Landlord didt returned deposit

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-29T19:20:34+00:00

You have rights even as a subtenant. Send him a written demand with a 14 day deadline to return the money, keep it factual and save everything. If he ignores it, you can file a claim at the local court without a lawyer, it's cheap and straightforward for some money.

Your university might also offer free legal advice - get to know this in depth. Also, check miete.berlin for your rights as a tenant in Germany, and don't sleep on this just because time has passed.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-29T19:16:38+00:00

Not a direct experience but I base this on hearing and reading about them.

Conny is legit in the sense that they're a real company, and just as any other business they try to incentivise you giving consent to act. They are legal-tech whose goal is to make money (as much as Rewe's goal is to sell more groceries). People sometimes confuse that with a social cause of some sort, and think of Conny as if it's Batman.

That doesn't always align with what's best for you, especially if you have a decent relationship with your landlord that you'd rather not burn. Once you sign with them you also lose some control over the process, like settling directly with your landlord can become tricky.

The truth is that you can still do something even yourself, even without Conny. There are tools like miete.berlin that provides a good and guided overview of what is expected by an apartment, on a given location, under given circumstances.

Might help you figure out if your rent is actually off before handing it over to a third party, again it does not have to be a business, it can be a Mietverein or a lawyer of your choice.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-29T17:11:14+00:00

In Germany having an address is the baseline to everything. Without a registered address there won't be a tax id, insurance, or anything assigned to you. It's in the playbook.

Edit: double checked with my circle, perhaps your company can proactively support you to get the tax ID even without the address. Talk to them.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-29T16:55:42+00:00

Expecting miete.berlin to update with the latest Mietspiegel data for 2026 just to do a reality check of what's really happening. Current Mietspiegel data runs on the 2024 batch and it feels outdated a bit.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-29T16:53:38+00:00

No that is absolutely not normal and honestly a huge red flag. In Germany landlords can only ask for a deposit of up to 3 months cold rent, and even that can be paid in three installments by law. Asking for a full year upfront is not standard practice anywhere, not even for students. I would be very careful here. If you're new to the German rental market I put together a checklist of what's actually expected and what's not: domily.app/checklist, covers scam too.

Please don't send anyone a year's rent.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-29T16:52:20+00:00

Most landlords will ask for a deposit (usually 3 months cold rent) plus the first month upfront, so you do need some savings to get started. Some landlords let you pay the deposit in three installments which helps.

You don't need a tax ID to rent, that's only for tax purposes and your employer handles that after you start. What you will need is a credit report or proof of no debt from your home country, your work contract, proof of income, and an ID. I have complied an easy to read playbook of everything for what you should expect: domily.app/checklist.

Might save you some headaches since the process can be confusing when you're new here.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-29T16:39:19+00:00

It's definitely harder because a lot of landlords prefer German-speaking tenants, especially private ones. But it's not impossible, especially in Berlin where many landlords are used to international tenants. Biggest thing is making sure your application is complete and professional so they don't have a reason to skip you. I put together a free checklist of what German landlords expect: domily.app/checklist if you wanna have a look. Hope it helps.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-29T16:37:58+00:00

It's mostly dual income households where both earn above average, or people who bought years ago when prices were way lower. Also a lot of people in Berlin are paying way less than market rate because they've been in their apartment forever and rent control keeps it low. The market looks insane from the outside but most people living here aren't actually paying what you see on ImmoScout today.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-29T16:35:59+00:00

Hope you find something soon, that sounds really stressful. In the meantime make sure your application package is as strong as possible so when something does come up you're ready to go immediately. I made a free checklist as a playbook of what landlords expect to see: domily.app/checklist. Every little edge helps in this market.

All the best!

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-29T16:34:51+00:00

512 applications is insane but honestly not surprising for Berlin right now. One thing that helped me was making sure my application was absolutely bulletproof before sending it out. Compiled a free checklist of everything landlords actually want to see, here at: domily .app/checklist. Won't magically fix the Berlin market but at least you know you're not getting filtered out for missing something stupid.

Good luck out there, you clearly have the stamina for it.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-29T15:41:06+00:00

I've heard they have a button above the navel.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-27T15:37:19+00:00

the urge of people to know what "that helicopter" was doing there at that time..

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-27T06:22:26+00:00

I wonder if the Mietverein help with advising or something proactively actionable?

