint. The biggest difference is: Appartments mostly are without furniture. German appartments have no walk-in cabinets. But this is due to the fact that 90% is mason built and not wooden framed. One big advantage is that walls and floors are absorbing noise and even Chuck Norris will not punch through the wall.
Some of the rules are similar in the UK, some landlords stipulate neutral colours on the wall, not nailing etc. If its in the contract then you wont get your deposit back or the charge will come out of the rent, most rentals require a number of months rent in advance and a deposit. I rented one place years ago where you were required to have the carpets and the matress deep cleaned before getting you deposit back. As for noise in the UK the government has a department in the local council who you can make noise complaints to, if its serious and persistent they will come out with a equipment to monitor the noise level. and it can be used by the landlord to evict. Also the council can issue a noise abatement order, which if ignored can result in upto £5000 fine. I once lived in a house where students moved next door and they had loud parties every few days which blasted music which could be heard at least 5 houses away until 3am in the morning. the whole street put in complaints and within a few weeks they had been evicted. Breaking anything in a housing contract can give grounds for eviction.
Kitchen is easy explained: often when ppl move they get a new Kitchen anyways. No one wants to deal with the former renters or the old Flats gunk and stuff.
You can always talkt to the people that live in the flat/house you want to move in. As for my case, I had a small kitchen in my flat and also after my Mom moved into an assisted living house, we left the kitchen in the old flat for the woman that moved into afterwards. If you make too much noise, people are allowed to call the police, because it's a disorderly conduct. Also you can again talk to the people that move into the flat/house after you - for me I said to the girl that lived here that she doesn't have to paint, because I want special paint for my walls. If you have more questions about all of that, feel free to ask^^
I live in Poland. When I've been on university I had to rent a flat in Łódź. It was like 30 square meters... it was really tiny. Some people in Poland live in - so called - dutch houses (Im not sure if they are called same way outside Poland). Anyway, those dutch houses are trailers, big ones. In theory they can be moved on wheels, but they always come on top of trucks, so the idea of own wheels is more like showing that this is not a building but something that can be moved (which makes sense from formal perspective). Those trailer houses are relatively big, I think they have some 30-40 square meters. It is still less than standard flat - standard flats are between 50 and 80 square meters. Big flats / apartments start at around 100 square meters. Small houses start at arount 80 square meters, typical polish modern house would be like 150-180 square meters, lets say up to 300 square meters. And in Poland we try to own houses / flats instead of renting, though it is slowly changing. I personally believe that ownership of own living space is something that helps build strong society. If we look at this from certain perspective, people renting houses / flats are... homeless ;-P.
If you are making too much noise in a rented appartment and your neighbours report this to the houseowner, he can cancel your contract with him and you have to leave. If you disturb in the night, police can come and demand you to be silent. Too much noise means: Jumping and trampling, playing or making music very loud, always screaming, for example
Tiny houses make sense if and only if your not often at home. If you work at home and have a cosy, homely lifestyle and don't have many extra hobbies or projects where you have to be somewhere else, if you don't like/can afford traveling a lot, it's definitely not for you.
When it comes to noise it just means you should not be too loud especially during sleeping hours and sunday. Sou when you turn up your music extremly loud or you have a party in flat thats when they could call the police on you. But thats fairly rare, cause normaly people in on house will talk to each other and if you tell them that you are sorry but it could get a bit louder today for a certain reason nothing will happen. Also loud noise from workers during the normal day hours are also not seen as a problem. To get it short, if you want to have a party tell your neighbours about it and you should be fine and besides that just don't do to noisy things during the quite hours.
On the one hand, you can furnish the kitchen the way you want if none is available. On the other hand, it is also a hygienic aspect. When you rent your first apartment as a young adult, many people get used furniture. There you also look closely at what condition they are in and how clean and well-kept they are before you buy them. And if the seller leaves a dirty impression, then you do not buy from him. You can choose the seller, but not the previous tenant. What do I know how they treated the furniture and appliances and how clean they were. 🤷🏼♀️
sometimes you can buy the kitchen from the previous renter ... but usually when you rent a flat, then you rent a flat, not a couch, not any tables, not a kitchen^^ also some people don't wanna use "used" stuff, like... people already had their spoilt meat in this fridge....
Usually no one gets mad if you drop something. More like constant noise especially to specific times - Sundays or after 10pm From my experience neighbors will either ask you nicely to shut up once or call the cops immediately. So be nice to your neighbors. In these big houses with many apartments you'll also often see some notice on some kind of community board like "Please don't get mad. It's my birthday on Sunday. I've invited a few friends so it could get a bit louder." That you move with your kitchen does decrease. There are more and more flats with a in-build kitchen nowadays. Even then.. you could arrange with the tenant before you that you'd take over their kitchen and pay some amount. That you have to paint the apartment is alright. I've painted so many now. Same with helping friends when they move - helping friends to move is the most normal thing to do.
If the rental home comes with existing kitchen, we can't choose what kind of stove, etc we want to use. And if it's old and ineffective equiment, it can be hard for the tenant to aquire new.
If you have to paint your entire flat neutral colors or white depends on the Bundesland you live in. In some its not necessary to paint before leaving.
"If you make too much noise, what happens?" The neighbours tell you 😆😆😆 No joke - they'll do. Most likely friendly the first time. Not so friendly the second time and if it's real bad and at night police might be involved. Generally speaking we like it calm and peaceful and try to be respectful. The long tradition of renting here helps. We are used to not being as loud as we can or would want to but to keep noise down. If there is a party ahead it is common to go around and tell your neighbours about it and ask to be genrerous this once which is usually not a problem as long as you don't party every now and then and take it to a concert noise level. In the contract it's about times (noon, night time) usually not about specific sounds / noise.
The no kitchen thing bothered me at first but I realized this way I have my own appliances and can set up the kitchen the way I want. As for the noise it is very nice to know that you can depend on it being quiet at night and even from 12 noon till 2 pm.
It’s also possible to find an apartment with a nice kitchen, but you usually have to pay a lot more
If the kitchen is included, you are responsible and need to repair if anything goes wrong.
That's depend also on the length of the rent. For 1 year, imo that is a burden to buy then carry with you to the next rental apartment the whole kitchen furniture and appliances. But for a 5-10 years, you may want the kitchen as you imagine it, also there is the possibility to change something along the years.
