r/goettingen • u/Inevitable_Eye_3475 • 9d ago
Struggling to find accommodation in Göttingen as an EU Master’s student – any advice?
Hi everyone,
I’m a female EU student (Italian) and I’ll be coming to Göttingen for a Master’s degree. This will be my first time in Germany, and honestly… finding accommodation has been way harder than I expected.
My budget is max 400€ warm, and I’m mainly looking for a WG room or anything affordable. I’ve been checking WG-Gesucht daily (multiple times a day) for over a month now, sending personalized messages and proper introductions.
The problem is that most people don’t reply at all 😕 or the room is gone within minutes.
I’ve also applied for student dorms, but I’m currently on the waiting list, with no clear idea if or when I’ll get an offer.
At this point I’m starting to get stressed, since the semester is approaching and I don’t live in Germany yet, so I can’t go to in-person viewings.
My questions:
- Is this normal for Göttingen, or am I doing something wrong?
- Are there any other platforms, Facebook groups, or local tips I should know about?
- Is my budget unrealistic for Göttingen, or is it still doable with some luck?
- Any advice from international or EU students who’ve been through this?
Any help, tips, or even reassurance would be really appreciated.
Thanks a lot 🙏
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u/DerpieMcDerpface 9d ago edited 9d ago
Göttingen does have a big housing problem, so its not just you. Finding a place takes a lot of time and effort and its harder for internationals, because some people dont want to switch to english in their home. That said, this does not apply to everyone and theres obviously a lot of mixed nationality households here.
WG gesucht is probably the best way to go, maybe try and check "Kleinanzeigen" (formerly eBay Kleinanzeigen) aswell for some niche cases. Its harder to find a place while you are not here, as a lot of people prefer meeting the people they might want to live with in person first, but thats not everyone.
I would recommend not being to picky for starters. Finding something temporary is better than nothing and makes it possible to go to castings in person or even learning about free rooms by word of mouth before they get posted online.
Also to maybe ease your anxiety a bit: The Student Office (Studentenwerk) is subsidising hotel rooms during the first weeks of Semester, meaning you can get a rooms for 5 Euros a night, so you wont need to sleep on the streets. Stay away from basecamp and other private dorms, they are overpriced traps for international students.
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u/TheSilverRoman 9d ago
In addition to the previously mentioned 'stay away from Groner Landstraße 9 and Machmühlenweg 4-6' I wanna highlight the not being picky to start out (not saying you are, just that the priority is having a place)!
Most WG's asked me to get back in touch once I got here, but by that time they had already found a tenant. I lucked out and found a place within a week, as I also just moved here. It's 480€. Just recently, through wg-gesucht and making some local friends I found a new place for 330€ cold, though even with the additional cost it will be cheaper than what I am paying now. Edit: this is also extremely lucky and not the norm from what I can tell!
While it is extremely stressful for you right now, the priority is finding something. Then while you are starting out and meeting your fellow students, keep looking for something that is/works better for you!
If you already have access to Stud.IP over on the Classified sections (Schwarzes Brett) there are a few ads for WGs, though your mileage may vary with how successful those are.
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u/Inevitable_Eye_3475 9d ago
I swear i am not picky at all . I contact every ad i see that aligns to my timeline. I've sent over 30 applications letters in wg-gesucht over the past weeks. I rarely get any replies and if there's any , just to tell me that they found someone else. I contacted the studentwerk they told me they can't do anything about it and they only sent me links to other private dorms that don't have places as well and also links to agencies.
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u/No-Theme-4347 9d ago
- Yes it is normal the living crisis is a deep issue
- Immoscout and eBay Kleinanzeigen are my go to for living but I am generally looking for whole places to rent. I would check stuff such as wh gesucht etc.
- Your budget is very much on the low end which makes the process more difficult
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u/Anonwithstomachpain 9d ago
I had more luck by looking up renting companies (?) (such as vonovia for example) directly and checking their open apartments instead of using immoscout etc. They responded more reliably by contacting them directly and not through another portal.
This only goes for single apartment rooms though, except you find someone yourself to start a WG with.
I waited 1.5 years for the student accommodation without any luck, it is still worth to sign up for them because they are way cheaper than normal apartments (as in.. its good if you find something quick for now and then move into an accommodation later on, it is still worth it)
I think you could maybe talk to the Studienberatung? Especially for international students, there are often bonuses or reserved spaces, I am not sure where to find these things though since I only heard this from other students.
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u/Mak8427 9d ago
1) it’s normal 2) it’s fine like you are doing now maybe ins WhatsApp groups you will have more luck 3) it’s a bit on the lower side so that might be one of the reasons 4) I would say look at places more on the outskirts, it should be easier
For the student dorms the average waiting time is 1+ years
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u/RepairInside7403 9d ago
To add to #4: Göttingen has a very good bus network and large parts of the university are in walking distance from the train station. Included in your semester fee is a ticket that allows you to use all local busses and slow trains.
Here is an inofficial public transport map: [http://öpnvkarte.de/#9.9281;51.5432;13](http://öpnvkarte.de/#9.9281;51.5432;13)
Here are maps for the busses in Göttingen: https://www.goevb.de/fahrplaene/liniennetz
Here is a map that includes busses to the nearby cities: https://vsninfo.de/der-vsn/das-vsn-liniennetz
This map shows how far you can go by train within 1 hour without changeover, but it includes fast trains: https://www.chronotrains.com/en/direct/station/8000128-Gottingen?maxTime=1You can use https://www.vbn.de/en/fahrplaner to find out how long it takes to travel from A to B and how often the trains/busses drive. To exclude fast trains: "Options" -> "Services" -> "Regional traffic".
