Hamburg Accommodation Guide ———- ———- bimm-institute.de Year 21/22 Content Contact the Student ------ Support Team ------ Welcome to Hamburg 4 Accommodation advice is offered by the Student Support Team. The team How to access our campus 5 is happy to assist you and answer any questions you may have. House Hunting Basics 8 The BIMM Institute Hamburg college House Viewing Tips 12 address is: BIMM Institute Hamburg What I need to know 17 Neuer Kamp 30 Floor 2 Glossary of Terms 18 20357 Hamburg Student Accommodation For administrative enquiries, our staff Providers & Private offices are located within walking Advertisement Portals 19 distance of our college building at: BIMM Institute Hamburg Visa Information, Health Musikhaus Karostar Insurance & C-19 (Covid) Advice Neuer Kamp 32 & Guidance 22 20357 Hamburg Which legal documents will If you find you have questions that aren’t I require 25 answered in this guide, then please contact the Student Support Team: Tel: +49 (0) 40 874 09 632 Email: studentsupporthamburg@bimm- institute.de Welcome to Hamburg ------ ...and welcome to student life! Before you start your studies, there are Last, but not least, you will find a few things you will want to organise information on how to travel from your and deal with first. new place to our campus and how to In this guide, we take you through all get around this lovely, cool and buzzing the things you need to think of when city that will be your home now for the planning your move to study time to come. in Hamburg. If you like, check out the city’s We give you guidance on how to find Welcome Portal. a place to stay and what you need to know about renting in general, how It might be of interest to you as it to register in Hamburg after you have contains a lot of helpful information for found a place to stay and how to apply people new to Hamburg and Germany for the student health insurance that is in general. obligatory in Germany. How To Access Our Campus ------ College Address: You can use the moovit or HVV apps BIMM Institute Hamburg to find out the ‘what’ and ‘where’ and Neuer Kamp 30 ‘how’ to get around by public transport. Floor 2 20357 Hamburg And with this network plan you will have an overview of all lines and routes of the If you are going to be using public rapid transit at a glance. transport regularly, we recommend purchasing a monthly or annual pass – When studying at BIMM Institute, you it is a lot cheaper in the long run. You are eligible for a discounted public can access our college using the below transport ticket. For this purpose, you public transport connections: will receive proof of your enrolment in your induction folder that is handed out 1 – Feldstraße U-Bahn (U3 line) station to you at the start of your studies. is a one-minute walk away. You can find general information on the 2 – Messehallen U-Bahn (U2 line) is a 10 student discount and how to purchase minute walk away and provides a quick your ticket here. connection to Hamburg Main Station (Hauptbahnhof) with services You may wish to consider living slightly running regularly. further away and commuting into St. Pauli, especially if you’re already settled 3 – The 3 and X3 buses also serve in Hamburg. Remember that you’ll need the area, and run roughly every to take into consideration the cost of ten minutes. travelling, and the time it will take to get to BIMM Institute Hamburg when As public transport in Hamburg is making any accommodation decisions. reliable and well organised, we strongly recommend you take advantage of it! Cycling and Vehicle Sharing - Bicycles: 1. StadtRAD We strongly encourage you to take 2. Bike Hire Altona advantage of the city’s many cycle- 3. Hamburg City Cycles paths! As a fairly flat city with a large number of dedicated bike routes, it’s - Car rental options: something of a cyclist’s dream. There’s 1. Car Rental Price Comparison also a wealth of bike storage space in 2. Public Car Sharing: the area, and there are several bike Cambio Car Sharing workshops nearby should you need to Sixt Car Sharing get yours repaired. ShareNow Miles Car Sharing Should you not own a bike but want 3. Private Car Sharing: one, you might want to check out Getaround Swapfiets. They rent out bikes on a Hamburg car-pooling long-term basis, and any repairs are already included in the membership fee. Please be aware that you will need to check all legal requirements for these There are also a number of reasonably services – make sure you have the priced vehicle-sharing companies, if you appropriate licenses if necessary, and wish to take advantage of that. do make sure to adhere to the rules of the road and safety standards (i.e. wear Some of our favourites include: a helmet, please). - E-Scooters: Emmy BIMM HAMBURG Hamburg