Furnished Apartments in Germany: Costs, Contracts, and Pitfalls

Most German flats are rented empty. Sometimes there is no kitchen, and sometimes even the light fittings are missing. A furnished flat comes with furniture, a kitchen, and basic equipment, so you can move in without buying everything first. Many people use this as a bridge while they search for a longer-term flat. Employers often cover the cost for a few months. Prices for similar flats can differ a lot, so compare carefully.

The lease often differs from a normal unfurnished tenancy, so read the term and the end date before you sign. Standard search tips, SCHUFA, and scam patterns are covered in Finding an Apartment in Germany.

When furnished makes sense

A typical cold-rent listing can mean bare walls. Tenants often buy and install a full fitted kitchen themselves. Furnished housing gives you a working kitchen on day one, and you do not have to spend the first weeks shopping for a bed, table, and pans.

Banks, a tax ID, and many contracts need a registered address. Landlords of empty flats often want SCHUFA and German payslips. Verified furnished platforms often accept a passport and a foreign employment contract, and they issue the landlord confirmation for address registration (Anmeldung) when the lease is real. How registration works is covered in Registering Your Address.

Furnished also lets you test a neighbourhood and a commute before you sign a long unfurnished lease. If your employer is paying, ask what they will cover (rent only, or also deposit and fees) and for how long. When you later move into an empty flat, Furniture Stores in Germany covers where people buy beds and kitchens.

Contract trade-offs

Furnished rent is usually higher than an empty flat of the same size, because of the furniture and the convenience. That premium is not the same everywhere: two similar listings can be hundreds of euros apart, so compare warm rent, what is included, and any platform fee.

The rent brake limits standard rent in many cities, but furnished living space has often been used to charge more. Rules now push landlords toward a clear valuation of the furniture, but you still pay a monthly amount for items that lose value over time.

Ordinary unfurnished tenancies usually give stronger open-ended protection. Furnished setups often use a fixed-term contract instead. Many people prefer that clear end date when they are only staying for a few months or their employer is covering a set period. When the date arrives, the contract ends unless you agree an extension, sometimes at a higher rent. Some setups (for example when the landlord lives in the same building) allow shorter notice.

More inventory means more arguments at handover: scuffs, stains, chipped dishes. Landlords may hold the deposit for months over used furniture. You also live with their mattress and décor. Painting or swapping furniture usually needs permission, and you may have to put things back at move-out.

Types and how rent is quoted

Fully furnished usually means a bed, sofa, table, chairs, wardrobe, equipped kitchen, appliances, and often linens, dishes, and internet. Partially furnished is typically a fitted kitchen and major pieces, with you bringing bedding and small electronics. Serviced apartments are hotel-style: rent often bundles utilities, internet, cleaning, and reception, and they sit at the top of the price range.

Rent is often quoted as warm rent: heating, water, and building charges in one figure. Confirm what is still billed separately, such as electricity, internet, or the broadcasting fee. Utilities for a longer stay are covered in Utilities in Germany.

Where to look

Specialist platforms include Wunderflats (mid- to long-term, often used by newcomers), Homelike (serviced and business), Spotahome (verified online booking), and HousingAnywhere (students and newcomers).

On general portals, use ImmobilienScout24 with the möbliert (furnished) filter. WG-Gesucht and Kleinanzeigen also list private sublets and furnished rooms.

Some platforms add a service fee, so compare the total monthly cost, not only the headline rent.

Deposit, furnished classification, and fixed terms

The security deposit is at most three months’ net cold rent, even if the listing shows warm rent.

If furniture is a significant share of what you pay for, special rules for furnished living space may apply: local rent-table caps may not bind the same way, rent can be higher, and the usual open-ended eviction rules can apply differently. If the flat’s value is mainly the property, ordinary tenancy law applies, including the rent brake where it exists.

A fixed end date needs a valid legal reason (planned renovation, or the landlord’s future self-use). If the reason is valid, the lease expires automatically. Always check whether your contract is time-limited, unlimited, or labelled as furnished living space.

What to check at move-in

The landlord must provide the confirmation for Anmeldung, usually within about two weeks. Reject any listing that says Anmeldung nicht möglich. Without registration you cannot get a tax ID or finish many official steps legally.

Inspect with the landlord or agent. Photograph walls and every furniture item, check the inventory line by line, record meter readings, and have both parties sign the handover protocol.

Use the platform’s official payment flow. Do not wire the deposit to a private account outside a signed, verified contract.

Useful links

• ImmobilienScout24
• Wunderflats