People buy their own kitchen and the prices are quite high. Why leave them in a rental apartment if moving to other place? On the other hand, many people offer and sell their kitchen to the next renter before they move out and buy a new kitchen matching to the new apartment.
@@ExperienceCN Thats wrong, you pay what you destroy. Normal wear and tear is part of a Landlord. Thats the rules. Sure, if Renters dont know or are not interessted in knowing their own reights... Landlords proof to make cash. With the stupid´s you make the easier deals. :-)
Just imagine flats came with built-in desks and computers, TVs and stereos, and you had absolutely no control over them. People feel the same about their kitchen appliances.
The noise level probably won't be controlled by anyone as long as you don't annoy your neighbours too much. So it may be written in the contract, but will under normal circumstances rarely lead to consequences. Usually your neigbours will be tolerant if you for example have a birthday party with loud music, cause they will do the same in some occasions. But, of course, if you permanently make loud noise everyday, someone will get annoyed and complain.
Also worth mentioning, germany has so called quiet hours (usually from 10pm to 6am) and if people are too loud during these times, they can call the police. The police will then drive by, knock on the door and ask to be more quiet.
Yes I´d say it depends totally on the situation, like what your neighbour are, communication, how you behave towards them, what kind of noise you make and so on. You can be lucky moving to a place or not with that.
When a was at university we lived in a small house with 5 people and behind that house there was our terrace on top of the landlords garage. There was often partylike atmosphere, a lot of people, barbecue, fire, guitar and so on sometimes even the whole night through.
It was right inside an old 10k town, i lived there for 4 or 5 years and we never had anyone complain.
It was a miracle to me 😂
Maybe they liked us 🤔
I think the point is to have legally binding rules for the case you described. after all "where there's no plaintiff, there's no judge" as we say in Germany. If there is no noise complaint, no one will enforce anything. if you are noisy and your neighbors complain someone could actually measure the noise and law enforcement could impose a fine based on facts not on subjective "it's somewhat too loud". It's just to enable legal liability in such cases.
@@tobias3446 And, if you are disturbed by a neighbor for a very long time, you can reduce your payment to the landlord (who can (and will try to) take it back from the disturber or he might try to cancel the rental agreement with the disturber if the financial damage is too high).
A short message to the neighbors in the hallway that it will be louder tonight is usually quite enough 😉
The Tiny House thing was made a little too big in the video. This movement may exist, but almost no one buys Tiny Houses in Germany. That's not really a thing. And yes it is absolutely common for rental apartments to not have kitchens (but it does happen). This is also the reason why I never had a real kitchen in my whole life, because I was always too lazy to take care of it and I didn't feel like having to take care of it when I move out again. But it's common to have at least a stove and a sink with base cabinet in the kitchen in every rented apartment. Also, depending on the landlord, sometimes you have the possibility that the next tenant will take over a kitchen, but this is not the rule.
people from the tiny house and mobile homes communities always try to make it seem like it's a great thing that everyone is adhering to. the thing is, those homes require a place for you to keep them, usually a lot that you gotta pay for, and they're not considered houses, so they never go up in value, they're more like cars, that go down in value the older they get. so you buy one of those for like 20k in a few years, if you wanna sell it, you'll be lucky to get half
Probably because this is a Deutsche Welle YT channel, which is funded directly by the government (in "contrast" to ARD, ZDF & which are funded by compulsory fees) 😭🤣🤣
I think, that in a densely populated country like Germany, tiny homes are a joke. We just dont have enough space for this idea. You can stack tiny homes and it would be called apartments.
Which just makes more sence.
Sometimes tiny houses are put on top of existing flat roof apartment buildings, that's in my opinion a very good concept and should happen a lot more than it does.
Mix it with some plants and some solar panels and some homes for bees up there (and playgrounds of course). What about suspension bridges from one block to another? Let´s have some fun here 😀
It's gonna save room, help the environment, it brings down the rents in the city and lightens up the monotony in those areas like where the sovjet-style city planning took place (or similar hoods in western germany)
Finally it attracts probably creative people to otherwise maybe more problematic suburbs. Voila
Well most Germans have hobbies, and that will not work in tiny houses. We are no job nomads like in America. 😂
About the kitchen thing: Some apartments do come with a kitchen, but it is not the norm. Having your own kitchen is neat, especially as it is really yours and have a design you like and the appliances you want. My current kitchen is all white and I really dislike it and I would LOVE to exchange the oven because it's handling is complicated (Ikea). I brought my own fridge with me because the installed one was just too small, especially the freezer part. The built in one now serves as a cupboard.
About the noise: This mainly refers to nighttime. It's german law to keep the noise down between 10pm and 6am to not disturb your neighbours nightrest. If you disregard this rule, your neighbours can call the cops on you. During the day, you have the right to be as loud as possible though, but that also depends on whether you want to be liked by your neighbours. Being blasted with music all day will not make the your friends and it is always a good idea to be cordial with your neighbours, as a good neighbourly community can sometimes save the day.
Houseshoues for example have softer soles as outdoor shoes, so they make less noise on the floor, which could be heard by the neighbours below. I once had an upstairs neighbour that liked to wear high heels at all times of the day and sometimes I felt like ripping her feet off.
Edit: The painting is in case you painted the walls a different colour, or habits of yours (like smoking) have heavily effected the colour. For example, my living room currently has two turquoise walls and my bedroom two yellow walls. Unless the next renter does not tell me specifically to leave it to them, I will have to paint them back to white when I move out one day.
Ob Küche oder nicht liegt primär am Bundesland, in einigen Bundesländern gehören Spüle und Herd zur Wohnung. Wenn der Vermieter das also schon stellen muß, baut er i.d.R. auch eine Einbauküche ein.
@@Rick2010100 Das wusste ich bisher noch nicht. Ich habe bisher in NDS und NRW gewohnt und hatte beide Fälle in beiden Bundesländern gesehen.
Ich habe allerdings auch nicht vor, NDS jemals wieder zu verlassen.
@@Rick2010100 Das hat nichts mit dem Bundesland zu tun. Ich persönlich bin zweimal umgezogen, die Küche hatte immer einen Herd und eine Spüle.
