ManaWGOpen the appFinding a flatmate in Germany: writing and placing a WG ad
A room is becoming available, and in a few weeks someone new should move in. For it to work out, you need an honest ad, a good selection and clear agreements before the move. This guide covers the process from the ad to the first month together, for a WG (Wohngemeinschaft, a shared flat) in Germany. It also explains the German platforms for people who are new to them.
By Abubakar Abditube (ManaWG) · Published · Updated
Clear this first: landlord and contract
Before you search, find out who holds the tenancy agreement with the landlord. If the flat share is set up through Untermiete (subletting, where the main tenant rents rooms on to the others), you generally need the landlord’s permission for a new person. If everyone has their own contract, the landlord often handles the change. Also decide from when the room is free, what it costs all-in and whether furniture is to be taken over. If you are not looking for a free room but starting a new flat share, the checklist for starting a flat share walks you through the whole process.
Where to place the ad
- WG-Gesucht (wg-gesucht.de): the standard portal for rooms in a WG, especially in university towns. It has an English-language interface, though most ads and messages are in German
- ImmoScout24: has a separate category for WG rooms
- Noticeboards at the university and at the Studierendenwerk (the student services organisation that runs student housing)
- University groups and classified ads sites such as Kleinanzeigen
- For working people: a notice at the employer and your own network
WG-Gesucht: creating an account and placing an ad
- Start posting on wg-gesucht.de and choose the category WG room. The account is created in the process; you do not need to register beforehand
- Register with an email address or sign in with Google or Apple
- Choose a private account, because you are offering a room as a flat share and not letting commercially
- Confirm the registration with an SMS code, which WG-Gesucht requires
- Enter rent, Nebenkosten (utility charges), Kaution (deposit) and address. According to WG-Gesucht, the ad only appears in the nearby search with a full address
- Add title, text and photos as described in the sections below. According to WG-Gesucht, posting is free, and there is also an optional, paid premium offer. As of October 2026; the interface may change
Advertising without an account: alternatives
On wgfrei.de, according to the site, you can post a WG room without registering and without logging in. The portal only accepts commission-free offers from private individuals, allows four pictures and a video, and does not allow links, phone numbers or email addresses in the description text. Also ask your university’s student representatives (Studierendenvertretung) whether they will take ads for their noticeboard.
What belongs in a good WG ad
The facts first: room size, Warmmiete (rent including heating and other utilities), move-in date, any fixed term, location and transport links. If you read German ads, the flat-share glossary explains abbreviations such as WM, KM and NK. Then the flat share itself: how many people, what age, what do you do, how much do you do together? Good photos of the room, kitchen and bathroom in daylight. And one honest sentence about how you run the household and money, for example with a cleaning rota and shared expenses in an app. That filters out applicants who are looking for something quite different.
These details belong in the ad
| Detail | Why | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Room size | the first filter question for people searching | 16 m², furnished or empty |
| Warmmiete | saves follow-up questions | €420 all-in including internet |
| Kaution | one of the costs that should be clear up front | two months’ Kaltmiete |
| Move-in and duration | shows whether fixed term or open-ended | from 1 Dec, open-ended |
| Location | the route to university or work often decides | 8 minutes to the tram, supermarket around the corner |
| Who lives there | age and everyday life of the flat share | Mia (26, nursing) and Jonas (24, computer science) |
| Everyday life | filters by expectations | weekly rotating cleaning rota, shared expenses |
| Reply time | applicants know where they stand | reply within two days |
The values are examples, and the details about room, rent, move-in and flat come from the template text. Your tenancy agreement is what counts.
State the costs, any Ablöse and the type of contract
Fill in all the cost fields: rent excluding utilities, Nebenkosten (utility charges), other costs and Kaution (deposit). WG-Gesucht advises stating all costs, because figures that are too low or incomplete can attract enquiries from people who cannot afford the room. Add whether the utility charges are a flat rate or settled against actual use and whether internet, electricity and heating are included. If furniture is to stay in the room against an Ablöse (a payment to the previous occupant for items left behind), list each piece with its price in the text. According to WG-Gesucht, the higher the Ablöse, the lower the chances of finding someone. Mark a Zwischenmiete (short-term sublet) and any fixed term clearly, and say whether the new person gets a sublease (Untermietvertrag).
The ad title: formula and examples
The title decides whether anyone opens the ad. Give, in this order, room size, location, Warmmiete and move-in date. Three examples: “16 m² in a three-person WG, Leipzig-Connewitz, €420 all-in, from 1 Dec”, “12 m² room near the university, Göttingen, €340 all-in, available now”, “20 m² with balcony, Cologne-Ehrenfeld, €560 all-in, from 1 Mar, fixed term until August”. Leave out filler such as “great location”, because the numbers are more convincing.
