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Finding accommodation in Hamburg

Are you searching for an apartment or a room? Although affordable housing in Hamburg is rare, please do not despair! Patience and luck will help you find suitable accommodation!

Important! Start looking for accommodation as soon as you can! Vacant dorm rooms provided by the student services Studierendenwerk fill up quickly and searching on the free market may take months.

Studierendenwerk (student services) accommodation

Studierendenwerk Hamburg currently provides 26 housing facilities for 4,400 inhabitants. All rooms are furnished and rent including utilities starts at EUR 230. This rather inexpensive type of accommodation is much desired, however. We strongly recommend that you apply online at least three months before your planned moving date!

For further information, offerings and deadlines, please refer to the pages of  student services Studierendenwerk.

Commercial housing opportunities

You will find numerous communal housing cooperatives, housing companies and private landlords in Hamburg. Check out the following online real estate portals for vacancies!

Do you want to be a roommate rather than rent your own apartment? Online you will fiind several portals and exchange platforms for shared housing:

You can also resort to the traditional ways of looking for an accommodation via University notice boards or apartment ads in local newspapers.


Popular neighborhoods

The districts Sankt Pauli and Sternschanze are trendy and immensely popular among students. This also applies to Eimsbüttel due to its proximity to the University.  Appartments and rooms in Altona and Ottensen are in equally high demand as are the expensive districts bordering on the Alster Lake. Apartment hunters with limited budgets should explore alternatives outside the city center.

The city map at hamburg.de will help you find your way!

Customary lease comparison (Mietenspiegel)

Hamburg's customary lease comparison "Mietenspiegel" provides an overview of current rents. [Read more]

Eligibility for public housing certificate

The certificate of eligibility for public housing (Wohnberechtigungsschein, WBS or §-5-Schein) entitles persons with small incomes to rent city-subsidized apartments  in Hamburg. [Read more]