Couchsurfing platform provided by AStA

You have not yet found accommodation and are considering where to spend your first nights in Mannheim? Then you can look for free accommodation with other students via the couchsurfing platform provided by AStA. If you need a place to sleep for your first few nights in Mannheim, write an e-mail or make your request directly via the AStA couchsurfing group on Facebook:

E-mail: sozialesmail-uni-mannheim.de

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/AStACouchsurfing

Jugendherberge Mannheim

Rheinpromenade 21

68163 Mannheim

Phone: +49 621 822718

Price per night: as of EUR 24

www.jugendherberge-mannheim.de

Appartement-Hotel-Alter Simpl

P4, 8

68161 Mannheim

Phone: +49 621 158080

Price per night: as of EUR 40

www.alter-simpl-mannheim.de/hotel.htm

Leonardo Hotel

N 6, 3

68161 Mannheim

Phone: +49 621 107 10

Price per night: as of EUR 53

https://www.leonardo-hotels.com/leonardo-hotel-mannheim-city-center

Hotel Luxa

U1, 11–12

68161 Mannheim

Phone: +49 621 106027

Price per night: EUR 60–90

www.hotel-luxa.de/

InterCity Hotel Mannheim

Schlossgartenstraße 1 on the corner of block L13 (next to Mannheim main station)

68161 Mannheim

Phone: +49 621 4018 110

Price per night: as of EUR 80

http://de.intercityhotel.com/Mannheim/InterCityHotel-Mannheim

Pension Arabella

M2, 12

68161 Mannheim

Phone: +49 621 23050 (please call in advance to make a reservation)

Price per night: as of EUR 28

www.pension-arabella-mannheim.de/

Shared apartments are very popular among students, even on the private rental market. All students living in a shared apartment have their own bedroom, but share the kitchen and bathroom. If you decide for a shared apartment, you do not only have to pay a lower rent, you will also get to know everyday life in Mannheim and at the university much faster.  

The price for a room in a shared apartment amounts to EUR 300 – 450. It is common that landlords require a deposit payment of about two monthly rents excluding utilities.

You will find plenty offers for private rooms or apartments on the Internet. Unfortunately, not all offers are reliable. Therefore, from experience, we recommend not to transfer rental payments to bank accounts outside Germany.

Online private accommodation service of the International Office

Via this platform, Mannheim students who are going abroad for one or two semesters rent out their private rooms: http://zimmer.uni-mannheim.de

Please be aware that the rooms advertised here are rented out by private persons and that the International Office of the University of Mannheim does not act as an intermediary. Rental agreements are concluded without the involvement of the International Office.

Online private accommodation service of the Studierendenwerk

The Studierendenwerk also offers a private accommodation service. To use this service you must be enrolled at the University of Mannheim and come to the Studierendenwerk in person (please bring ecUM).

Online platforms (a selection)

• Immobilienscout 24 (one of the most common search platforms in Germany)
• WG gesucht (search can be narrowed to furnished accommodation by using filters)
• Online private accommodation service by the International Office of the University of Mannheim
• Wohnung-Für-Dich (also contains advertisements for furnished accommodation)
• AirBnB Mannheim
• Welcome INN Mannheim (furnished accommodation, fees apply)
• Homecompany (furnished accommodation, fees apply)
• Mannheimer Morgen (newspaper)
• Die Rheinpfalz (newspaper)
• Studenten-WG.de
• My next home
• Wohnimmobilien
• Immonet

Realtors

If you would like to search for furnished accommodation through a realtor' s office, you can, for example, contact the real-estate agency HC24 Mannheim. Please note that, if you find accommodation through a real-estate agency, you may incur extra costs through brokerage fees.

Please be aware that the International Office of the University of Mannheim does not act as an intermediary and that rental agreements are concluded without the involvement of the International Office.

Tips for concluding a rental agreement

There are some things to consider when signing a rental agreement on the private rental market. To assist you, we have compiled a list of things you should be aware of:

Helpful advice for the completion of a rental agreement on the private market

Many search platforms will ask you to indicate your preferred neighborhoods in order to narrow the search. The following neighborhoods are particularly popular among international students due to their close proximity to the university: 

1. Innenstadt / Quadrate / City
2. Schwetzinger Vorstadt
3. Lindenhof
4. Neckarstadt-Ost
5. Oststadt

Due to their top locations, rents in these neighborhoods are usually higher than elsewhere. The following neighborhoods are also worth looking at, since they are well-connected to the city center through public transport: Almenhof, Neuostheim, Feudenheim, Waldhof, Käfertal. During the day, trams run every ten minutes, in the evening, every twenty minutes. At night, you can use taxis and buses to get around.

Utilities include payments for heating, water, power and gas according to consumption as well as costs that apply to the entire building and are split between its tenants. The latter include, for example, domestic waste collection, sewage, elevator maintenance (where required), and janitorial or cleaning services. Thus, when comparing apartments, please check if the rent is indicated as including utilities (“Warmmiete”or “warm”) or excluding utilities (“Kaltmiete” or “kalt”) in order to be able to compare rent prices. Also inquire on the exact costs that are included in the utilities if a given apartment is listed as “warm” and which additional payments you will have to make yourself, for example for electricity.

Also be aware that for long-term rents, mostly in unfurnished apartments, the monthly utilities payment is an advance payment. Once a year, the actual consumption and resulting costs are exactly calculated and set off against the utilities payments made in advance. This may result in refunds or, if the consumption was higher than what the utilities payments covered, in additional payments.

If you are renting a furnished apartment, especially for a short period of time, the utilities payment is usually a fixed amount.

Telephone and Internet fees as well as the public broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag) are not part of the utilities and usually need to be paid separately. However, costs for these services are sometimes included in the rent for furnished apartments.

Heating

There are different types of heating: gas and central heating.

If your apartment is heated using gas and these costs are not included in the utilities, you should plan on paying higher additional costs for gas. If gas is included in the monthly utilities payment, this will probably be higher than usual.

Electricity and gas

If electricity and/or gas are not included in the utilities, you need to contact a provider of your choice to set up these services. To do this, you'll need to first get the current meter readings from both the gas and electric meters when you move in. You can ask your landlord about how to get the meter readings. After your registration, the energy supplier will set a monthly or quarterly service rate that is determined according to the average consumption of the previous tenant. This rate is comprised of a basic fee and a payment component that is based on your expected consumption. At the end of the accounting period (once a year) these advance payments are set off against your actual consumption. You will receive an annual invoice indicating if you will receive a refund or need to make additional payments. For electricity, you can expect to pay about EUR 40 to EUR 60 for a single person per month.

Most apartments have telephone and Internet connections, however, they are not always activated. In this case, you will have to contact a provider of your choice and have them activate the connection according to your tariff selection. There are numerous options for telephone and Internet plans. Please be aware of the minimum contract duration and the cancellation deadlines before entering a contract.  

Furnished apartments sometimes come with activated phone/Internet services, which can be used right away. If the costs for phone and Internet are not included in the monthly rent payment, the landlord will bill you separately for these services.