@@Rick2010100 In Berlin zb. Hieß aber in der Realität ein Herd stand in der Ecke und die Spüle hätten sie eingebaut (alles frisch renoviert gewesen), wenn wir nicht freiwillig selbst eine eingebaut hätten (mein Mann ist zu groß für normale Küchenhöhen). Der Herd war aber alt, und die neue Spüle samt Unterschrank hätte dann eben nicht zum Rest der Küche gepasst.
@@kreativuntermdach7351 In Berlin sind Herd u. Spüle gesetzlich vorgeschrieben. Wenn der Vermieter anbietet diese auf Verlangen einzubauen ist dem Gesetz damit auch genüge getan. Es gibt oft auch die Möglichkeit mit dem Vermieter über eine EBK zu verhandeln, die Miete steigt dann natürlich. (Übliche Kalkulation: Lebensdauer einer EBK ca. 10 Jahre, daher die Kosten der EBK auf 120 Monate umgerechnet + 10% Verzinsung für den Vermieter) Ich vermiete in Berlin und handhabe dies so seit Jahren.
How loud we are allowed to be in our homes is (of course) regulated by law in Germany. The guideline values are:
- 40 decibels for daytime
- 30 decibels for nighttime (between 10 pm and 6 am)
And yes, some people have a decibel meter and check the volume of their neighbors when they constantly violate quiet hours. "Ruhezeiten" are taken very seriously here and I think that's perfectly fine.
Hey Joel, when you live in a multi-family house, there are always fixed quiet times that you have to stick to. Where we used to live in the city was from 10.p.m. to 6 a.m and from 1 p. m. to 3 p.m which was really good if you had a small child at the time who was taking a nap. Meanwhile we have been living in our own house in the country for 26 years. Here the neighbors don`t take it so seriously if you hear loud music.But on Sundays and public holidays of course, you stick to the quiet times such as no loud music, moving the lawn , etc.
Sometimes, you have the chance to buy the kitchen from the previous renter, but I think in general, Germans want to have their kitchen fitted and according to their own taste. And about the noise thing... I know this sounds strange to a lot of - erm - non-Germans, but in my personal experiences, this sound more restrictive as it actually is. Last Sunday night, at 9 pm, someone somewhere in the house started drilling holes and probably finished the job undisturbed since it went on for about 20 Minutes. So while everyone has the RIGHT to their evening and Sunday tranquility and CAN call the police if its after 10 pm, for example, this does not mean that it will actually happen - it all depends on your "environment".
Two sayings for your German expression list:
"Die Freiheit des Einzelnen endet dort, wo die Freiheit des Anderen beginnt" ( the individuals freedom ends where the freedom of the other individual begins)
and
"Wo kein Kläger, da kein Richter" (no plaintiff, no judge). 😛
Noise complaints are actually not a police matter, but an "Ordnungsamt" (regulatory agency? / public order office?) matter. Though, if you call the police, they will notify the right people...
@@m.h.6470 At night you call the police. Unless in a big city the ordungsamt is already in the feierabend at 11pm.
What about tastes and styles? If you live in the same kitchen that was put in by the landlord, you would expect it to be rather cheap and possibly in a color or set-up you hate. Or a previous owner put it in and it is horrifically old-fashioned or, again, in a color you hate, or it only has small cabinets but you’r prefer bigger ones, etc…. When I moved into my first apartment in Germany, I loved the fact that I was able to install a gas stove, for example, and that I could choose the exact types of cabinets I needed and did not have live in the ones, someone else picked years and years ago for the amount of stuff they had back then…
I tought myself woodworking building 2 kitchens the way i wanted them.
Was lot of fun!
kitchen is nothing else than furniture. so it makes sense that I want to own my kitchen and take it with me while moving.
when you're making too much noise (loud music that can be heard during the chill times in other apartements, drilling etc) you get in trouble with your neighbors and, maybe, with the landlord
The conditions are really good for renters. In the UK, I have been used to landlords having lots of power in a contract, but in Berlin my landlords are so helpful and responsive if there is anything wrong. They seem to take an active interest in my wellbeing, and I like this situation better!
You're lucky then! Especially in bigger cities your apartment building might belong to a big company that basically doesn't give a sh** about the flat's condition and that are only interested in collecting the rent. Especially in social, publically funded housing you can find that quite often. On the other hand renters do have a good portion of legally protected rights.
In the UK as a renter you are always threatened by the (legal) no-fault eviction ie your landlord can kick you out practically whenever they feel like.
I love unwieldy and squashy pillows. They’re my favourite kind.
Having your own kitchen is actually a good thing. You know what you like and need and your energy consumption doesn't depend on the goodwill of your landlord.
Since most people don't move too often the kitchen is usually in kind of a bad state whenever they do decide to move out (obviously time is not too kind to structures that are used daily). So it makes sense to just buy a new custom-made kitchen whenever you move.
"too much noise" are things like drilling a hole into the wall at 3am, mowing your lawn at 5am, deciding to have a piano lesson at 11pm etc. it's all common sense but sadly you can't always rely on people to have that so instead we have rules. i have a friend who lives in nyc who's constantly complaining about loud construction at night and loud neighbours that keep her up. it's nice not to have to worry about that type of stuff. usually your neighbours will be fine if there's a special reason to be loud, for example my neighbours host one big party every summer and they always let the rest of the house know several days in advance and no one here would get mad at that, it's just about respecting each other in a shared space like an apartment building
Renters are very protected in Germany and cannot be kicked out easily. Many livebat the same rental for 20-30 years…and the rent cannot be easily increased on an existing rental agreement. So the longer you live in a place the cheaper it gets. If you live in a place long term you want to determine the style of your kitchen and not get something cheap your landlord chose.
you look after your kitchen quite more than a rented one! its the same with cars. you get 3 warnings when u are too loud with the 4th you get thrown out.
In Germany there are so-called rest periods. During these times, some things may not be done. They vary from municipality to municipality, but generally there is a midday rest between 1 and 3 p.m., night rest between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and all day on Sundays/holidays. During these times, for example, no leaf blowers, lawn mowers or noisy tools (cutting machines, etc.) may be used. Otherwise, you shouldn't bother your neighbors with noise at other times either.
