Karlsruhe: Welcome

Renting in Karlsruhe

To find a flat or a house to rent in Karlsruhe, one needs a bit of patience and sometimes also a bit of luck. The demand for accom­mo­da­tion is high - just like in other large cities - and rents have an according level.

Karlsruhe rent index
Rents can be compared to the Karlsruhe rent index. The rent index gives the usual comparable rent for a location and thereby offers renters and landlords a good and reliable guide for non-publicly-funded accom­mo­da­ti­ons.

Available at several points of sale in the city
The rent index is currently exclu­si­vely available as a bound brochure. A download-for-purchase version from the Karlsruhe city website is not yet available. The nominal fee is six euros per issue. The rent index can be purchased in cash at the following points of sale:

Amt für Stadt­ent­wick­lung (Urban Develop­ment Office) - Statis­tik­stelle (Office for Stati­stics), Zährin­ger­straße 61, 76133 Karlsruhe (ground floor, right wing, room 28), Mondays to Fridays from 8:30 to 12am and from 2 to 3:30pm.

Liegen­schaft­samt (Real Estate Office), Lammstraße 7a, 76133 Karlsruhe (4th floor, room E427), Mondays to Fridays from 8:30 to 12am and from 2 to 3pm. During opening hours, the rent index is also available at the Stadtamt Durlach (Durlach City Office) and the local adminis­tra­tion offices.

An additional 1.60 Euro shipping costs are charged for postal orders. Members also receive the rent index from the interest groups Haus & Grund Karlsruhe (House and Land Karlsruhe) and the Mieter­ver­ein Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe Renters' Associa­tion).

In case of questions please contact the staff at the Statis­tik­stelle Mondays to Fridays from 8:30 to 12am and from 2 to 3:30pm by phone +49 (0)721/133-1232 or via email.

statistik@karlsruhe.de

How can I find a flat?

It can often be helpful to ask acquain­tan­ces and colleagues whether they know about a flat or a house that will come onto the market. Additio­nally, there are different newspapers and on-line portals where one can find the respective offers. The regional daily newspaper BNN (Badische Neueste Nachrich­ten) publishes flat and house ads on Wednesdays and parti­cu­larly on Saturdays.

It is also possible to find a place using estate agents, to whom one then must pay an agent's fee. In Germany flats and houses are mostly rented without kitchen and furniture. It is however possible to buy kitchen or furniture from the previous renter or to rent a (partly) furnished place. This might, for instance, be a good idea in case of short term rentals. Rent for already furnished flats is generally higher.

People who intend to live or work in Karlsruhe for only a few months can also move into a so-called boarding-house instead of a rental flat or a hotel. Furnished apartments and additional services such as room cleaning and laundry service are offered. In addition, there are also indivi­du­als who offer rooms to rent.

Guest lecturers can ask the respective university about accom­mo­da­tion in guest lecturer buildings.

Where should I live?

In order to have short travel distances, many people try to find accom­mo­da­tion close to their workplace. Karlsruhe has 27 different city districts with different character.

Energy supply

Generally, consumers can choose whether to use their regional energy supplier or opt for one of many alter­na­tive energy suppliers. This is true for gas and power supply, for instance.

The local water supplier in Karlsruhe is the Stadtwerke Karlsruhe GmbH (Karlsruhe Public Utilities). The Stadtwerke is a company owned by the city of Karlsruhe. It also provides power, gas, district heating and regene­ra­ble energies. Consumers can choose between different rate packages. For more infor­ma­tion please contact the Stadtwerke.