An example WG ad
“From 1 December, a 16 square metre room is available in our three-person WG in Leipzig-Connewitz, €420 all-in including internet. We are Mia (26, nursing) and Jonas (24, computer science) and are looking for someone between 21 and 30. During the week everyone cooks for themselves, and on Sundays we often eat together. Cleaning follows a rota that changes weekly, and we settle shared expenses in an app. Write and tell us briefly what you do and how you picture life in a WG. English is fine.”
Tick the equipment and caption the photos
Some searchers filter by features such as balcony, garden, furnished, pets allowed or step-free access. So tick everything that applies to you; WG-Gesucht recommends this because the ad then gets more views. Photograph every room in daylight and tidy, plus the building and the street, so people get a feel for the area. Add a caption to each picture with what the photo does not show, such as “south-facing window, desk stays”. If you do not want to publish the exact address, you can leave out the house number on WG-Gesucht, but according to WG-Gesucht you may then get fewer enquiries.
For international applicants and English-speaking flats
Many people who are new to Germany look for rooms in English. If your flat welcomes that, say so in the ad, ideally in both languages, and name what you expect in practice: Anmeldung (address registration at the local registration office), which you will need to support, and the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (the landlord’s confirmation of move-in that the office requires). Applicants should expect some German-language messages, and often a Kaution of up to three months’ Kaltmiete (rent excluding utilities). Scam messages are common in the rental market, so see the warning below.
Length, photos and common mistakes
- Length: according to WG-Gesucht, rooms in ads of 150 words or more are let fastest. The example above is shorter, and your ad can be longer as long as it stays concrete.
- Rent: always state it all-in and say what is included.
- Fixed term: if it is missing from the ad, it only comes out in the conversation and costs both sides time.
- No-gos: two or three real dealbreakers are enough, a long list puts people off.
- Replies: if you leave applications unanswered, you lose the right ones to other flat shares. For the conversation afterwards, see the WG-Casting guide.
Spreading the word
Share the link in WhatsApp groups, in university and city groups and on Instagram, and ask friends to pass it on. After you post, WG-Gesucht offers to share the ad on Facebook in a few clicks; according to WG-Gesucht, a like brings 25 per cent more views on average (the portal’s own figure). When you share, always include the link to the ad, not just a photo, so interested people can read the price, dates and conditions themselves. Reply to messages that come from this just as quickly as to those from the portal.
Choosing an applicant
For popular rooms, dozens of messages come in quickly, so decide who replies and invite only people whose message suits the flat to a viewing (a “WG-Casting”, where applicants meet the flat). Decide together soon after the appointments, tell everyone you invited who did not get the room, and use the WG-Casting guide for the conversation.
Before the move
Send the new person the most important house rules in writing and arrange the key handover and the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung for the Anmeldung. If your flat uses ManaWG as its flat-share app, send an invite link. After joining, the new person sees the cleaning rota, shopping list, calendar and noticeboard, and new expenses are shared with them from then on.
Watch out for dodgy enquiries
Scammers turn up on flat-share portals again and again. Typical are messages from people who are supposedly abroad, want to take the room without a viewing and announce a transfer of a higher amount, the rest of which you are meant to pay back. Do not hand over bank details or copies of ID before you have seen the person, at least by video call, and never pay back money that is not safely in your account.
Timeline for the search
- Six to eight weeks before: clear up the contract, fix the price and move-in date
- Five to six weeks before: put the ad online with photos
- Four weeks before: bundle viewings into two or three evenings
- Three weeks before: decide together, say yes to one and no to everyone else
- Move-in day: keys, Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, invitation to the flat-share app
Frequently asked questions
What belongs in a WG ad?
Room size, Warmmiete with utility charges, move-in date, any fixed term, location, photos in daylight and an honest description of the flat share and its everyday life.
Do you need the landlord’s permission for a new flatmate?
With Untermiete (subletting), generally yes. If all flatmates have their own contract with the landlord, the landlord usually handles the change. Your tenancy agreement is what counts.
How long does it take to find a flatmate?
It depends on city, price and time of year. Allow at least four to six weeks. At the start of term in university towns, more people usually get in touch than in summer or around the new year.
What does a WG ad on WG-Gesucht cost?
According to WG-Gesucht, posting a WG room is free. There is also an optional, paid premium offer.
Do I need an account to place a WG ad?
Yes. On WG-Gesucht you create the account when you post, with an email address or through Google or Apple. The registration is confirmed with an SMS code.
How long should a WG ad be?
Long enough for the facts, the flat share and everyday life. WG-Gesucht gives a guideline of at least 150 words, because such ads fill their rooms fastest.
Sources (as of 29 October 2026)
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