With the kitchen it depends ... some appartements come with a whole kitchen, but it's not that common. At least in my experience (may also depend on the city/region you live in). The city I live in now you have at least a stove and a sink in it, but you have to take care of the rest yourself. So either bring your old kitchen from the appartement before or buy a new one. The city I lived in before the kitchen had actually nothing in it (and that was the case in all 3 appartements I had).
For the "noise making": it's actually like you can't/shouldn't make any noises louder than "household noise level" after 10 or 11 pm til 6 am. Meaning for instance no over the top loud music or drilling at those times. And ofc on Sunday you shouldn't do that at any time. If it happens only once that you make loud noises in the "forbidden times" I guess no one will complain. But if you do it regularly others will certainly complain with the landlord.
Lol! I always wanted to have my own kitchen, why on earth would I pay my landlord for his own taste? And what do you know? I always found it hard to see apartments without a kitchen! 😂 And when I left my old apartment and was willing to leave my kitchen no one was interested!
6:35
The repaint part of course only applies if you painted your falt in a "non neutral" color during your time there.
Also the air out part is to prevent mold
7:00
Well first of all if you are too loud for city standarts someone will call the police to knock on your door and tell you you have been a naughty citizen.
Some people renting shit out have devices to measure how loud you are (from outside your flat of course) and will throw you out if you are to loud since that is a violation of your contract
the painting in neutral colors before you leave totally depends on your contract with the landlord. I experienced both, painting required and not required.....
Many people let the kitchen furniture in , because it wouldnt fit in the new flat or it could get broken when take it out again. Dependable of the age and quality the next pays a tip for the old ones , so he/she doesnt need to buy.
Actually the landloards do not want electrical tools be part of the rented apartment, as this means he has responisibility if they fail. This can cause a lot of work and money - and even legal fights, whever the failing might be caused by inapropied use by the user. For myself: I owned a 1 room apartment while studying and I rented it out afterwards. I didn't need the kitchen (wasn't a very nice one anyway). So I gave it for free to the first rentier, so she became the owner of the kitchen and I got rid of the liability. She modernized it, and at the end of the lease she asked me if I can ask the next rentier If he/she would buy it for a small amount. This went on a few times. So while the apartment lease was without kitchen, it still practicly came with one.
Also, if the kitchen is part of the lease, the user can not change anything without written aproval of the landlord. You do not like the coulour or want to modernize the kitchen? You are quite limited if you are not the owner.
Also, as most aparments are owned by companys (unlike mine), time is money. So renting out applience you have to care for as the landlord is not so cheap and adds up to the rent.
Anyway, as most kitchens are made out of elements with standard measurements, it is not hard to move a kitchen. It is mostly the top plate you have to renew - and thats something you should do from time to time anyways.
Even bathrooms often come with the bare minimum. Showers without a cell or curtains, or even a shower head (in germany there is no fixed showerhead normaly) as they are "consumables" (esp. in regions with hard water). So it is up to the user to take care for it. Still, the ceramics in the bathroom are mostly part of the apartment (esp if the toilets are wall mounted). But actually a friend of mine rented a house without any bathroom eqipment at all...
Renting out with bare minimum in my opinion actually is the best way to do it. It gives the user most freedom to do everything in his own taste and preferences.
Also one very importent difference between US and Germany: In Germany the landlord can chancel the lease normaly only in two conditions: You are delayed with your rent for a certain amount and time or he needs the apartment for himself (or a first grade relative like kids and parents). Also the way and amount for rent increases is regulated by law, as most leases are not time limited. So you actually can invest in customize your living space. So unless you only intend a short-term lease anyways, it makes much more sense to equipt everything to your own wishes and needs.
And if you intend a short term lease, there are apartments with furniture available. Though most landlords prefer long-term renters, they are less of a hassle.
All my apartments were always without a kitchen.
I don't want a kitchen in the wrong color and design, with little animals possibly living somewhere behind the cabinets ...
Quiet hours in an apartment building hardly differ from the general legal quiet hours. You grow up with that, it's just totally normal. And a fine thing to lie in the deck chair over lunch instead of having to vacuum the apartment - forced of course, you can't help it 😇
And you usually only have to paint the walls if you've completely soiled them or painted them a color. Unless your new tenant likes the color and tells the landlord.
These are all just official rules. In practice it is always an agreement with the landlord.
kitchen furniture is the most heavily used furniture in almost all apartments, homes etc. you want to change, replace it anyway once in while. And, often the former tenant will try to sell his used kitchen to the next tenant usually for a good price as he wants to get rid of it. Re. noise, here is a secret :) ask and talk to people and neighbors BEFORE you plan a party, some renovating or other noisy activities on resting days. Talking to and asking Germans can work wonders. That applies too if you should ever visit.
Talking is always good. I mean, just imagine you intend to renovate the same weekend after which your direct neighboor has an important test and really need quiet to learn. So you just talk and maybe you can pick another weekend, or you compromise somehow.
I think most of those rules are based on the fact that Germany is so densely populated. We need to get along somehow in the space available.
Noise is a special issue in multi family houses: there are so called "Ruhezeiten" (times, in which one is supposed to bequiet, like form 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.). Noone will chop your head off, if you accidently drop stuff, but having a party with loud music after 10 p.m. may result in a visit by some police officers, telling you to quiet things down. Even if you warned the neighbors beforehand, someone who has to get up early in the morning or has little kids, that need their sleep, will soner or later try to quiet things down. Depending on the quality of the relationship with your neighbors, that may be knocking at the door and asking to turn the P.A. down a notch an d may escalade to calling the police more than once.
On the first time, the police officers will be rather friendly and just ask to reduce the wolume, on the third call, they will mmost likely ask your guest to leave.
On the other hand: as long, as noone feels annoyed, specially if there are no neighbors around, you are pretty much free to do as you please.
So basically, it is a question of common sense: if you want your peace an quiet times, so do others. If you let things pass from time to time, so will your neighbors.
don't panic, you only have to repaint the rooms if you have lived there for more than 5 years or sometimes 3 years. So that the next tenant does not have to do that when moving in. So leave the apartment as you had it in the beginning
You can literally call the police if ‘Nachtruhe’ [lit. night silence] isn’t respected. Tbh, it’s very rarely breached, and it actually makes for quite a respectful community, because the idea behind the rule - of course - is to not bother your neighbours with your noise.
