# Guarantor's for Flat's (do they have to be DE resident?)



## elliebean19

Hi,

I have recently moved to Germany, and my boyfriend and I are looking for a flat in Berlin.
I understand i need a lot of documents to be able to rent a flat, and some these documents myself and my boyfriend cannot provide. Neither of us currently have jobs, or are able to provide proof of income, as we have recently come back from travelling for over half a year, and before then we were students receiving student loan. We both have a small amount of savings which we are living off currently, and it is not feasible for us to find jobs currently as we will be moving cities shortly.

My question is; Does anyone out there know if my parents (citizens of, living and working in the UK) are able to be guarantors for a flat for my boyfriend and i in Germany?

I have looked on various sites online, and the answers are pretty unclear. I understand the process and documents you have to provide to be able to rent a flat are pretty invasive, but from what i gather if you have enough proof of financial solvency it doesn't necessarily matter...(?). 

Any advice much appreciated!


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## Nononymous

No idea how to answer that but the standard advice for all questions of this sort is "join the Mieterverein and ask them" - well worth the small membership fee.

Also, you might find it easiest to sub-let something for a few months while you get settled, rather than jumping straight into trying to get your own lease. This will give you time to try out a neighbourhood, plus if you don't have a lot of stuff it will save you the hellish process of setting up an empty apartment, which is a pain if it doesn't have a kitchen already installed.


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## Tellus

sorry if I ´ m drastic but you`ll rather find an Unicorn in Zoo than a flat in Berlin with your basics.
No job, no income, only little savings for food..but lot of dreams.
Thousands of people every day looking for flats in Berlin and most of them are getting better basics but, 
the city is overcrowded. Landlords are kings and pick only the best with well filled wallet..


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## Nononymous

Which is why a sub-let for half a year - with the rent pre-paid if that helps convince a nervous landlord - might be the best way to get established, rather than trying to find a regular rental contract without a job or history in the city.


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## James3214

It would probably be near impossible to get a flat for 6 months in Berlin without a job or any income. If you did you would probably pay a premium and all the money up front.
I would suggest try and get a WG or a shared place to live. Look at WG sites like http://www.wg-gesucht.de/


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## beppi

There is no standard answer to your questions - each and every landlord decides for him/herself what they accept as guarantee for a flat.
But I have to agree with other posters: With the state of rental market right now, you'd probably have to offer pre-payment or similar.


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