Like it or not, it’s super difficult to find a flat in Berlin available for rent. Whether you’re looking to rent your own apartment or are seeking shared accommodation, it can take weeks, even months, to find a place to call home.
With limited spots available due to the rising number of holiday rentals from Airbnb and the increasing number of people who want to come live in our super cool city, demand is higher than ever, competition is fierce, and rental costs are constantly climbing.
Note – we frequently update this post with new groups and remove old ones as well. Bookmark this page to get the latest updates.
Find a Flat in Berlin
So how can you find a flat in Berlin? To be honest, the absolute best way to find a flat in Berlin is by knowing someone. In fact, that’s how I found my current flat when I moved back to Berlin. But as most people who come here don’t know anyone at all, they end up using sites like Craigslist, WG Gesucht, or Immobilien Scout 24.
Recommended reading: Should You Book an Airbnb Apartment in Berlin?
Berlin Facebook Groups
But … what a lot of Berlin newbies don’t know is that Facebook is one of the best ways to find a flat in Berlin! Locals actually use multiple Facebook groups to advertise a room or apartment for rent in Berlin.
While you need to be aware of scams (trolls out to take your money spam these groups a lot), the Facebook groups are still pretty useful and feature legitimate listings. We still recommend using the main sites we listed above and the Facebook groups as well, but with the latter being more of a complementary resource. At this point, doing anything and everything will help you in your search.
So if you’re an aspiring Berliner or even a current Berliner, use these Facebook groups to help you on your search to find a flat in Berlin:
- Apartments/roommates in Berlin
- Berlin Apartments – Rent – Share & Sell flats & apartments in Berlin!
- Berlin Housing
- Berlin LONG TERM rooms/flats
- Berlin Startup Flats & Flatshares
- Berlin Startup WGs
- Flats in Berlin
- Homes for Queers Berlin
- Housing Berlin
- Housing Berlin/Wohnen in Berlin
- Looking for room to rent in Berlin Moabit/Charlottenburg/Mitte
- Provisionsfreie Wohnungen Berlin
- Rent a Flat in Berlin
- Rooms & Roommates in Berlin
- Short-term accommodation Berlin: WG, Zwischenmiete, flat-share, Zimmerbörse
- Temporary Flat Rentals In Berlin
- Urban Home Berlin
- WG Zimmer Berlin
- WG, Zimmer, Wohnung, Flat, Room – Berlin
- WG, Zimmer, Wohnung in Berlin gesucht
- WG zimmer wohnung in Berlin room flat apartment rent
- Wohnung Frei in Berlin
- Wohnung in Berlin
- Wohnung in Berlin WG Zimmer
Good to Know
- Looking for tips about the process of securing a flat in Berlin? Then read this piece about renting a home in Berlin.
- For fun, read this cute illustrated guide to evaluating potential flatmates in Berlin.
- Did you know that Berliners love to use Facebook for almost anything and everything? If you’re looking for new ways to meet people and find events, check out Adam’s post.
- If you’re looking to find a job in Berlin, make friends in Berlin, and more, you’ll find all you need to know on my Berlin resources page.
Do you know of other Facebook groups in Berlin? If you do, leave a comment below!
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I actually have no interest in moving to Berlin (though I do want to visit someday, and I like your blog, hence why I’m here :)), but I am in a similar position as I’m currently in the process of moving to Australia.
If it wasn’t for some contacts I’d made from friends of friends on Facebook I’m sure I would be having a MUCH harder time finding flatmates than if I hadn’t. It’s kind of nice to know I’m not the only struggling with finding a place to live overseas.
Hey Carla –
Please do visit Berlin someday. It’s a great city, although of course, I’m biased. 😉
Glad you enjoy the blog and cool to hear that Facebook worked for you as well.
I ended up writing this post, as a lot of people moving to Berlin are not aware of such groups. Hopefully, this will help!
Best,
Cheryl
Hi Cheryl,
Just a quick one!
My girlfriend and I are moving to Berlin next year (January) we are both from the UK so luckily won’t need working visas. However, we do need to register as residents (within our first 14 days of arrival) with our local authority as you mention in one of your blogs. The first month of our stay will be at a work away which is a little way out of the city where we are hopefully going to really try and improve our German before we hit the job hunt!
So my question is, will this temporary address be enough to register ourselves or will we need something more permanent?
Thanks so much!
Hiya Mark,
Thanks for stopping by. 🙂 🙂
Congrats on your Berlin move. Very exciting!
To be honest, I’m not sure what should be done in this case? The paper you get to register your address is needed for multiple things, like opening a bank account for example.
I’d recommend getting in touch with one of the expat experts here in Berlin – try either Expath or Red Tape Translation.
Sorry I could not help more in this instance. I just don’t want to give the wrong info.
Best of luck and let me know if you need more help.
Kind regards,
Cheryl
Thank God I came across your blog. I’m currently doing some research to book my accommodation for my visa application submission. Many blog of yours is very useful especially for people like me ie. applying for a Job Seeker Visa to Germany. Thank you and looking forward to reading more of your blog. Hopefully I will get to see Berlin soon. 🙂
Hey Melissa! Always happy to read such messages.
Best of luck with your move to Berlin and searching for a job.
– Cheryl