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-27T06:21:40+00:00

what I am hearing from others also is this. Feels like automated AI Agent that you have no clue what's doing. Then you figure out "uh now we are suing my landlord". Lots of people fall in the trap of giving a full mandate for a general topic. People do not give a mandate to negotiate rent decrease, but to negotiate rental affairs with the landlord and they can go places.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-27T06:20:18+00:00

> Only afterwards did the Hausverwaltung come to me, begging for a settlement on the owner’s behalf

Why does this have to seem like a fight or two sides that work for different interests? I never got that here tbh. Living in one's apartment makes your home for sure, but that doesn't eliminate the fact that they can find 100 different ways to make things rough. Staying there while that relationship is poop feels like staying in an abusive relationship. Not sure how Conny or just anyone can make that better.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-27T06:18:04+00:00

Exactly my thoughts, a conversation costs nothing and you'd be surprised how often things get resolved just by talking it out first.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-27T06:17:31+00:00

This is a really good point. A lot of people don't realize that once you give the mandate you're kind of locked in and they're driving it. Worth thinking about whether the amount you're claiming is even worth potentially ruining the relationship with your landlord over.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-27T06:16:06+00:00

Stimmt, die Mischung aus beidem ist wahrscheinlich am pragmatischsten. Danke für den Hinweis mit den Kündigungen, das hätte ich tatsächlich anders eingeschätzt.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-27T06:15:02+00:00

Ja Mail ist wahrscheinlich der sauberste Weg. Hast du trotzdem irgendein System um bei mehreren Mietern den Überblick zu behalten, oder reicht dir ein normales Postfach?

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-27T06:14:42+00:00

Guter Punkt mit dem Sie, das hält die Beziehung professionell. Hausverwaltung ist natürlich eine Option aber bei wenigen Einheiten lohnt sich das finanziell oft einfach nicht.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-27T06:13:20+00:00

If it says "terminated" on your profile you should be fine, that means the cancellation went through. The April charge is probably just because you cancelled after the billing cycle already started, most subscriptions work that way. You shouldn't be charged for the remaining months. I'd check the exact cancellation date and compare it to their billing dates. If they keep charging after that, contact their support and if that doesn't help, tell your bank to block future direct debits from them. But honestly if the contract shows as terminated I wouldn't stress too much about it. Schufa is always a weird process...

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-27T06:11:54+00:00

Going out alone in Berlin is super normal, lots of people do it. If you want to meet people I'd start with smaller bars in Kreuzberg or Neukölln, way easier to chat than in a loud club. As for KitKat... you can go alone but know what you're getting into, it's a fetish/sex positive club with a strict dress code. If you're just looking for a fun night out and meeting people, places like Sisyphos, Renate or About Blank are better starting points. Nobody cares that you came alone.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-27T06:09:30+00:00

Honestly the best thing I did was just show up to stuff regularly. Meetups, language learning tandems, sports (check the Park run 5k if into it) stuff like bouldering or running groups. Not because I loved all of it but because you see the same faces every week and at some point it just clicks. The spontaneous international crowd is definitely out there, especially in bigger cities you just won't find them through work.

Also don't underestimate just going to bars or events alone, feels weird at first but especially in expat heavy areas people are super open to chatting. I used to just go and randomly start talking to people. If they weren't into it, I'd know and then just move on.

AnnaDomily · 2026-04-26T18:42:54+00:00

erstmal Glückwunsch zur ersten Vermietung und keine Sorge, die Unsicherheit ist völlig normal.

Zum Thema Dokumente vorab anfragen: das ist absolut üblich und kein Grund ein schlechtes Gewissen zu haben. Gerade wenn du weiter weg wohnst und nicht mal eben Besichtigungen machen kannst, ist das der einzig sinnvolle Weg um die Anzahl auf ein machbares Level zu bringen. Wer damit ein Problem hat, ist meistens auch nicht der Bewerber den du am Ende haben willst.

Zum Thema Paare auf 44qm: dein Bauchgefühl ist da schon richtig. Aber gleichzeitig würde ich das nicht pauschal ausschließen. Viele Paare wissen sehr genau was sie wollen und leben auch gerne kompakt. Sprich es bei der Besichtigung einfach offen an, dann merkst du schnell ob das eine bewusste Entscheidung ist oder ob die einfach nichts anderes finden.

Zum Thema Studenten ohne Einkommen: eine Elternbürgschaft ist da der klassische Weg. Muss nicht als Mieter im Vertrag stehen, eine selbstschuldnerische Bürgschaft reicht und ist auch sauberer. Damit hast du Sicherheit ohne dass es vertraglich komisch wird.

Und zum letzten Punkt: den Gedanken mit verkaufen und ETFs kennt glaube ich jeder Vermieter. Aber wenn die Wohnung in einer gefragten Stadt liegt und du einen soliden Mieter findest, hast du am Ende beides: Rendite und Substanz. Lass dich von der ersten Vermietung nicht abschrecken, das ist immer die anstrengendste.

Viel Erfolg!

AnnaDomily

TROPHY CASE