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.

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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.

Utility and Operating Costs: “Nebenkosten”

Every year, you get your utilities bill (Nebenkostenabrechnung or Betriebskostenabrechnung). It shows how much hot water and electricity you really used. You already pay the estimated amount every month with your ‘warm rent’ (Warmmiete). If you used more than you paid for, you get an invoice. If you use less, you will get a refund.

Within the last three years, utility and operating costs have significantly increased. Below you will find a list of the main costs that are charged to the tenant.

Costs for heating vary a lot as oil and gas heating are very expensive; geothermal heating is most cost effective. In addition, costs vary depending on how well the property is insulated.

The grid below shows the average costs and should help in the calculation of the lease/ utility budget.

* For rented apartments only, in rented houses, tenant is responsible for these services.

** Varies depending on the heating system (oil, gas, district heating or geothermal/solar heating)

Payment

Your rent will always be due at the first of the calendar month, regardless of weekends and holidays. Many landlords will send you a SEPA-Lastschriftmandat along with your contract. You can fill in this form with your bank details and sign it, then the landlord will automatically take your rent from your account on the date your specified on the form. If you ever want to raise a query about a payment that has been taken, you have until 8 weeks after the payment was made to do so.

Alternatively, you can set up a direct debit with your own bank. You can do so via online banking or in a branch. This way, you do not have to remember making your rent payments and you can amend and cancel it when your need to.

You cannot pay your deposit or monthly rent by credit card, cheque, cash or in any other way than by bank transfer.

Rental Deposit

In Germany, the standard rental security deposit that you give your landlord is three months ‘cold rent’ (Kaltmiete). Yes, THREE months of the rent price will be given to your landlord as a security deposit. The deposit must be transferred before the move in and key handover date. The landlord can ask you to pay the total amount upfront or allow you to pay the amount in three instalments.

Rental Contract

Your rental contract is a legally binding contract in its German original form. We will provide you with an English summary of the most important aspects of your lease, however, the original German version will be the legal basis. Verbal agreements with your landlord are not valid.

Please also note that many apartment management companies and landlords still insist on signed original documents, meaning you will have to send them by regular post.

Please do not hand over any money until the lease has been signed by the Tenant and countersigned by the Landlord. Only then should the security deposit and rent be transferred.

Length of lease

You’ll come across two major types of rental agreements in Germany: indefinite (unbefristet) and fixed-term (befristet). In either case, keep in mind that minimum rental periods in Germany can be lengthy. Most of the German landlords will demand an initial lease period of 2 years. Indefinite rental agreements in Germany have no termination date. That means that tenants can end their lease by providing a notice. However, a landlord can only terminate a rental contract under specific circumstances. Fixed term rental agreements in Germany have move-in and move-out dates outlined in the contract. Neither party is obliged to renew the lease agreement after its expiration.

Your responsibilities as a Tenant

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It is the tenant's responsibility to keep the property maintained in the same state as when moving in. Damages caused by the tenant due to neglect, wrong heating and airing behaviour must be paid for by the tenant and might be deducted from the deposit. So be sure to treat your apartment properly and report any damages so they can get fixed in time.

© FES Frankfurter Entsorgungs- und Service GmbH

Germany has a very elaborate recycling system. In or near your building, you will usually have 4 types of bins to recycle:

Yellow bins & bags

: packaging, especially grocery packaging. It includes items made from aluminium (e.g. cans and tins), plastic wrapping, plastic cups (e.g. yoghurt cups), juice and milk cartons, etc.

Blue bins: for all clean paper and cardboard waste

Brown bin: for all compostable waste such as vegetable peels, food waste, coffee grounds, eggshells, leaves and flowers

Black or grey bin: for all other waste that do not fit into any of the other bins. Examples include diapers, cigarette ends, hygiene waste, hard plastic items

In addition, the following items are also disposed of separately:

Glass:

This can be done via the “Pfandsystem”, where you pay a small fee per bottle and if you return the bottle at the supermarket, you get the fee back. This is very common for glass bottles of water and beer. If you see the item shown in the picture below on the bottle, you know you will get refunded. This refund usually happens at every common supermarket.

For all other glass waste, such as wine bottles and food packaging made from glass, there are containers all over the city and the glass is usually separated into clear, brown and green glass.

Plastic beverage bottles:

The aforementioned “Pfandsystem” also applies to many plastic beverage bottles. Alternatively, you can dispose of them in your yellow bin.

Batteries:

Most supermarkets have a drop box at the entrance where you can dispose of empty batteries.

Electrical waste and paint/ chemical waste:

Must be dropped off at the city’s recycling yard

Large items and furniture:

You can drop these off at the city’s recycling yard or arrange a pick-up for a fee.

Insurance

It is not unusual for landlords to request you to have personal liability and renter’s (home content) insurances. Both are very easy to get and very inexpensive. If you have pets, be sure to include any damages they may cause in the insurance policy. We do strongly recommend having those insurances when renting a property.

The most common residential areas are listed here under in alphabetical order.

Bornheim

Bornheim is one of the most desired areas for young professionals because it offers close proximity to the Innenstadt and offers tons of entertainment and nightlife. It has perhaps the highest concentration of restaurants and bars.

Location:

Bornheim is located adjacent to the east of Nordend. It is very similar to Nordend in terms of appearance and neighbourhood feel but has the famous Berger Strasse which is full of restaurants, bars, and shops. There is also the popular Farmer’s market Wednesdays and Saturdays by the clocktower where you can buy fresh produce, breads, wursts, and enjoy a nice glass of wine.

