Tricky German Rental Abbreviations in Ads – 40 of Them Explained
If you are about to move to Germany or are relocating within the country, you are in need of a roof over your head. Especially if your German is not that good (yet), this could prove difficult. Most people use online platforms for their house hunting, so you should focus on a real estate service like Rentberry that is fully available in English to make things easier.
As if finding housing in Germany wasn’t already difficult enough in itself, you will stumble upon some strange-looking words that sound like something encrypted. Welcome to German real estate listings! You will find loads of abbreviations as Germans are using them frequently, no matter the context.
But don’t worry, we are here to help you out with this. Here comes a list with the 40 most used abbreviations in property listings.
Type
|
Whg. |
Wohnung |
Apartment |
|
App. |
Appartement |
Apartment |
|
AB |
Altbau |
Old building, usually built before WWII |
|
NB |
Neubau |
New construction, recently built |
|
Zi. |
Zimmer |
Room(s) |
|
SZ |
Schlafzimmer |
Bedroom(s) |
|
1-ZW / 1-RW |
1-Zimmer-Wohnung / 1-Raum-Wohnung |
Apartment with 1 room |
|
VH / Vdhs. |
Vorderhaus |
Front building |
|
HH / Hhs. |
Hinterhaus |
Back building |
|
EFH |
Einfamilienhaus |
Single-family house |
|
RH |
Reihenhaus |
Row house |
|
DHH |
Doppelhaushälfte |
Semi-detached house |
Storeys
|
EG |
Erdgeschoss |
Ground floor |
|
OG |
Obergeschoss |
Any floor above the ground floor |
|
DG |
Dachgeschoss |
Top floor |
|
ETW |
Etagenwohnung |
Apartment located above the ground floor |
Costs
|
KM |
Kaltmiete |
Rent excluding extra costs |
|
WM |
Warmmiete |
Rent including extra costs, often does not include internet |
|
NK / BK |
Nebenkosten / Betriebskosten |
Extra costs for water, heating, etc., often does not include internet |
|
Abl. |
Ablöse |
One-off payment to the previous tenant for furniture or appliances |
|
VHB |
Verhandlungsbasis |
Negotiable price |
|
HK |
Heizkosten |
Heating costs |
Features
|
EBK |
Einbauküche |
Built-in kitchen |
|
Du |
Dusche |
Shower |
|
möbl. |
Möbliert |
Furnished |
|
TG |
Tiefgarage |
Underground parking |
|
WaMa |
Waschmaschine |
Washing machine |
|
Spülma. |
Spülmaschine |
Dishwasher |
|
Ausst. |
Ausstattung |
Furnishing |
|
Blk. |
Balkon |
Balcony |
|
Terr. |
Terrasse |
Terrace |
|
HZ |
Heizung |
Heating |
|
ZH |
Zentralheizung |
Central heating |
|
FW |
Fernwärme |
District heating |
General
|
zzgl. |
Zuzüglich |
Plus |
|
bzw. |
Beziehungsweise |
Or rather, or also |
|
jährl. |
Jährlich |
Annually |
|
Bj. |
Baujahr |
Year of construction |
|
EB |
Erstbezug |
First-time occupancy |
|
NR |
Nichtraucher |
Non-smoker |
Is there something missing in the table? Try to look it up in a comprehensive online dictionary such as Langenscheidt. Now that you know what all those small words in the listings mean, your next step is to reach out to the landlords. Here are some quick tips about it. Get a German-speaking friend to help you out with writing an application text without any grammatical or spelling errors. But be aware that you should always adapt it to the specific flat you are applying for, otherwise you get lost in the shuffle between all the other applicants. Try to make it a bit more personal and tell the landlord about yourself. If you need help with the letter in German you can get the help of a professional tutor. Now you can lean back and wait for their answers!
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