Accommodation
The cities of Erlangen, Fürth and Nuremberg offer a very good standard of living. They are popular places to live, meaning that accommodation is in high demand but often in short supply. This is particularly the case during the period before the start of a new semester. We therefore recommend that you start looking for accommodation as soon as possible. If you are a little flexible and also look in the surrounding area, you will have a better chance of finding somewhere affordable to live. The region has an excellent public transport system, so you should not have any problems getting to your place of study or work.
It is worth checking the accommodation available on the internet every day, as new accommodation becomes available on a day-to-day basis. It pays to be flexible when it comes to the price and location of your accommodation and what facilities are available.
Information on finding accommodation
Please note the following:
- FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg is not able to offer accommodation. The University does not operate any student accommodation and is not allowed to act as an estate agent.
- University staff will try to assist you in your search. However, they are not responsible for finding accommodation and can only make recommendations.
- Your own initiative is therefore required to find suitable accommodation in the private housing market. Please take care of finding your accommodation in good time!
- Offers in the private housing market are scarce, especially in Erlangen; this means that it can take a lot of time and effort to find a flat or room. As in many other German university cities, the accommodation demand exceeds the supply by far, which often leads to high rents. We recommend you inquire about several flats/rooms before coming to Germany and to take advantage of a suitable offer without hesitation.
- Increase your chances by staying flexible and including rooms and flats in your search that are not in the direct vicinity of your place of study or work. We therefore recommend that you also search the area around Erlangen, Fürth and Nuremberg as well as the neighbouring towns of Forchheim and Ansbach. Thanks to the well-organised local transportation system (www.vgn.de) you can reach your place of study or work in Erlangen or Nuremberg quickly and cheaply. There are also tickets at reduced rates for students (semester ticket).
- Further information on the cities: Erlangen and surrounding area: www.erlangen.de; Nuremberg and surrounding area: www.nuernberg.de; Fürth and surrounding area: www.fuerth.de; Ansbach and surrounding area: www.ansbach.de; Forchheim and surrounding area: www.forchheim.de.
General information
- Newspapers
- Accommodation websites
- Notice boards
- Student Services accommodation
- Accommodation for visiting researchers
- Student Services room search
- Private accommodation
- Shared accommodation
- Project "Wohnen für Hilfe"
- Erlanger Nachrichten, Nürnberger Nachrichten (updated on Wednesdays and Saturdays) http://www.nordbayern.de
- Fränkischer Tag (updated on Wednesdays and Saturdays) www.fraenkischer-tag.de
- Alles (updated on Tuesdays and Fridays) http://www.alles.de
- Plärrer (updated once a month) www.plaerrer.de
- Estate agencies and agents, online portals
Websites with accommodation ads (only a selection; list is not exhaustive):
More publicly subsidised accommodation can be found on the Student Services website.
Rooms in student accommodation are generally furnished, which means that a bed, wardrobe, table and shelf are available. Washing machines and dryers are available in all student accommodation. Bed linen, towels, crockery and cutlery are not available.
Living together in shared accommodation can be a great advantage for international visitors as they can quickly become immersed in German language and everyday culture. Rooms in shared accommodation are normally applied for through the people who live there, rather than contacting the owner directly. However, the owner's or manager's approval is still required. In case of unauthorised subletting (without the owner's permission), the rental contract may be terminated without notice.
- Rental contract
- Rent and deposits
- Summary of rent charges
- Handover
- Telephone and internet
- Duration and notice periods
- Rental contract obligations
- Heating and ventilation
- Recycling
- Private liability insurance
- Reporting damages
Please check the details of the contract, such as the move-in date, the notice period and any other agreements, one last time before signing it. Some contracts will often require you to take out liability insurance. While it is not a legal requirement, it is certainly recommended as it can cover any damage you cause to the accommodation.
Read the contract carefully before signing. Make sure you take good care of all documents (rental contract, handover certificate, invoices, receipts, correspondence with the accommodation owner).
The deposit is between two and three months' rent. The accommodation owner will give you their bank details so that you can transfer the money within the deadline. If the money is not transferred to them within the agreed deadline, the flat/room may be rented out to another prospective tenant instead.
