Information for international researchers

Apartments are available for international researchers at the University of Hamburg in the following guest houses:

• The University's new guest house at Feldbrunnenstraße 71a will open in 2026. You can currently submit a request for accommodation using the form provided. 
• The Europa-Kolleg Hamburg guest house is available for stays exceeding 6 months. Use the contact form to contact them.

Our Housing Service is in contact with a few private landlords who provide accommodation to international researchers. If you are registered with us and have duly notified us about the period you are seeking accommodation, we are happy to see if a room or apartment is available. If so, we will send you the landlord’s contact details. Please note that our Housing Service cannot rent or conclude rental contracts on your behalf.

Nor can we ensure that you will be offered a contract. We only facilitate the contact between you and any potential landlords. Of course, we are happy to answer any questions you might have. Unfortunately, we cannot provide any advice on rent or tenancy laws.

International doctoral researchers who are enrolled at the University of Hamburg can seek further assistance from the Studierendenwerk Hamburg. Contact the Counselling Centre Accommodation—BeWo.

The University of Hamburg’s Campus-Center provides information on living in Hamburg for students and doctoral researchers.

Because housing demand is high in Hamburg, you should start your search for accommodation as early as possible. It is advisable to respond to as many offers as appeal to you. You must act quickly when looking for accommodation in Hamburg because there are many people looking and attractive apartments go fast.

See the pages of the Hamburg Welcome Portal for a lot of helpful housing search tips

Fraud

Beware of fraud! There are various clues, however, to these kinds of offers:

• Your contact does not name a price or is not local (e.g., lives abroad).
• It is not possible to see the room or apartment in advance and you must pay to have a key sent.
• The rent is extremely cheap for the central location of the apartment.
• The apartment has already been given to someone else but, for money, you can get a list of available apartments.

In Germany, it is not standard to pay or provide personal data before you see an apartment.

There are various housing portals online and newspapers (e.g., Hamburger Abendblatt) if you are looking to rent an apartment. Here are a few housing portals you can search:

AreaOne
ImmoScout24
Immowelt
Immo-Suche
Nestoria
Trovit

Here are a few portals you can search for short stay accommodation options:

HousingAnywhere
Home Company
Xpat Rentals
City Wohnen
Tempoflat
Wunderflats GmbH
WG Gesucht

Rooms in shared apartments (“WG” in German) are often an affordable alternative to rental apartments. In shared apartments, you have your own room; and share other rooms such as the kitchen and bathroom with the apartment’s other residents. The number of people in an apartment varies. Here are a few housing portals you can search:

WG Gesucht
ImmoScout24

When you first arrive in Hamburg or if you are in the city for only a short period, you should look for a short-term rental. When you search online, use terms such as “Wohnen auf Zeit,” “Zwischenmiete,” and “Kurzzeitmiete,” all of which indicate you are looking for short-term accommodation.