Vol. 1, No. 13 — After getting my feet underneath me in Germany, I had the opportunity to take part in that grand tradition of adulthood: looking for housing.
Furnished or unfurnished? Warm or cold? Individually or in a group? Some of these choices in the listings made sense to me and others did not. Let’s try that first one: furnished or unfurnished.
My living situation at the time was a rented room in a traditional half-timber house from the early 1800s in downtown Wolfenbüttel, Germany. I was at the top of four flights of narrow, steep, creaky stairs and shared a bathroom with another student whose room was perched next to mine. Without a coaster to my name, I knew my next place had to be furnished.
During my first visit to a property in my budget, I noticed one small detail that differed from my understanding of “furnished.” While the living room and bedroom were unsurprising, the kitchen did deliver a bit of a shock. It was empty. Plumbing exposed and wires dangling, this was a bring-your-own-kitchen listing. While I could have probably survived with a microwave and paper plates, it was time to keep looking.
Another viewing was set up, this time to an unfurnished apartment. My expectations were already set, so I went in with open eyes. As I cracked the door, I saw that more surprises were in store. It was a literal concrete box. No flooring. No paint. Power outlets and wall switches were installed, but only some lonely copper was to be found hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room. Bring your own sockets and bulbs.
While I have since learned that this level of “unfurnished” is not exactly common, it is also not unheard of. Strangely enough, in this particular listing, a complete kitchen was already installed. Words began to have no meaning. I put the brakes on this search and ended up moving months later to a mini-apartment in the same old house. It was perfect.
The terms “warm rent” and “cold rent” were also new to me. They are roughly equivalent to having utilities included or excluded. For the money I’m spending, is this place going to be warm or cold? It makes sense.
Rental terms are not entirely different either. Approximately three months of rent are expected upfront to sign an agreement. This covers the actual first month of rent, a refundable deposit in case of damage, and then your final month of rent.
After moving to Spain, there were some differences to note. One big change is that most people will buy apartments in Spain instead of renting them, so choices are limited. In Germany, it is common to share a multi-room apartment amongst several people. Not so much in Spain. These living situations are so common in Germany that people remain in shared apartments many years into “adulthood” (whatever that means).
Spain has the distinction of kids living with their parents longer than the average American or even German family. They also move far less often. When public universities are within reach of your parents’ house and tradition expects you to buy instead of rent, it’s easy to see why this is the case.
As with all things in Europe, it is unfair to generalize across all countries. They are all very different places much in the same way that each state in the US is unique. One thing is true everywhere at the moment, though: the housing boom is quite real. I’m glad my apartment search is in the rearview mirror for now.
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