First things first: a small WG is usually the right start
Many parents first think of a small studio — “my child will have peace there”. Experience often says otherwise: coming home to an empty flat after the first working day is harder on a 17-year-old than any shared kitchen. A small flat share (WG) with two or three flatmates in a similar phase of life provides structure, company and a safety net — and costs less. What matters then is not square metres but: Who is the landlord? Who else lives there? And who picks up the phone when something happens?
Checklist 1 · Vetting landlord and room
- ✓A named contact with a phone number — not just a contact form. Call once: how fast and how reliably does someone respond, and can they assist in English or French?
- ✓A viewing before any contract — on site or as a video tour, which is standard for families abroad. Reliable landlords offer this themselves; anyone applying pressure (“pay today or lose it”) fails the test.
- ✓Who lives in the WG? Ask about the flatmates' age and situation. A house where everyone is in an apprenticeship, internship or degree provides the best frame.
- ✓Total rent in writing — with an all-in rent, electricity, heating, water and Wi-Fi are included and no back-payment can arrive. With a cold rent (Kaltmiete): ask for every extra cost and add them up.
- ✓Check the real commute to company and vocational school (e.g. VVS journey planner ↗) — at shift start, not at 11 am.
- ✓Never money before a contract — no “reservation fee”, no cash deposit to strangers. Deposit only after signing, by bank transfer with a clear reference. This is the single most important scam filter for searches from abroad.
Checklist 2 · Contract, money and paperwork
- ✓Under 18: parents co-sign — minors cannot rent on their own in Germany. Good landlords have routines for this and involve you from the start; consent can be given in writing from abroad.
- ✓Tie the term to the apprenticeship — the training duration is the usual term; what matters are fair notice periods in case the company changes or the training ends.
- ✓Budget deposit plus first rent — together usually two to three months' rent as starting capital. A furnished room saves the furniture and appliance shopping in return.
- ✓Apply for BAB — the housing grant from the employment agency; your income statements as parents are part of the application (foreign income documents count too). Step by step: the BAB guide →
- ✓Kindergeld continues — during the first apprenticeship up to age 25, wherever the child lives. Many families pass it on as a rent contribution.
- ✓Confirm liability insurance — children in first vocational training are usually covered by the parents' policy; one call to your insurer settles it. Separate contents insurance is rarely needed for one furnished room.
- ✓Ask the company about a rent contribution — more and more German training companies pay part of the rent as a recruiting benefit. The interview is the right moment to raise it.
Checklist 3 · The move-in week
- ✓Move-in protocol with photos — document the condition of room, furniture and bathroom; both sides sign. This protects the deposit at move-out.
- ✓Anmeldung (address registration) at the local registry office within 14 days — the landlord provides the required confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung). It is the key to almost everything else in Germany.
- ✓Standing order for the rent — set it up together during the first online-banking session; “forgot the rent” is off the table for good.
- ✓Deutschland-Ticket — one monthly ticket for all local public transport in Germany: company, vocational school and the trip home at weekends.
- ✓Basics, not everything — bed linen, towels, one set of dishes, a small first-aid kit. The rest follows; in a furnished room everything else is already there.
- ✓An emergency note on the kitchen board — your number, the family doctor, the landlord's contact. Calm, but there.
And then: let go without looking away
The first weeks decide whether the new place becomes “home”. What helps: a fixed call rhythm instead of daily check-ins, a visit after three or four weeks (announced), and the agreement that problems with the room or the house go to the landlord first — that is what they are for. What does not help: secretly renegotiating the contract or turning every flatmate friction into a parents' matter. Conflicts about dishes and noise are part of growing up — and in small flat shares they almost always resolve themselves.
Parents' FAQ
Do I have to co-sign the rental contract?
If your child is under 18, yes: minors cannot rent on their own in Germany — parents co-sign or give written consent (also possible from abroad). From 18 on it is not required; some landlords ask for a parental guarantee when the training salary is low.
Does Kindergeld continue when my child moves out?
Yes. During a first apprenticeship or degree it is paid regardless of where the child lives, up to age 25. Many families pass it on as a rent contribution. On top, your child can apply for BAB — one does not exclude the other.
Which insurance is needed?
Usually less than expected: the parents' personal liability insurance normally covers children in first vocational training — confirm with one call. Health insurance runs through the apprenticeship itself. Contents insurance for one furnished room is rarely worth it.
How do I recognise a reliable landlord?
Full legal notice, a named reachable contact, a viewing before any contract (on site or by video), a written contract with one clear total rent, deposit to an account rather than cash, a move-in protocol with photos — and never any payment before signing.
WG or studio — what is better for the start?
For most, the small WG: people around after work instead of an empty flat, a shared kitchen as a social anchor, lower costs. A studio offers more quiet but can be lonely in the first year in a new town.
Read on
Rent financing step by step: the BAB guide. Coming from abroad? Moving to Germany — the practical guide. Auf Deutsch: Checkliste für Eltern.