Living
Domestic Services
If something major breaks in your rented apartment, you’re in the right place. If it’s not an emergency situation, phone your landlord and let him know the problem. If you don’t trust him, send him a letter the next day and give him two weeks to comply. Landlords must keep their properties in order or tenants can automatically lower the rent. If the landlord doesn’t help, get in touch with a lawyer or Mieterverein, a renter’s protection association (such as the Berliner Mieterverein, 030 226 260). The process for paying less rent is straightforward, but must be followed carefully to prevent any future liabilities. Don’t make any non-emergency repairs without your landlord’s approval or you may be stuck with the bill.
Even if you’ve caused the damage, a call to the landlord might not hurt, as he might know the best way to fix it. If you own your flat or need an emergency repair, the best place to find help is online – provided your German is good. The site www.innung.de is a good search engine for master craftsman, those who have completed an apprenticeship and have worked long enough to win guild memberships. Click on Handwerkersuche until you get to a screen asking you for your postal code and what kind of craftsman you need. There’ll usually be at least one or two of anything very near your place. In emergencies, they will come either the same day or the next day. Expect to pay north of €100 in labour alone for an emergency repair. However, the price shouldn’t increase much from there unless it takes more than a few hours to fix or requires extensive spare parts.
Another option is looking for a Hausmeisterservice, essentially a mobile maintenance company. Most are one-man operations that can do everything from hanging shelves to rewiring a bathroom. They may even play the role of exterminator if you discover a rat or family of cockroaches. However, German craftsman – guild or no – are not known for their English.
The best way to avoid getting taken advantage of is to rely on master craftsmen that are part of a guild. That way, if you have a complaint, you can go straight to the guild for help. Beyond that, you have to rely on your own intuition. Also avoid the craftsmen who offer their services by throwing a flyer in your postbox or by sticking up an ad on a local telephone pole – they may be legit or they may just be someone whose skill lies in printing and distributing flyers, not fixing a leaky tap.
Even if you’ve caused the damage, a call to the landlord might not hurt, as he might know the best way to fix it. If you own your flat or need an emergency repair, the best place to find help is online – provided your German is good. The site www.innung.de is a good search engine for master craftsman, those who have completed an apprenticeship and have worked long enough to win guild memberships. Click on Handwerkersuche until you get to a screen asking you for your postal code and what kind of craftsman you need. There’ll usually be at least one or two of anything very near your place. In emergencies, they will come either the same day or the next day. Expect to pay north of €100 in labour alone for an emergency repair. However, the price shouldn’t increase much from there unless it takes more than a few hours to fix or requires extensive spare parts.
Another option is looking for a Hausmeisterservice, essentially a mobile maintenance company. Most are one-man operations that can do everything from hanging shelves to rewiring a bathroom. They may even play the role of exterminator if you discover a rat or family of cockroaches. However, German craftsman – guild or no – are not known for their English.
The best way to avoid getting taken advantage of is to rely on master craftsmen that are part of a guild. That way, if you have a complaint, you can go straight to the guild for help. Beyond that, you have to rely on your own intuition. Also avoid the craftsmen who offer their services by throwing a flyer in your postbox or by sticking up an ad on a local telephone pole – they may be legit or they may just be someone whose skill lies in printing and distributing flyers, not fixing a leaky tap.