Service charges consist of fixed costs (maintenance, cleaning, etc.) and costs that depend on consumption, such as heating and hot water. Electricity and gas may also belong to the service charges if there is an agreement to that effect and you do not enter into a contract with a provider (see below). Service charges are paid as a fixed monthly sum that is calculated using an average monthly level of consumption. Please make sure to discuss with your accommodation owner which utility costs are already included in the rent.
Once a year the meters in your flat or room are read in order to calculate your actual consumption. If you consumed more electricity, hot water or heating than estimated, you are required to pay the difference. Energy costs in particular have increased significantly over the past years; we therefore recommend you use heating, electricity, gas and water sparingly.
Electricity is not usually included in the rent in student or private accommodation. Gas is also frequently not included in the contract. Usually you will have to pay a fixed sum every month or every other month (advance payment called Abschlag) via direct debit. The exact account is calculated once a year based on actual consumption. A new monthly charge for the following year is calculated based on this account.
If the room/flat is in a good condition, the accommodation owner will usually transfer your deposit back to your German bank account after you have moved out and the service charges have been covered. However, please note that according to German tenancy law, they may keep your deposit for up to six months after you move out.
Please note the provisions regarding the notice period in your rental contract. The notice period is usually three months. If you want to move out, the accommodation owner must have received your notice of termination three months prior. In order to be able to prove this, you can send the termination notice as a registered letter with a return receipt (Einschreiben mit Rückschein) – this means the accommodation owner has to confirm the receipt of your letter. You can also hand them your written notice in person. Asking for a written confirmation of receipt can be useful, but the accommodation owner is not required to comply. A termination notice via e-mail does not suffice.
If you want to move out by 30 September, for instance, your accommodation owner needs to have received your written termination notice by 30 June at the latest. You remain obligated to pay rent until the end of the contract, i.e. until the end of the notice period (3/6/12 months or more). The remaining rent payments may not be settled using the deposit and must be transferred to the accommodation owner's account until the end of the rental period. Contracts with a minimum duration may have a notice period of 6 to 12 months or even 3 years. You can often find this information in the contract under 'frühestens kündbar' (earliest termination).
- Punctual monthly payment of the contractually agreed rent
- Careful treatment of the rented property including furniture
- Sufficient ventilation in winter – see section on heating and ventilation
- Daily ventilation of the rooms in summer and in winter (otherwise there is a risk of harmful mould and damage due to damp)
- Waste separation (according to the waste containers outside the building)
- Applying to providers, if not included in rent (public broadcasting fee, electricity, gas, heating)
- Observation of house rules
- Observation of any other agreements such as taking out liability insurance and/or household content insurance (if required by the accommodation owner)
- If the above obligations are not fulfilled despite multiple warnings, your tenancy may be terminated without notice.
- Open a bank account
- Obligation to register
- If you are enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's degree programme and you live in student accommodation run by Student Services Erlangen-Nürnberg or publicly funded accommodation, you are required to prove your student status. Please submit your valid certificate of enrolment to your student accommodation contact as soon as possible after enrolment. The certificate of enrolment must be presented for every new semester that you are enrolled at FAU.
Specific information
Please return the completed and signed form via e-mail to accommodation@fau.de by 31 May at the latest for the following winter semester or 30 November at the latest for the following summer semester.
- You will be given general information about finding accommodation and help getting in contact with accommodation owners, planning and organising accommodation.
- You will be placed on a waiting list. Each applicant will usually receive one offer of accommodation, depending on availability. If you receive an offer, you must decided whether or not you wish to accept it before the deadline stated. The final decision will then be made by the accommodation owner.
- If you decline the offer, someone else will take your place and you will be removed from the waiting list. If you wish to accept the offer, please contact the accommodation owner yourself to arrange formalities such as receiving and signing the contract. Take note of the information and deadlines which you receive via e-mail. Please also inform the Central Office for International Affairs (RIA) of your decision via e-mail at accommodation@fau.de.
Please read the general tips on accommodation for all target groups and the FAQs for international students
If you have a place in student accommodation, please hand in your certificate of enrolment as soon as possible. For each semester that you stay in the accommodation, you must hand in your current certificate of enrolment without being requested to do so.
You may apply for a place in accommodation owned by Student Services and can also look for privately-owned accommodation.
There are not enough rooms for all applicants. It is usually only possible for around one third of exchange students to be offered a place in student accommodation. Please also apply for rooms in private accommodation.
You will be informed of how to apply for a room in Student Services accommodation during the process of applying for a place to study at FAU.