Bockenheim is another fantastic bohemian neighbourhood of Frankfurt. Located in the northwest of Frankfurt past Westend, it feels like the Bornheim of the west side. Leipziger Strasse is the main street that runs through the neighbourhood adorned with countless bars and restaurants, similar to Bornheim’s Berger Strasse.

Location:

It is on the edge of the inner ring but thanks to its good transport network, with bus stations in most streets, it is well connected to the rest of the city. Bockenheim is also close to some of the best parks in the city, like the Palmengarten Botanical Garden, that offer a place to escape the stress of work in a haven of nature just within the city.

Gutleutviertel

The Gutleutviertel is a quarter of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk Innenstadt I. The name Gutleut originates from the "Gutleuthof", once a leper colony hosted by the "fraternity of the good people". The former working-class district has spruced up considerably in recent years with the development of a new housing and business district at the former West Harbor.

Location:

The Gutleutviertel is a quarter of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk Innenstadt I.

Nordend

Nordend and Sachsenhausen have the most picturesque streets in Frankfurt. If you are into traditional German style buildings with beautiful accents, colourful exteriors, tree-lined streets, then Nordend is for you. It is also close to the Innenstadt but still retains a sense of cozy neighbourhood community that you won’t get in other areas. There are also some outstanding restaurants, wine bars, and parks in Nordend. Superbros for Pizza, Onomia is delicious Greek food with outdoor seating and Weinstube is a neighbourhood favourite for enjoying a glass of wine among many others.

Location:

Located just east of Westend and north of the Innenstadt, Nordend is in a perfect location for those looking for the true local experience.

Ostend (East End)

The Frankfurt Zoological Garden, the East Harbor, the former Großmarkthalle and the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management are some of the well-known institutions in the Ostend. The European Central Bank has also built their new seat close to the Großmarkthalle at the Main River. The Hoch Conservatory are also located in the Ostend.

Location:

Ostend is a quarter of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk Innenstadt IV.

Sachsenhausen

Sachsenhausen, pronounced “Saxon-House-in” means House of the Saxons. It comprises the area south of the Main river and is split into two parts (Sachsenhausen Nord and Sud) separated by the Sudbanhof. Within Sachsenhausen-Nord, it is characterised by two areas, the old historic Sachsenhausen, a tourist attraction and in the 70s and 80s playground for GIs on leave, and the more modern and elegant area of Schweizer Strasse. The old Sachenhausen (or Alt Sachsenhausen) is nowadays characterized by loads of bars that draw in college aged youths and heavy partying on the weekends.

Sachsenhausen enjoys the same beautiful Altbau and quaint streets that neighbourhoods like Nordend and Westend do, but also with close proximity to the Main. In the summertime, the Main river is the spot to be with many outdoor bars, boat bars, and restaurants serving people looking to relax by the river.

Many of the traditional German restaurants are also in this area, like Adolf Wagner, Ebbelwoi, Apfelwein-Wirtschaft Fichtekränzi and more many more. Sachsenhausen is extremely sought after for its close proximity to the downtown, and it’s great collection of restaurants and bars. You can expect Sachsenhausen to have some of the priciest rentals especially in Sachsenhausen Nord. After Westend, Saschsenhausen is the second most expensive neighbourhood in Frankfurt.

Location:

Sachsenhausen is located south of the Main river and borders the districts of Niederrad and Flughafen to the west and Oberrad to the east

Westend

Westend is one of Frankfurt’s most popular and wealthiest neighbourhoods and with its Wilhelminian style buildings has the highest real estate prices in Frankfurt. Many old villas serve as offices for law firms and companies of the financial community. Due to its proximity to the business centre of Frankfurt, and its plethora of luxurious residences both new and old, Westend is a favourite for expats looking to be close to the office and enjoy a nice neighbourhood

Location:

Located near all the financial institutions of the city, it is seen as the neighbourhood for posh bankers and wealthy families.

Bicycle City

Frankfurt is a very cycle-friendly city. The city council invests heavily into the bicycle traffic infrastructure and is redesigning major roads by taking away car lanes and building safe bike lanes. Traffic has also been redesigned to reflect a better right of way for cyclists and increased safety. For example, the bike lanes are painted red and many have a small barrier installed so that cars are much more alert to cyclists. Frankfurt already has over 800km of bike lanes and every year this number continues to grow to encourage its residents to make the switch. Along the bike lanes you will find bike repair stations with tools and pumps in case your bike needs to be fixed.

Public Transport

Frankfurt's well-developed public transport system enables locals and visitors to reach their destinations quickly and easily, thereby avoiding the time-consuming search for a parking space. Tickets for Frankfurt's public transport are available at the countless ticket vending machines, which you will find at all stops and stations. The ticket machines are multilingual and thus very easy to use. Please note that tickets must be purchased prior to the start of your journey. It is not possible to purchase tickets on trams, subways and commuter trains. Tickets do not have to be validated once you have boarded.

Useful links:

Frankfurt's well-developed public transport system enables locals and visitors to reach their destinations quickly and easily, thereby avoiding the time-consuming search for a parking space. Tickets for Frankfurt's public transport are available at the countless ticket vending machines, which you will find at all stops and stations. The ticket machines are multilingual and thus very easy to use. Please note that tickets must be purchased prior to the start of your journey. It is not possible to purchase tickets on trams, subways and commuter trains. Tickets do not have to be validated once you have boarded.

RMV Ticket Shop

Frankfurt Card

Deutschland-Ticket

Please liaise with your HR contact to obtain more information.