Friend, please do not forget, we are a very small country in size. With a lot of people. We can´t build houses everywhere, we need some space to grow food.😃
7:00 yes, neighbours will either tell you right away, or they get in contact with the landlord, or they call the police
Too much noise e.g. in the night would be like turning your radio all the way up, washing machine or party guests yelling around the entire time.
About the no kitchen included in renting:
There are some flats, that actually come with a kitchen, for example if the previous renter left his kitchen there in order to get himself a new one. You usually agree on a particular amount of money, called "Ablöse" that you pay to the previous renter in order to keeping the kitchen. Same is possible for other furniture that you might want to keep in your flat.
Other flats come without kitchen, but with the possibility of getting a new, customised kitchen installed via the housing association that you'll pay a little extra to your rent for.
Other flats actually come without a kitchen and you'll have to get yourself a new one or bring the one from your previous flat. But make sure you are allowed to remove it from there, too.
maybe it appears that there are so much rules, but you need them with so many people living together.
Repainting sounds so normal to me. Because you get the apartment with neutral color walls so when you move out you have to bring it back to the stage you got it.
Repainting is very normal for us :) nowadays you have to repaint when you move in, but not when you move out
just discovered ur channel i love u bro ur such a likable person and ur videos are entertaining. greatings from Austria (next to germany)
Kitchen: Landlords have to provide a stove and sink by law which is mostly super basic and old if it was used prior.
Mostly you disassemble them and store them in the basement to assemble a real kitchen until you move out, then you have the options to sell the kitchen to the next tenant or take the kitchen with you. It works the same with flooring that you install yourself which is more rare.
I have lived in two rental apartments, both small, and they had kitchens. A friend of mine was living in a flat without a kitchen but he simply sold it to the next guy when he moved out. Also the renting vs owning argument is very different depending on where you are. In rural areas most people own their homes.
To the painting thing: If you get the rooms unpainted, you leave them as they are. If you get the rooms painted, you have to give them fresh colour at the end. Even it is not nessecary.
To the noise thing: There are defined noise levels allowed for each period of the day. 10 pm to 6 am be silent, its sleeping time. 8 pm to 10 pm is time of reduced noise, so no heavy tools like drills are allowed but partying is. 6 am to 8 pm is normal live. From 1 pm to 2 pm is Mittagsruhe with reduced noise. These rules are local and differ from place to place. In case of noise violation the Police will react with priority.
if you make too muc hnoice, neighbors can call the special police force for order, called Ordnungsbehörde
Hi Joel.
Home ownership rate in Germany increases the more rural you go, and the smaller the village is. Property prices are still much lower in the countryside as most people don't prefer to commute to work a long distance.
Yepp, the removal of the kitchen when moving out was, and still IS to some degree a thing. Repainting the walls dito. Not completely overdo them, just paint over any holes or scrapes.
Recently there has been a subtle shift to fully furbished kitchens. If the previous renter bought and installed a particularly nice kitchen with appliances this might increase your rent noticably, as the landlord/lady might have had to give the previous renter a good deduction or payback for it. Obviously the removal of the kitchen is the case only for long term rents of over a year or even way longer. Most very short term rents WILL include a fully furnished kitchen. Often even a fully furnished apartment is part of the rent.
The noise levels are under state law, not federal law but usually it includes 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Often quiet hours are observed in the afternoon in more rural areas with little to no industry or other noise sources from 1 to 3 p.m. Consider that not to be a common thing everywhere. However Sundays are ALWAYS considered a quiet day where you shouldn't make any significant noise. Sure, a dropped pot isn't going to be a reason for calling the cops. But consistent banging, shuffling of furniture, dance parties on the floor above, playing instruments loudly, etc, anything that anyone with a bit of common sense would declare as noise polution is an actionable offense vs the law of respecting quiet hours. Sure, there may be Karens/Kevins who jump at the very sign of anything approaching their own minuscule tolerance levels of noise, but that won't be the majority.
In the city or if you have neighbours without balls = police is coming over up to 3 times to warn you to tone it down
With cool ass neighbours and I see this more on the countryside = they either come over to friendly say to tone it down, they are totally chill and dont come over or they randomly come over to party with you
On repainting:
When you rent a flat the color of the walls are usually white or off white. If you don't like the color of the walls, you are free to change it. However, you do need to repaint it back to white when you move out. It helps, imo, or it is easier for an Immobilien to rent it out to the next person.
Anyway, you DO NOT need to repaint the walls if you plan on keeping it white/ off-white.
The only thing I disagree on is the kitchen being unfurnished. I believe it’s mandatory to provide sink and oven/stove combination. At least it is in Hamburg where I am renting!
I'm not allowed to play the piano between 1 and 3 pm. But it's legal for me to drive with 200 mp/h (or more) on the Autobahn while i'm drinking Jägermeister (or other alcohol).
It’s not so much about the amount of noise. It is more about the hours of the day where you are allowed to be noisy. So no drilling machines after a certain time or on Sundays because that’s the “Ruhetag” 😊
It is also common to paint the walls when you move into the flat (or put new wallpapers on). Then you move out without painting. That‘s because the next tenant might have a totally different style that he prefers.
The grumpy gran next door, who tells you when you're too loud, is usually included for free :)
the quiet times depend on whether you live in Germany surrounded by foreigners. In our building with 52 appartments, some foreigners will be loud during the night and do renovation on Sunday and holidays. Always. They don't read the rules and/or no one tells them.
Don't be shocked by the painting clause. there are several things like this in a usual contract: regulations on how to air, when to renew paint in which rooms etc. This is because the owners of the rented place what to preserve the value of their property, so they make the renters take certain steps to help with that. Painting in a neutral color on departure, more often than not you can negotiate with the following renter and usually, the painting can be skipped unless you have a hard-to-cover color on your wall.
The noise regulations depend on the place you live. Living in a house is different than living in a rental apartment in a multi family house. There are regulations to reduce the noise level during lunchtime and at night between 10pm - 6am. Same on Sundays no loud noise allowed whole day, for example don't use machines inside and outside. If someone acts against the rules, especially at night time you can call the police. If this happens 3 times the owner of the apartment (landlord) can terminate the rental contract.
The thing with the kitchen depends a little on the region (no idea why). In the north of Germany, apartments with built-in kitchens are a little more common. If that's not the case, still most people don't take the kitchen with them when moving, because like you said, it's a total PITA. Instead, they try to sell it to the next tenant. Which might result in spending a lot of money on a used kitchen you don't particularly like. 😕
the kitchen thing is a thing. if it doesn't fit into your new apartments kitchen you might sell it to your "nachmieter" (successor?) or throw it out and buy a new one, depending how old the old one is. for the noise we have something called "Ordnungsamt" (regulatory office). if some neighbours are too loud too often or at the quiet hours you can call them and yes, they knock at your door and tell you to lower it. if they don't they can get a fine.
when I see "renter-friendly" diys or makeovers on here and people aren't even allowed to hammer a nail into the wall to hang some picture frames or can't paint their walls the way they want to I think it's equally as outlandish to me as it is to you that we have to paint our walls white again when we move out here haha
or all the plastic tile stickers people put on their kitchen walls etc. - here you can usually do whatever you want to the place as long as you put it back the way you found it when you move out. So yeah many people won't tile their walls but then again my parents lived in the same apartment for over 30 years and yes they will change the floors, wall and backsplashes to their taste of course lol
Any structural changes have to be talked through with the landlord obviously but it's pretty much anything goes otherwise, which is nice when you rent a place longterm especially.
And yeah the tiny home section was too big in that video. sure it does exist but you know :)
My german kitchen is huge and a big part of our living area ... and as I prepare food and cook daily (!) I want the kitchen I prefer, need and like ... not an already installed standard kitchen. I got my kichten as I wanted it to be and need! So my needs might be differ from (i am about to prejudge now!) from an american who doesn't cook frequently and prefers delivery food, fast food and so on!? o_O To the size of our huge kitchen: If google did the math right, we are talking about a room with around 650 square feet! (I hope it's right?! In my case it's ~60m² ... convert it yourself)... :)
The noise you hear in the flat, but no neighbour, that is still acceptable. But I had a neighbour who often had loud music on and when you have a late shift or an early shift or a night shift. Then it was almost unbearable to sleep. Another neighbour from the other side of the street even called the police because it was too loud for him.
Just the other day, a Ukrainian woman asked me when she rents or buys a flat if it is true that there is no furniture.
Of course there is no furniture. Especially since everything costs extra. And most people want to see their own look in the interior. But a kitchen can also be present, it always depends on what the previous tenant is like. My sister had also left her kitchen in, because it had to be dismantled. She can't. But in the new flat she had to have a new kitchen installed.
It's absolutely rare that there are fully furnished flats and, as I said, that usually costs extra. Even when I moved to a 50m² flat where my uncle had previously lived, he had taken the kitchen out of the flat and disposed of it. But I was happy about it, my kitchen cost 2500€ but for seven years. It's still good, but who knows if the next tenant will even want the kitchen.
You want your kitchen the way you want it - if it is already there, you can't choose what kinds of appliances you want at what energy efficiency, what colors, what kind of layout etc.
My collection of books alone could fill up a tiny house. There are some huge volumes among them with 800 to 1,000 pages.
And, yes, I lived for rent for many years in Munich and Berlin because I couldn't keep a job for more than three years until it got boring and I moved on to another district, and I knew that some day, I'd inherit a house in rural Bavaria. Thank you, grandpa, but little did I know how much cost and work is involved in owning a house. There's always something to maintain or improve. I once really thought about selling the house and the patch of ground around it, but I learned about the prices being paid, sat down, and looked at a picture of my grandpa for an hour or so, and then said to myself, no, you can't do that.
If you're making too much noise, it may happen that your neighbors call the police. Of course most people will knock and tell you to be more quiet, but not all people are like that, and the police have to come and take a look. You don't need to let them in, but you should follow their advice.
Repainting the walls, I always found that crazy. And by "neutral color", they usually mean white. I once moved into a flat where you could really see that the walls had been overpainted several times, and I scraped off a little bit of the recent white layer, and thought, wow, had they left the old color, that would have been great. But maybe it's a hidden industry subsidy: Moving out, you paint everything white. Moving in, you paint it as you want. DIY stores are a huge industry in Germany.
All flats I left with my wife for a new flat or house anywhere, I was searching for a new renter who buys some of my furnitures + the kitchen directly. And I gave them a lil discount for not having to paint all rooms white.
1. some apartments came with a kitchen or even with full furniture
2. when you are to loude the nighboors can call the cops especially on sunday or in the afternoon, but its for mowing gras and loud musik and such
Making too much noise means: if you have a party at 2am with hammering music, either the neighbours will show up or the police will come to you with a noise complaint.
I live in the same flat for 49 years now. No moving. Always lived in Munich.
Much more interesting is, everybody could be member of a local/regional Tenants Association for less money (approx. 120 €/year). They help in all important things. Also included is an insurance if you need a lawyer, mostly with a small selfpaying (per case 180€). They help in all legal matters. Not to be confused with a janitorial service.
The repainting the walls depends on the contract. In some apartments the owner will require you to leave the walls the way they were when you moved in, as long as you putty the holes...
The repainting just means that if you've painted the flat in funky colours you have to repaint neutral before you leave.
Too much noise is for example loud music or doing your laundry in the night (after 10 pm).
In our part of Germany (the Ruhrgebiet in western Germany) it is normal to get your apartment with bare walls,
you have to renovate it before you move in, therefore you don't have to renovate it before you move out.
And I prefer to have my own kitchen, not something that was already in the apartment.
You're too loud when the neighbors ring your bell after 10 p.m. and angrily say that they have to go to work early in the morning and want to damn well sleep.
I Swiss and I also think the German kitchen moving thing is weird. In Switzerland the kitchen is part of the flat, it's a pro but also a con. Because if you have old stuff or no dishwasher you have to deal with it.
I’ve always seeked out apparently that came with a kitchen, since I knew I’d likely move again for job or personal reasons. But then again, I’m from the countryside and always saw city living and apartment renting as a temporary thing and knew that in my 30s I’d want to own a single-family home in a rural area, just like I grew up.
It’s not impossible to find appartments with a kitchen in them, but they are more frequently found in cities and often in new/recently refurbished aka more expensive apartments.