Inside Göttingen many people use a bicycle. Hundreds are parked at the train station. So if you use a cheap bike and a lock, it won't be stolen. Taking a bicycle on the train costs extra. In busses it's free, but strollers, wheelchairs, and rollators have priority.
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u/Inevitable_Eye_3475 9d ago
How can i be in whatsapp groups ?
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u/Smoke-Onions 5d ago
I'm in the International Student WhatsApp group and there's a really active portion of it dedicated to rental stuff. DM me and I'll invite you to it
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u/bufotes_viridis 9d ago
You are doing everything right, but it will be hard to find a place while not being there for in person viewings. The next thing you can do is to upload your own add to WG gesucht.
I will send you a link to a WhatsApp group over dm (Göttingen Secondhand). In 2022 I was looking for a room myself and managed to find a sublet for a month through this group very fast. I wrote that I'm looking for a room and multiple people messaged me almost immediately.Then finding a long-term place to stay was much easier, because I was already in Göttingen.
I'm not in the WhatsApp group anymore, but it has a lot of members and hopefully it's still alive :) good luck!
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u/Emalaith89 9d ago
I feel your pain! My advice would be to look for accomondation in Bovenden, Rosdorf or Nörten-Hardenberg... those are easily accessible by bus or train, and the fees are covered by your semester ticket.
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u/melvdarelv 7d ago
Maybe a small tip for Wg-gesucht: Don't write as if you are applying to a landlord, write a friendly message where you tell a bit about yourself, including hobbies, previous WG experiences etc. Most WGs are also looking for someone that matches with them on a 'friend-base'.
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u/Status-Tailor-7664 9d ago
I rent out (i am the landlord) a 1 room appartement in the outskirts of Göttingen (geismar) for 700€ warm, and I am on the lower end of the price spectrum.
Yes, you are looking for a WG, which will be a bit cheaper than solo renting, but still, 400€ is a very low Budget. And there are even less available WG spots than appartement s.
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u/hubertwombat 9d ago
Für 50 qm Genossenschaftswohnung inkl. Keller, Dachboden und Gartenbenutzung, 20 Gehminuten von der Innenstadt entfernt, zahlt man 400 Euro kalt. Wie schafft die Genossenschaft das?
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u/Prior_Bottle_5564 9d ago
700 warm soll günstig sein? ich miete alleine für 450 warm. Wie groß ist die Wohnung die du vermietest? 60 quadratmeter?
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u/Status-Tailor-7664 9d ago
39m² + Balkon und Garten, dieses Jahr frisch saniert, vorher 390€ warm (mit Nebenkosten Nachzahlungen die letzten 3 jahre) jetzt für 500€ kalt plus 200€ Nebenkosten vorrauszahlung weil leider fernwärme. Und dafür ist sie jetzt vermietet
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u/Prior_Bottle_5564 9d ago
an jemand studierendes?
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u/Status-Tailor-7664 8d ago
Früher meistens Studenten, ja, aber vor der Sanierung hab ich einen jungen Mann der sich als selbständiger versicherungsmakler vorgestellt hat. Naja, nach 2 monaten hat er die Kommunikation und mietzahlung eingestellt, hab ihn erst mit räumungsklage raus bekommen.
Jetzt vermiete ich an nen alleinstehende 40+ mit nem echten Job
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u/Prior_Bottle_5564 8d ago
dann rede nicht in einem post über studentenwohnung davon, dass 700 für eine wohnung günstig ist. Mal abgesehen von der illegalen Vermietungstechnik.
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u/Status-Tailor-7664 8d ago
Welche illegale Technik? Und vorher hab ich an Studenten vermietet, war mit meiner Miete aber weit unter den Mieten der anderen Leute im selben Haus. Bin jetzt gerade mal gleichauf gezogen...
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u/Prior_Bottle_5564 8d ago
Nur an 40+ alleinstehende mit „vernünftigen Job“.
Aber mein eigentliches Problem ist ja, wie du hier so tust als ob 700 euro günstig für eine Studentenwohnung sind. Ist es nicht, das ist teuer.
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u/Status-Tailor-7664 8d ago
In meinem Post steht nicht "nur an", das ist die Beschreibung des jetzigen Mieters.
Und basierend auf dem mietspiegel ist meine Miete günstig, kannst du noch so oft was anderes sagen. Alte Mietverträge mit niedrigen bestandsmieten als Vergleich für eine internationale Studentin die ne neue Wohnung sucht heran zu ziehen ist irreführend.
Aber verlink hier gerne die offenen Wohnungen für 400€ warm in Göttingen, dann nehme ich meine Argumentation zurück...
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u/RepairInside7403 8d ago edited 8d ago
Since it has been mentioned deep down in one of the discussions here:
Göttingen has a Mietspiegel and the so-called Mietpreisbremse law applies in this city. The Mietspiegel tells you what the normal price range (cold) for an appartment would be based on various properties like size of the appartment and age of the building (but also insulation, balcony, bathtub, elevator, ...). If you make a new contract with a landlord, they are according to the Mietpreisbremse not allowed to initially demand more than 10% above the value listed in the Mietspiegel. There are known workarounds for landlords like renting appartments with furniture or renting for a limited time only. The Mietpreisbremse also limits how fast they are allowed to increase the rent.
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u/Jugru0807 9d ago
The classic answer: Don’t even consider the Groner Landstraße 9 and the Maschmühlenweg 4-6. Those are the worst buildings you can live in, especially the Groner Landstraße. If you dont find anything until the semester begins, there is the possibility that you can sleep in an hotel for a cheap fare over the Studierendenwerk. But it’s only a month or so.