Housing

View of Burgplatz square in Braunschweig from above.

Housing in Braunschweig

How do you find a flat in Braunschweig? What costs should you expect, and what do you need to bear in mind? To help you find a suitable home in Braunschweig quickly, we’ve put together some helpful information and tips for international students here.

Start as early as possible

Ideally, you should start looking for accommodation before you receive your admission letter. At the start of the semester, the housing market in Braunschweig is very competitive. It usually gets a bit easier as the semester progresses. Plan on spending a total of four to six months on your search.

Our top 3 tips

Read the adverts carefully and make specific references to the advert in your letter of application
Get in touch with other people looking for accommodation – perhaps you could form a shared flat together
Prepare well for viewings and make sure you arrive on time

Please note that TU Braunschweig cannot provide you with accommodation. Admission to the university does not imply that you will have a place to stay. It is your own responsibility to find suitable accommodation.

The International Student Support Team will be happy to advise you and give you tips on where best to look.

Three students are standing in front of Braunschweig Castle, looking at a mobile phone.

The most important information for you

With a population of 250,000, Braunschweig is a medium-sized city where you can get from A to B very quickly by bike or public transport. The central campus can be reached by bike from any part of the city in less than 30 minutes via a well-developed cycle network.

So don’t settle on a particular neighbourhood too soon; have a look at suitable options in the surrounding suburbs such as Wolfenbüttel, Gifhorn or Salzgitter as well. Thanks to your semester ticket, you can commute to Braunschweig from there at no extra cost.

Unfortunately, we keep receiving reports that fraudsters are offering flats or rooms that do not actually exist. Therefore, please never transfer money for a deposit or rent before you have signed a tenancy agreement or received the keys.

In the event of a scam, you will often be asked to pay part of the deposit or rent before you’ve even viewed the property. You’ll often be told that the landlord is currently abroad and that you’ll receive the key from an acquaintance once you’ve made the payment. Always be cautious, especially with offers that seem unusually cheap.

If you are unsure about an advert, please feel free to contact the International Student Support Team.

The Studierendenwerk OstNiedersachsen runs ten halls of residence in Braunschweig, offering over 2,200 places and 20 guest rooms. The accommodation is very popular as it is cheaper than private housing. Most dormitories have long waiting lists. It is therefore best to apply for a place in the dormitory before you receive your admission letter. You do not need to provide any documents. Don’t worry: a tenancy agreement is only finalised once you accept the offer of accommodation.

Click here for the application form: Application form
Important: Once you have applied, you will receive an email from the Studierendenwerk every 14 days asking whether you are still looking for a place in the student dormitory. Please make sure you click on the link to confirm your interest! Please note: If you do not click on the link, you will be removed from the list of interested parties and will not receive any offers for a place in the student dormitory.
As soon as a suitable place becomes available, you will receive an email. You will then have two days to sign and return the tenancy agreement by email. If you miss this deadline, the offer will go to someone else. So, while you’re waiting, check your email regularly (preferably several times a day).
Here is an overview of all dormitories in Braunschweig: https://stw-on.de/en/braunschweig/housing/dormitories. On the webpage of each dormitory, you will find contact details for the Studierendenwerk staff, including their office hours.
The Studierendenwerk's FAQ section provides answers to the most frequently asked questions: https://stw-on.de/en/braunschweig/housing/good-to-know

If you don’t want to live in a student dormitory or haven’t been offered a place, you should look for accommodation on the private housing market. First, ask yourself whether you’d prefer to live on your own or in a shared flat with other students. Both options have their pros and cons.

You can also choose to look for either furnished flats or rooms, or unfurnished flats or rooms. Furnished flats and rooms come with at least basic furniture (for example, a bed, wardrobe, desk, sofa, kitchen and dining table). However, they are more expensive than unfurnished options.

Shared flats (WGs)

Many students in Braunschweig live in shared flats (WGs) with other students. Usually, you have your own room and share the kitchen, bathroom and other communal areas with your flatmates. Shared flats are a great way to find affordable accommodation and make friends at the same time. The cost of a room in a shared flat in Braunschweig ranges from 300 to 500 euros per month.

Respond to a flat-share advert

Wenn du eine WG-Anzeige findest, die für dich passend sein könnte, antworte am besten per E-Mail: Stelle dich kurz vor, erkläre dein Interesse am Zimmer und nenne ein paar Details zu dir. Die Nachricht darf etwas persönlicher und lockerer sein als bei einer normalen Wohnungsbewerbung, achte aber auf korrekte Rechtschreibung und einen freundlichen Schreibstil.