I'm glad we don't have a kitchen in rental homes. So I can set up the kitchen the way I need it, with the right heights, electrical appliances and tools how I need them. As my partner is over 6.1ft (2.01m) tall and I am only 5.4ft (1.65m) short, we need countertops at different heights and prefer our oven at an higher position. I don't need a microwave and because I prefer doing the dishes by hand, I only need a small dishwasher. I can set this up with my own kitchen, but I wouldn't be able to change it if I rented with kitchen.
The noise thing is something, that for sure Americans are not used to. We were on vacation in the US and lived in an Airbnb. The house owner lived on the fist floor, we on the upper floor. Every evening the owner got visited by another buddy and they've been sooooo noisy erverytime in the hall. Even at night when the friend left they chatted and giggled and smacked the doors. In Germany a big no, in the US just normal 😆
While I don't know how it is enforced in Germany, there are similar 'noise' laws in the UK which comes under the umbrella of 'anti-social behaviour'. Here it would start with complaints from one or more neighbours about the noise levels. The levels of noise polution from your property would then be monitored (in terms of their decibel ratings and the timings are logged) before the case is brought before a judge who can then issue you with a fine, an anti-social behavioural order (known as an ASBO) and/or order you to take part in 'community service' (activities like cleaning up graffiti or fixing things owned by the state).
I'm a student so I can't afford my own kitchen meaning many apartments to rent are simply out of question BUT there are so many more apartments out there these days that have a kitchen included luckily.
About the kitchen thing. I have my own kitchen and can do whatever I want to do with it. If you have a appartment which comes with a rented kitchen you`re forced to take so much more care that nothing`s gonna be destroyed or scratched because you have to pay or get fined for every little damage when you move out. So it`s better you have your own kitchen.
every apartment i've ever lived in only came with the counters and cabinets in the kitchen. although it's becoming more normal for some appliances like stove and extractor to come with the place, there's still plenty of houses that have 0 appliances
The kitchen is not always taken out. But in most cases,i mean if you payed about 2k or more for it, you take it with you. You dont leave your big tv on the wall when you move out aswell, just because its havy.
In some cases you leave the kitchen, but only if the person who rents your Apartment after you wants it.
7:00 In general, it is advisable to talk to the neighbors who are causing the noise. However, you are right, in large apartment buildings it is sometimes difficult to even find out who the party in question is. If a clarifying conversation does not achieve the desired effect, you can call the police and/or inform the landlord about the constant noise pollution.
7:20 Normally it only becomes critical when it comes to the rest periods. If there is a permanent party or something similar, then there is usually tension.
For example, if every Friday after 10 p.m. the "dear" neighbors ring in their weekend with a party at home.
7:48 Remember what she said in the video: "Hardly half of the population lives in their own houses." Most of them live for rent and still want to have peace and quiet from the stressful everyday life at night.
About the kitchen:
It´s not that common that a flat to rent comes without kitchen. More often than not there is one, being part of the rental contract.
And it´s quite common, if it´s your own kitchen, not to take it with you but to sell it to the renting person that comes after you.
5:35 Of cause, it can be unpractical to take out kitchens of old homes and put them into the new ones. But that comes with typically less rent and the ability, to set up your personal space the way you like it. You can mess up your equipment, rearrange it or redecorate and the landlord has no say in it, if it is all yours. You can also choose energy efficient stuff to lower your bill for electricity instead of relying on whatever your landlord put in. And in many cases renters sell their kitchens to the next renter, instead of taking it out.
7:06 If you make too much noise, the neighbours might complain to you or ask the landlord to have a talk to you or - if you are extremely noisy in quiet hours, even the police might get involved. Of cause, you can accidently drop a pot or have a false smoke alarm or something like that. But you cannot always play loud music or use powertools or let your dog bark half the day. The limiting factor is the noise which reaches your neighbours (and how tollerant they are). Sometimes landlords put paragraphs about noise into the rental agreement, sometimes only the general legal regulations apply. But what is (for the most part) enforced, is, what is necessary to guaranty a more or less peaceful life without too much noise pollution.
If you have your own house, you can usually produce more noise, before it surpasses acceptable limits for your neighbours. That is not the point. I lived in a building with a bank and an outpatient unit for some years and when those were not open, I could make as much noise as I wanted, including loud music at midnight and on sundays.
8:20 Repainting the walls is by default the duty of the landlord. But there can be exceptions in the contract (not all of them are legal). A common one, is the obligation to repaint, when you move out. But also, if that is not the case, you might be allowed to paint your rooms however you like them, whilst you rent them. And if that is the case, you are almost allways required to repaint in a neutral colour, before you move out.
You should also consider the context. Renting in germany is normally for an unlimited time and your landlord cannot kick you out easily. The risk, that your new fancy kitchen has to be taken out or that your beloved neon-pink wallcolour has to be replaced at the end of the year is minimal, unless that is your plan. Therefore customizing it is not a scary investment.
And the population density is high here, whilst buildings are typically old and not overly soundprove. Therefore a certain level of protection from noise pollution is necessary.
Hi,
Most rented apartments really don't have a kitchen, if there is one, it's usually an older one that was used by a previous tenant.
Good Video, pretty accurate from my experience in Germany, altho the appartment i rented was furnished coz i was only staying a year. The set up of the houses or appartments is similar to many places in western europe. Only difference : 1. the fact that most germans are renting 2.the absence of the kitchen. , these are specific to germany as far as i know ( and i know 😉, or at least like to think so 😅😂) ✌️❤️
There is over all one rule, that explains so many other rules: Your right ends, where the right of another starts.
It’s all about consideration and respect. You don’t need a perfect line you are not allowed to cross, when you just know, that your next step will bother someone else. The whole German law is constructed around the idea of respecting each other.
I've never heard of anyone complaining about the noise of a move. Unless it should be night, but no one moves in or out at night.
the main reason for the kitchen thing is the incredible prices on a full kitchen set aswell as the ability to customize the kitchen the way you want
Germans tend to live in one place, one apartment for a long time, often decades. Plus: For a very long time the kitchen was (and for many probably still is) the most important room in their homes where there they have their good German breakfast, invite their friends for a self-made dinner, have guests and so on. Therefore, they want the kitchen to be something that is their own, adjusted to their tastes and requirements, and not something that 'will just work for the time being'.