House Hunting Basics ------ Finding accommodation in Hamburg How much can I expect to spend? can be competitive, so make sure that you have all your documents ready and The amount you’ll pay very are prepared to spend a good amount much depends upon the type of of time looking for a flat share or accommodation you choose – for apartment to avoid disappointment. example, the privacy of a one-bedroom There are also some important aspects apartment will cost considerably more to understand before you embark upon than a three-bedroom flat share. the excitement of hunting down your digs. As with all cities, where you live will affect the price: opting for lodgings This includes the following: right next to a U-Bahn line in the centre • Schufa-Auskunft - this is not of a key nightlife district will take more necessarily required for students from your wallet each month than coming from abroad, but it’s always a somewhere a little further out. good idea to make sure you have some evidence of your credit rating. We recommend the following areas, some of which are within walking Otherwise, anything declaring that you distance of BIMM Hamburg or a aren’t in any debt will suffice. short commute: • Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung • St. Pauli - This is proof (a reference) from your • Karolinenviertel previous landlord that you have no • Schanzenviertel debts relevant to your rent. • Eimsbüttel • Hoheluft • Einkommensnachweise - proof of • Altona income/ proof of parents’ income if • Wilhelmsburg they’re renting on your behalf. • Barmbek • Copy of your ID card/ Passport Different kinds of rentals upon you as a tenant – there are a fair number of checks to be passed as well Please familiarise yourself with the (see the What I Need to Know section three different kinds of rental: Mieten for more information). Mieten contracts means to rent or to let, and refers to tend to be for longer periods of time, so a direct contract between you and a may not suit a student lifestyle. landlord, while Untermieten means to sub-let; renting a room from someone Untermieten (Subletting) who themselves has a contract with the landlord. A WG, or Wohngemeinschaft, Much more flexible are Untermieten is a flat share, in which a group of agreements, which are often more people will come together to rent a informal in nature and shorter in length, property on equal terms. and frequently negotiable in terms of cost. However, you have considerably Mieten (Renting) fewer rights – it is sometimes the case that the landlord might not know you’re The first option is the safest, as under living there. Technically, this is not German law anyone signing a tenancy allowed, and the landlord can end the agreement automatically gains the lease without prior notice. Make sure protection of strong rights that prevent you have this cleared beforehand and eviction, exploitation, etc. However, that there is official confirmation for a taking on a tenancy will likely be sublease from the owners of the place considerably more expensive than (plus, you won’t be able to register the other options covered here, and yourself in Hamburg if you don’t have bestows a number of responsibilities written consent). WG’s/ Wohngemeinschaft (Flat Alternatively, you could sign up shares) with one of the Mitwohnzentralen– accommodation agencies that Perhaps the best option for students specialise in filling rooms across the is the Wohngemeinschaft, where you city, or even join and message the BIMM would share a property with others, Hamburg Student Facebook Group to taking on equal responsibility and find others heading to the city who are splitting costs between you. These are looking for people to share with. You very common within Hamburg, and can also search for other public groups while some care is needed to ensure to ask about flat shares. that you don’t end up living with people that you can’t get along with, they can be a fun and affordable option. The European accommodation portal wg-gesucht.de is a great free place to look for these, and local newspapers and community freesheets regularly advertise apartments and rooms. House Viewings Tips ------ Tips for viewing properties • When you go to view, take notes and photos, and use our checklist to make • Take someone with you or let someone sure you don’t miss anything. else know exactly where you’re going when you go to visit a property, just to What to look for at viewings err on the side of caution. • Does the place look well maintained? • It’s also a good idea to visit the area at • Will it be warm enough? night at a separate time to your viewing • Will it be safe and secure? to get a sense of the area during the day • Does it have the space and facilities and at night time also.