You can download a template here: Download flat-share application letter (PDF, German)

Private apartment

Some students also live on their own in a flat. There are many small 1- or 2-bedroom apartments in Braunschweig. However, demand here is significantly higher than supply, so it is difficult to find an affordable place to live.

Rents for smaller apartments are around €400–500 (basic rent or "Kaltmiete"). Basic rent refers to the cost of the flat excluding any additional charges. Including additional charges (e.g. waste collection, water consumption) as well as electricity, heating and internet costs, you should expect to pay a total of €550–650.

By the way: Apartments in Germany are often let without a kitchen. Sometimes you can buy the kitchen from the previous tenants. If not, you’ll have to sort out a kitchen for the flat yourself.

How to respond to a flat advertisement

When responding to a flat advertisement, you should send a formal email in which you briefly introduce yourself, express your interest in the flat and ask for a viewing. Ideally, you should also attach supporting documents to show that you can afford the rent.

You can download a template here: Download letter of application for a flat (PDF, German)

Documents required

You should have the following documents ready before you start looking for accommodation, so that you can send them to landlords quickly if they are required.

Self-declaration form for landlords
A copy of proof of financial resources (e.g. proof of a blocked bank account or a scholarship certificate). Please note: Some landlords require a Schufa credit check. You cannot apply for this document until you are officially registered in Germany. Please explain to the landlord that your proof of financial resources is valid until then.
Copy of passport or identity card (ID)
If available: a copy of your employment contract or proof of income

If the start of the semester is fast approaching and you haven’t found permanent accommodation yet, you should look into temporary solutions. You can find short-term accommodation options on the following websites:

Unfortunately, short-term temporary solutions are usually considerably more expensive than standard rental rates.

Important: Please make sure you arrange accommodation for your first few nights before you leave your home country. TU Braunschweig cannot provide you with accommodation – not even in an emergency.

First things first: make sure you read the tenancy agreement thoroughly before signing it!

If you have any uncertainties or legal queries, please make use of the AStA’s legal advice service: https://astatubs.de/beratung/rechtsberatung.html

The key points of the tenancy agreement:

Usually, the tenancy agreement includes a three-month notice period. This means you must give notice to leave your flat or room three months before your desired moving-out date.
Take a close look at the additional costs ("Nebenkosten") charged on top of the rent and ask if there’s anything you don’t understand.
In Germany, it is standard practice, as a tenant, to pay a deposit when signing the tenancy agreement. The deposit serves as security for the landlord in case you cause damage to the flat or fail to pay the rent. The deposit can be up to three months’ basic rent. It is best to transfer the deposit into the landlord’s bank account. If a cash payment is requested, make sure you get a receipt for the payment.

Please note: You will not usually get your deposit back immediately after moving out. Landlords may withhold part or all of the deposit until the final utility bill has been settled. This can take up to a year.
You can find a sample tenancy agreement on the German Tenants’ Association’s website.
Important: Do not pay a deposit before signing the tenancy agreement!

Takeover of the flat

When taking over an apartment or a room, you should make sure that any defects (e.g. broken tiles or a broken hob) in the apartment or room are recorded in writing (Apartment handover report)

Additional costs
Your tenancy agreement will specify the basic rent and the additional costs for your flat or room. Additional costs include, for example, waste collection, water consumption and winter maintenance. Together, these make up the total amount you have to pay each month.

Please note: In private accommodation, the costs for electricity and heating are usually not included in the additional costs. You should therefore expect to pay extra for these. Please read your tenancy agreement very carefully before signing it.

GEZ/broadcasting licence fee
A monthly fee of €18.36 is charged for every household in Germany as the so-called broadcasting licence fee (also known as the GEZ). This money is used to fund public media (radio, television and online services) in Germany. The fee must be paid per household (!). For example, if you live in a shared flat, the fee only needs to be paid once and not by each resident. Important: Even if you don’t have a radio or television, you still have to pay the fee. Please also note that the payment is not debited monthly, but that the money is taken from your account every three, six or twelve months – depending on which payment frequency you choose.

More information (German)

Online portals for finding accommodation:

Online portals for finding a shared flat:

Other search portals: