A Year-Long Flat Hunt Taught Me How To Persevere, Despite Not Knowing When I’d Hit The Jackpot
Learning how the local rental market worked also taught me a great deal about cultural values and how you should always try one more time.
I started out as any other young urban professional (without the affluence and business success *deep sigh*) trying her luck on the flat rental market in Berlin, Germany. As with any other crowded metropole, finding affordable housing is often a challenge, especially if you’re doing it on a budget.
The viewings take place on an ad hoc basis, so you have to be there to play the game. I lived in hostels to get a head start. I spent my daytime applying for jobs and looking for a place to live. That is: until I found a small, shared flat, cat included, where I could register. After a year or so, the need for an own, private living quarter increased, and thus my flat hunting journey started all over again.
Still used to living in shared student flats, I thought showing up at a viewing and getting liked by the landlady or -lord was enough to secure a rental contract.
For a private flat, of course you need the required documents. Pay slips or similar, a document from your current place…