No kitchen may happen. But often times you negotiate with the former renter to buy their kitchen. In many cases it's in both interest not to dismantle it. E.g. a former single household planning to live together with her/his friend spouse with no need for two kitchen. And often times the kitchen is provided by the landlord.
Tiny houses are not as often as mentioned because you still need the property to install.
As a general rule you leave a rented appartment as you got it. Getting in fresh painted you leave with clean walls. If this means to repaint ... then repaint.
The biggest difference is: Appartments mostly are without furniture. German appartments have no walk-in cabinets. But this is due to the fact that 90% is mason built and not wooden framed. One big advantage is that walls and floors are absorbing noise and even Chuck Norris will not punch through the wall.
Some of the rules are similar in the UK, some landlords stipulate neutral colours on the wall, not nailing etc. If its in the contract then you wont get your deposit back or the charge will come out of the rent, most rentals require a number of months rent in advance and a deposit. I rented one place years ago where you were required to have the carpets and the matress deep cleaned before getting you deposit back.
As for noise in the UK the government has a department in the local council who you can make noise complaints to, if its serious and persistent they will come out with a equipment to monitor the noise level. and it can be used by the landlord to evict. Also the council can issue a noise abatement order, which if ignored can result in upto £5000 fine. I once lived in a house where students moved next door and they had loud parties every few days which blasted music which could be heard at least 5 houses away until 3am in the morning. the whole street put in complaints and within a few weeks they had been evicted.
Breaking anything in a housing contract can give grounds for eviction.
Kitchen is easy explained: often when ppl move they get a new Kitchen anyways. No one wants to deal with the former renters or the old Flats gunk and stuff.
You can always talkt to the people that live in the flat/house you want to move in. As for my case, I had a small kitchen in my flat and also after my Mom moved into an assisted living house, we left the kitchen in the old flat for the woman that moved into afterwards. If you make too much noise, people are allowed to call the police, because it's a disorderly conduct. Also you can again talk to the people that move into the flat/house after you - for me I said to the girl that lived here that she doesn't have to paint, because I want special paint for my walls. If you have more questions about all of that, feel free to ask^^
I live in Poland. When I've been on university I had to rent a flat in Łódź. It was like 30 square meters... it was really tiny. Some people in Poland live in - so called - dutch houses (Im not sure if they are called same way outside Poland). Anyway, those dutch houses are trailers, big ones. In theory they can be moved on wheels, but they always come on top of trucks, so the idea of own wheels is more like showing that this is not a building but something that can be moved (which makes sense from formal perspective). Those trailer houses are relatively big, I think they have some 30-40 square meters. It is still less than standard flat - standard flats are between 50 and 80 square meters. Big flats / apartments start at around 100 square meters. Small houses start at arount 80 square meters, typical polish modern house would be like 150-180 square meters, lets say up to 300 square meters. And in Poland we try to own houses / flats instead of renting, though it is slowly changing. I personally believe that ownership of own living space is something that helps build strong society. If we look at this from certain perspective, people renting houses / flats are... homeless ;-P.
If you are making too much noise in a rented appartment and your neighbours report this to the houseowner, he can cancel your contract with him and you have to leave. If you disturb in the night, police can come and demand you to be silent. Too much noise means: Jumping and trampling, playing or making music very loud, always screaming, for example
Tiny houses make sense if and only if your not often at home. If you work at home and have a cosy, homely lifestyle and don't have many extra hobbies or projects where you have to be somewhere else, if you don't like/can afford traveling a lot, it's definitely not for you.
When it comes to noise it just means you should not be too loud especially during sleeping hours and sunday. Sou when you turn up your music extremly loud or you have a party in flat thats when they could call the police on you.
But thats fairly rare, cause normaly people in on house will talk to each other and if you tell them that you are sorry but it could get a bit louder today for a certain reason nothing will happen.
Also loud noise from workers during the normal day hours are also not seen as a problem.
To get it short, if you want to have a party tell your neighbours about it and you should be fine and besides that just don't do to noisy things during the quite hours.
On the one hand, you can furnish the kitchen the way you want if none is available.
On the other hand, it is also a hygienic aspect.
When you rent your first apartment as a young adult, many people get used furniture. There you also look closely at what condition they are in and how clean and well-kept they are before you buy them. And if the seller leaves a dirty impression, then you do not buy from him.
You can choose the seller, but not the previous tenant. What do I know how they treated the furniture and appliances and how clean they were. 🤷🏼♀️
sometimes you can buy the kitchen from the previous renter ... but usually when you rent a flat, then you rent a flat, not a couch, not any tables, not a kitchen^^ also some people don't wanna use "used" stuff, like... people already had their spoilt meat in this fridge....
I moved three times and still have my beloved kitchen from the first flat lol
Usually no one gets mad if you drop something. More like constant noise especially to specific times - Sundays or after 10pm
From my experience neighbors will either ask you nicely to shut up once or call the cops immediately. So be nice to your neighbors.
In these big houses with many apartments you'll also often see some notice on some kind of community board like "Please don't get mad. It's my birthday on Sunday. I've invited a few friends so it could get a bit louder."
That you move with your kitchen does decrease. There are more and more flats with a in-build kitchen nowadays.
Even then.. you could arrange with the tenant before you that you'd take over their kitchen and pay some amount.
That you have to paint the apartment is alright. I've painted so many now. Same with helping friends when they move - helping friends to move is the most normal thing to do.
If the rental home comes with existing kitchen, we can't choose what kind of stove, etc we want to use. And if it's old and ineffective equiment, it can be hard for the tenant to aquire new.
If you have to paint your entire flat neutral colors or white depends on the Bundesland you live in. In some its not necessary to paint before leaving.
"If you make too much noise, what happens?"
The neighbours tell you 😆😆😆
No joke - they'll do. Most likely friendly the first time. Not so friendly the second time and if it's real bad and at night police might be involved. Generally speaking we like it calm and peaceful and try to be respectful. The long tradition of renting here helps. We are used to not being as loud as we can or would want to but to keep noise down.
If there is a party ahead it is common to go around and tell your neighbours about it and ask to be genrerous this once which is usually not a problem as long as you don't party every now and then and take it to a concert noise level.
In the contract it's about times (noon, night time) usually not about specific sounds / noise.