Accommodation

Throughout any employee's Assignment in Germany, the BAE SYSTEMS In-Country Management Team (BAESG) will be responsible for all accommodation needs. From initial arrival in Germany in finding accommodation to agreeing to and signing the lease agreements, assisting with maintenance issues throughout the tenancy and assistance on the termination of a lease agreement. There are numerous issues for which individuals will have queries, not only on arrival in Germany, but throughout the tenancy and we will discuss and resolve all matters with individuals personally.

The type of accommodation provided on Assignment will depend on the length of an Assignment contract. In general, all industrial placements/graduate placements and short-term assignees will be accommodated in the most cost-effective way, most usually hotel/studio apartment facilities. For any assignment of over 6-months, permanent house/flat accommodation will be provided.

Arrangements for Assignees' house/flat accommodation will be initially discussed before arrival in Germany; and if a Familiarisation trip is approved will be discussed at length at that time.

The increasing popularity of Munich city has gradually cascaded through to the housing market where demand definitely outstrips supply to the extent that if you go on a house-viewing, you may be accompanied by other individuals also competing to rent the property.

Rental properties can be found in newspaper classifieds where private owners advertise for new tenants, however this is quite rare. Most owners rent properties through estate agents (Immobilien) who organise all advertising, arrange viewings, draft shortlists of applicants to present to the owner. The owner would then select his/her own preference on their own selection criteria! If you are selected, a charge is levied by the Immobilien, which is approximately two month's rent.

The size of an apartment is NOT shown by the number of bedrooms, but alternatively by the number of rooms in total. The given number does not include kitchen, bathroom or toilet. Example: A 4-Zi-Whg usually means 4 rooms (livingroom, 3 bedrooms or 2 bedrooms + 1 dining room or 1 bedroom + dining room + office or ...). Kitchen, bathrooms restroom, storage rooms are listed separately and do not count in this number.

The German rental market is very different to UK, all lease agreements are very much more restrictive and legally binding and in general have a 3-month notice period. Certain elements may be included in the monthly rent quoted (community charges, refuse collection, garage etc), sometimes not. It is therefore vital to fully understand all negotiations taking place and more in particular in understanding the lease contract, as once it is agreed it is legally binding to the applicable notice-period.

Permanent property rental search will commence as soon as possible after initial arrival to commence assignment duties. BAESG will arrange appointments and accompany employees on all viewings. There are certain standards BAESG ensure are maintained, which will be explained in full; for example all rental properties should contain a fitted kitchen (in Germany the majority of rental properties are not only unfurnished, but a lot also do not have fitted kitchens!). It is expected that a suitable property should be able to be secured in approximately 4-6 weeks, and on average a maximum of ten viewings is considered as sufficient to secure permanent accommodation.

Employees must try to make time available for viewings, on occasions it may be unavoidable in arranging appointments within working hours so some degree of flexibility is required. The main "To Rent" classified advertisements are Wednesdays and Fridays. It is highly advisable that all parties attending viewings dress smartly and are punctual for appointments; these are two points on which the Germans place great value and if there is more than one interested party it will certainly give you the edge.

A verbal commitment is legally binding in Germany even if a rental contract has not been signed, therefore all negotiations with leasehold landlords are the responsibility of BAESG. In general demand outstrips supply with the housing market in Germany, and especially in Munich, it is therefore very important to be able to make quick decisions on properties. It should be borne in mind that accompanying family members who are arriving in Germany at a later date, may not have the opportunity to view the property before a firm commitment must be made by the employee. In most cases it will not be possible to reserve or hold properties for a secondary viewing. Therefore detailed discussions of full family requirements will be held during the Familiarisation Trip and on commencement of assignment.

All Assignees to Germany will receive an accommodation allowance based on their family size and grade status, and is set as a realistic contribution towards rental costs in Germany. There are varying factors to consider in the rental costs, i.e.sometimes community charges (Neben-kosten) are included, sometimes not, also additional utility charges for gas, electric, water and refuse should be taken into consideration. The allowance matrix is set and is not negotiable, full details will be given on employee briefings by BAESG.

Any BAES Assignee coming to Germany will receive full relocation assistance in locating and securing accommodation, however an advance insight into the accommodation market and types of properties available the following websites may be of interest. It must be stressed however, that no negotiations should be held between the employee and any prospective landlord or accommodation agency (Immobilien), all house-searches/viewings/contract negotiations will be managed by BAESG. If any employee takes it upon themselves to make any private arrangement, BAES takes no responsibility.

The first website offered will show typical accommodation in the Munich area, with English-language options and also 3-D effect views of properties. However, please note that this site only offers FURNISHED accommodation and the monthly rental costs reflect this http://www.mrlodge.de In addition, this website has a detailed narrative on most areas in and around Munich with guides on transport, shopping facilities; entertainment, and a star-rating. Direct link: http://www.mrlodge.de/stadtteile/e_citymap.htm One alternative English-language site is http://www.tsc-immobilien.de. Two further sites may be interesting to new-arrivals in Germany, (but these sites are only in German):- http://www.immobilienscout24.de and http://www.immoforum.de

Depending on the work-location it will obviously be important to decide the favoured location for accommodation, if for example you like a more lively night-life scene at weekends you may prefer to be closer to the centre of the City, or if you have children you will need to consider the location of the chosen school. For detailed city maps the following websites may assist:- http://www.stadtplan.net or http://www.stadtplandienst.de

For a detailed description on areas around Munich, an excellent website is: http://www.mrlodge.de This website has a detailed narrative on most areas in and around Munich with guides on transport, shopping facilities; entertainment, and a star-rating. Direct link: http://www.mrlodge.de/stadtteile/e_citymap.htm