Housing in Frankfurt for ECB employees｜ All you need to know

Frankfurt, situated in the heart of the metropolitan region of Frankfurt Rhine-Main, ranks amongst the leading conference destinations in Germany and Europe. It has a diverse population, with people from various cultural backgrounds living and working in the city. This diversity is reflected in the culinary offerings, festivals, and cultural events that take place throughout the year.

Overall, Frankfurt combines modernity with historical charm, offering a dynamic blend of business, culture, and recreation. It continues to be a major economic centre, attracting professionals from various industries, while also providing a high quality of life for its residents.

Frankfurt is a pulsating, cosmopolitan, colourfully diverse, and highly dynamic city. Banks and big businesses, trade shows and shopping on the one side, culture, cosiness, and traditions on the other. One thing is certain: The Main Metropolis has something for everyone.

Discover Frankfurt

Guide to Frankfurt

Themed Specials for Frankfurt & Rhine-Main

With the Home Search service, you will benefit from the support of an experienced local consultant who will:

conduct targeted research of the local rental property market

accompany you to property viewings

assist during the property handover and

make arrangements for the technical set-up.

The first step would be to conduct our first call, known as the Relocation Roadmap call. After this, our local consultant will research properties according to your criteria and propose suitable options to you. Also, they will help you in preparing the application documents. If you like one of the apartments shown to you, your specialist will get in touch with the landlord/real estate agent and organize a viewing for you, which they will accompany you to.

Once you have found the perfect apartment, we will assist you with lease negotiations, as well as review the lease contract before you sign it. We will provide you with an English lease summary so that it is easy for you to understand exactly what is entailed in your contract. We will also provide you with advice pertaining to your first month’s rent payment and deposit.

Once the contract has been signed, we will help you with the handover of your apartment, which includes an inspection prior to moving in. Pictures will be taken, and meter measurements will be read, to ensure a swift move in. We will also assist you in registering with utilities suppliers, such as water, heating, electricity and gas.

General Information

Frankfurt is a very green city; it makes you feel as if you are living in the countryside while having all the amenities, entertainment, and infrastructure that a big city offers. Overall, living in Frankfurt can be a lot of fun and extremely rewarding. The process of finding an apartment, however, can be a giant pain. The name of the game in Frankfurt is to act fast. This means to have all your documents ready and to decide on an apartment within 24 hours of viewing, or even sooner. Someone else will, if you don’t.

Real Estate Agents

If you research the market by yourself, you should know that many apartments are offered through real estate agents. They are hired by landlords, and you should not be paying them. They will be showing you the property and oversee the contract signing. In Germany, the real estate agent’s fees are fully paid by landlords.

Difference between Furnished vs. Unfurnished Apartments

There are furnished and unfurnished apartments on the market, however, note that unfurnished usually means without kitchen appliances. They don’t have built-in cabinets, closets or even lighting fixtures. Furnished apartments are rare and will cost a great deal more than an unfurnished place.

Unfurnished with or without Kitchen

A built-in kitchen can be found in an apartment, but this is not standard. There are three options for kitchens on the rental market:

The kitchen is built-in with all cupboards and appliances.

There is no kitchen, and you are required to purchase your own.

The previous tenant purchased their kitchen and would like to sell it to you. In this case, you make a separate Bill of Sale with the tenant, and you are the new owner of this kitchen. As a result, you would have to uninstall it when you move out or sell it to the next tenant.

Definition of “Rooms”

It’s important to know German practices and terminology when you set out to find a house or apartment here. The kitchen and bathroom of a flat in Germany are never counted as a room. That being said, if you would like to have a living room and one bedroom, you are looking at a 2-room apartment (2 Zimmer Wohnung) in Germany.

Structure of the rental price

Understanding the rent prices is one of the main steps in deciding on housing type and location when planning to rent housing in Frankfurt. Rent is, without a doubt, the most significant part of expenses when living in Frankfurt, and given the large demand, rent prices are usually on the rise.

The rental price is split into two tiers:

Tier 1 is referred to as Kaltmiete which is the base rent determined by apartment size. This price serves as a comparison between properties to consider the price per sqm.

Tier 2 adds maintenance and operating costs ‘’Nebenkosten’’ (please refer to the below table for more details) to give you an inclusive price. These costs are also based on your apartment size and are split between all the apartments of the building. They usually also include your water and heating supplies, which are estimates only. This is the price you will actually pay every m

In addition to the Warmmiete, you will have to pay for electricity, internet and the radio/tv tax every month.