Furnished Apartments in Berlin
FAQ for Tenants

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Please go on Search  and fill in your dates, maximum rent etc. If you don't find what you are looking for an our website, please fill in the request form and please give us detailed information - area, price, persons, further requirements etc. 
If you don't find anything on the website, it also makes sense to give us a call before you fill in the form.   

It is often possible to view a apartment, but not always. Most flats are rented out to other tenants, and landlords most often only arrange one viewing because the time they spend for viewings is not calculated in the rent. And most good flats rent out without a viewing or after just one viewing. We also check the apartments in advance and only list those we like and list them on our website, so the pictures also give you a good idea.
Sometimes the apartment is only shown after the tenant has moved out. If you good a viewing most often depend on your rental period. 
A viewing is hardly ever possible more than one month before you plan to move in. Before we can arrange a viewing, we also need an application with all your details, because the landlords usually wants information about you in advance.

This is hard to say. If you are looking for a longer rental, e.g. a year, it makes sense to apply earlier. But before you do so, please give us a call. Owners are more open to early applications, if you want to rent in the higher price rante (1000 +).
Even if you are looking for an accommodation for a shorter period of time, you can sometimes rent months in advance, e.g. when it says on the website that an apartment is available June 1 and you want to rent from June 1. But then the owner might not commit to a new contract, since the current tenant might extend the lease.
If an apartment is available April 1 and you want to rent from e.g. June 1, your chances are not so good. Also, if you want to rent from June 25. In this case, you must be prepared to pay the full month.
If you want to rent an apartment for a short period of time months n advance, please check our new websites:
- Vacation rentals Berlin: Fast and easy booking, without dealing with the owner in advance. You can book any period of time, not only the whole month. (available summer 2011)
- Serviced Apartments Berlin  Professionally managed high quality apartments, ideal for business travellers.
Both new websites will be available summer 2011.  

Most apartments are rented out on a monthly basis (from the 1rst until the 31st of the month) If you arrive later, you have better chances if you are prepared to pay for the full month. 
Please note, it is most often not possible to rent from e.g. Jan 18 until Feb 17 and pay for one month only. There are exceptions though - if you rent for one year, owners will be a bit more flexible. Especially during high season, most owners only rent out their properties for the whole month.   
Owners normally rent out for one year maximum. Sometimes it is possible to extend the contract.   

Crocodilian specializes in renting out furnished apartments to clients from all over the world who do not come to Berlin to view an apartment befre they rent. On our website, you find lots of photos of each apartment and if you tell us your crieteria we will also give you a honest feedback if an apartment is suitable for you or not. 

Most owners prefer to rent out apartments to professionals and academics. There are not so many options for young students on our website and we do not offer flatshare any more. 
Students who are looking for an accommodation in Berlin, should get in touch with the university or check the websites for students.

We always recommend to do the rental agreement in writing. Crocodilian provides rental agreements in German and in English, and you can conclude the rental agreement online.

Please talk to the owner before he fills in the form, about the following aspects:

• Rental period - from when to when do you want to rent the apartment? 
• Do you need an option to extend the lease and when do you have to give notice?
• What is the deposit and when do you have to pay the depoist and the first rent? 
• How many people will stay in the flat?
• When and how will you receive the keys?
• Will you have to do the final cleaning yourself or will it be organized by the owner. What will be the costs?
  
  All this will be written down in the contract. 

If the online application cannot be sent

• Please check if you have filled in all fields marked with a pink asterisk. Please note that there is also a seperate field for e.g. zip code etc.
  
• On the top of the page, you always find an explanation for not being able to send the form. e.g.  

Please also note, that the form can only be sent if you register a valid credit card. It has to be a Visa or Mastercard, no EC card.
You only have to pay our fee if you rent an apartment through us.    

If you find an apartment or room through "Crocodilian" we will charge you a commission based on the following conditions - Status from 02.10.2010: The maximum fee for flats is 200% of the monthly rent. This means - you pay the monthly rent to the owner and you will receive an invoice for the commission fee once the agreement is concluded. It is a one time payment, but if you extend the lease, you have to pay again (according to the table, you don't start with 25% again).  Please note that the fee is due upfront and you cannot pay in monthly installments.

Please arrange the rent with the owner, because you conclude the rental agreement with him. Crocodilian-Rooms are brokers of furnished apartments and not part of the rental agreement. 

Most owners only rent out their apartment for the full month, but if you rent last minute or if the apartment is only available from e.g. the 10th of the month, you do not pay the full mont's rent. 
Please use the commission fee calculator if you want to know what you will have to pay. Tax (19% VAT) is already included.   

You pay the rent and the deposit to the owner or landlord, the commission fee to us. Before we debit your credit card, you will get an invoice by email, which will be send to the email address which you gave us on your application form.
The fee is due immediately. It is payable once and cannot be paid in monthly installments.
Please arrange the payment with the owner - sometimes you pay in cash on arrival (please make sure that you get a receipt), if you live within an EU-country with Euro currency, you can transfer the money with a Euro standard form, which is free of charge. Please note that you cannot pay the rent or deposit by credit card.
Normally, you pay the deposit when the contract has been concluded. And the first rent before you move in. You always pay the rent in advance. Please also speak to the owner about the payment.
If you rent for a short period, you might have to pay the rent for the whole period in advance.

Crocodilian only offers apartments whith a certain standard and we do not list everything on our website. We check all apartments and we give you a honest feedback. We have also known most ownes for some time, even years, and we only work with owers we consider okay.  
Some people also ask us why they have to give us their credit card details before they even rent an apartment. This is our standard procedure and owners expect us to do this and check prospective tenants in advance. We will not check your credit card and there will not be any costs for you if you do not rent in the end. The credit card only works as a safeguard.
If you do not have a credit card, we are sorry. It is not possible to apply without one.  

Yes. If you come to Berlin by car, you should look for parking options before you arrive. Parking is difficult in the city center. On-street parking controls has now been introduced in City East and City West. This means, that you pay by the minute or the hour ( from 9.00-24.00) or you apply for a residential parking permit at the local office (Bürgeramt). The parking permit is valid for 2 year and it is 20 Euro. But before you can apply for it, you have to register at the local office and make Berlin your principal residence. In order to get the parking permit, you have to present the certificate of residency, your ID and your car documents. It is not possible to apply for anything in advance. It can only be issued at a Bürgeramt and you have to collect it there.  Here you find a map with on-street parking control areas.
If you only stay for a short period (4 weeks maximum), you can get a parking permit for guests which is 25 Euro. To get a parking permit for guests, you also have to present an ID and car documents.     

Here you can find a list of car parks in Berlin. 

Green Badge for Cars
If you want to park your car inside the the city centre, you need a green badge. Please read all information on the badge and the Environmental zone.