How to find an accommodation in Berlin

My first problem, after the decision to go in Exchange to Berlin, was to find an accommodation. Furtunatly, I found some very clear and useful tips on the Distributed Campus that makes, at least for a student, very easy to find a place.


Through the ERG-Universitätsservice GmbH at Freie Universität Berlin, you can choose between a single room  or a single occupancy apartment.
Otherwise, if you do not wish to stay in a student residence hall, you can try to find a room or an apartment on the private housing market. As the Distributed Campus says, "many students in Berlin live in shared apartments (WGs) and there is a relatively large supply of rooms. You find these offers on the internet (e.g., Studenten-WG or WG Company), and in various Berlin magazines"

Rents in Berlin normally start around 250 Euro, shared apartments tend to be less expensive. "On signing the lease your landlord will probably expect a deposit of three months, reimbursed with interest at the end of tenancy as long as nothing has been damaged."


If you need a cheap short term accommodation, maybe while looking for a definitive one, it could be great either a youth hostel (Jugendherberge), a guest house (Jugendgästehaus) or a backpacker hostel. All stuff that you can easly find with Google.

In the end, I took for rent a single apartment at Studentendorf Schlachtensee (Wasgenstr. 75, 14129 Berlin) from 1.10.2010 until 15.3.2011. The apartment is approximately 20 m2 big, furnished with a bed, desk, chair, wardrobe, bookshelf and lamps. Furthermore, I have my own bathroom and kitchenette. All this for 350€ per month.


What do you think, isn't it a good deal? Let's wait to see it, the first of October...