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Next summer I will be attending a two-month course in Berlin with my friend. We are looking for a small flat (studio/one bedroom) at a reasonable price (ideally in the Mitte district).

Where can I look for it or who may I contact?

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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic.
    – Giorgio
    Commented Nov 13, 2016 at 20:10
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    @mts no problem; done, and might it be better in Expats, too?
    – Giorgio
    Commented Nov 13, 2016 at 20:51
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    @pnuts that makes sense; I thought a similar question on Expats, on what are the right networks/resources, might get some qualified responses. Then again, Travel is much more active, as you know.
    – Giorgio
    Commented Nov 13, 2016 at 21:26
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    @pnuts I think your instinct is correct; leave it here; it already has good feedback from mts.
    – Giorgio
    Commented Nov 13, 2016 at 22:11

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For medium term flat rentals (1-2 months) you could look to

which works in about any place by now. Probably cheaper would be if you can find a private place as a temporary short-term rental (Zwischenmiete in German) at

which is typically young people renting out their places while away for internships/vacations/... Now be aware that you are on the German housing market so some knowledge of German will come in handy even if Berlin is a fairly international place. Do insist on seeing the place at least via Skype, signing a contract (in German likely) and be careful about scams.

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An alternative to Airbnb: tripping.com; they aggregate search results from a lot of vacation rentals websites.

Disclaimer: not affiliated in any way to that site, just happened to use it a few times in similar situations as the OP's, with good results (cheaper than Airbnb for comparable listings)

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I've lived in House of Nations Studentenapartments Berlin for a short time. The quality of the housing is just average, but you avoid the possible hassles with finding and renting a room from a private individual on WG-Gesucht (which is otherwise a good choice, and typically cheaper) and you can do more or less everything in English. Check also CentralHome – First Choice Berlin.

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I have rented a few times in Berlin and other German cities through REM e.V., Ring Europäischer Mitwohnzentralen. It was always the case of someone going overseas for a few months/years and looking for someone to cover their rent while they were gone. I found the people there to be friendly, helpful and efficient.

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Regarding Berlin in particular, it is often illegal to turn an apartment with long-term rental (housing) into one with vacation rental (tourism). As a rough approximation, it would be a violation of zoning laws (Zweckentfremdungsverbot). Politics and law enforcement have been slow to catch up with the massive growth of online portals, but they are starting to do so now.

The legal problems will be for the landlord, not for you, but I would not rely on the likes of AirBnB until that is settled.

Also, you will have to register with the municipal authorities as a resident (after arrival), that may be difficult without a proper rental contract. In all likelihood the Bürgeramt will only process your registration after you have left, but you have to go through the motions anyway.

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    I have registered with the local authorities twice in Switzerland, and once in Germany. In every case it was done while I waited. (Of course Berlin is not the same as either BW or Canton Zürich.)
    – Martin Bonner supports Monica
    Commented Nov 14, 2016 at 10:49
  • This is useful information, but it does not answer the question.
    – Carsten S
    Commented Nov 14, 2016 at 14:49
  • @CarstenS, I answered "where can I look" with advice on where not to look.
    – o.m.
    Commented Nov 14, 2016 at 16:56
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"I understand that your question is about renting an apartment, but why don’t you ask somebody to “borrow you the keys” from his apartment?! Last summer I visited Spain with my friends, one of them had found a good apartment for us in Barcelona for free. We lived there for about a month and were very thankful to the owner for his fearlessness and trust;) I learned that my friend had found a new service of home exchange or house-swap, easy to register and use, and we stayed for free due to this awesome service. Thus I recommend to find a family that can leave their flat for you here http://swap-house.com/host/germany/ I hope it will be useful. Good luck "

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