Contact and Office of the landlady

studenten@ig-sb.de

Her office is in the cellar of the Carl-Duisberg-Haus, Mecklenburgring 1
Office Hours:
Tuesday         07.30 - 11.30 hrs
Thursday       14.00 - 18.00 hrs

A – Before moving in


Where do I get my keys for the room?

Please contact your landlady before your arrival. You can make an appointment with her to meet her, sign the contract and get the keys. Please note that the move into the apartment is normally only possible on Thursday from 8.00 to 18.00 hrs.

Should you arrive outside of these hours, you will have to book yourself a hotel for the first night(s) in Saarbrücken.

 

Is it possible to have a look at the room before moving in?

Every tenant has the right to stay in the room until the last day of his/her rental contract. Therefore, it is not possible to organize visits for the future tenants to view their rooms.

 

Are there washing machines available at the building?

Carl-Duisberg-Haus

There are two washing machines and a drying machine in the cellar of the Carl Duisberg Haus in Mecklenburgring 1. All tenants can use these machines. You can buy coins for the machine during the office hours of the landlady. Costs: Washing 1.00 € and drying 0.50 €.

Tilsiter Straße & Königsberger Straße

There are washing machines in the building with the address Tilsiter Straße 9. All students in this house have a key to the washing machine room. If you live in Tilsiter Straße 1 or in Königsberger Straße 2 and you do not have a machine in your apartment, you can ask your landlady for a key to the building in Tilsiter Str. 9.

How are the rooms equipped?

Unless otherwise indicated, the rooms are fully furnished with a bed, a wardrobe, a shelf, a table, a chair, and desk. The following items do NOT belong to the inventory:
bedding (pillow, blanket), bed linen, cleaning agents, pots and pans, cutlery, plates and dishes, mugs, glasses and bowls.

It is possible, that your previous tenant has left some apartment supplies (cleaning agents or bedding or kitchen supplies). Upon arrival, you can decide if you want to keep this or if you want to buy new things.

 

Why do I have to pay a deposit?

The deposit serves as security and has to be paid before the contract is signed. If your room is not left in a sufficiently clean state, or you have broken something in the apartment, or you have lost a key, the landlord will use your deposit to have the room cleaned or to repair any damages. The landlord then transfers the remaining deposit back to your account. This transfer can take some time. If the deposit is transferred to you on a non-German account, there may be additional costs in banking fees, which will be taken from the deposit.

 

Do I have to pay a fee for the cleaning?

Yes, according to the rental contract (§11) there is a cleaning charge of 65 €. These costs will be directly taken from the deposit. At the end of every stay, the room will be cleaned by a cleaning company. Should you not leave the common areas in a clean state, there may be additional costs for the cleaning of the common rooms.

 

How can I plan my trip to Saarbrücken?

You can find detailed explanations, also for the bus system, on this website:         
www.uni-saarland.de/global/welcome-center/erste-schritte/anreise.html

The bus stop of Carl Duisberg Haus is called “Carl Duisberg Haus”. The closest bus stop to Tilsiter Straße and Königsberger Straße is called: „Danziger Straße“.

From the main train station you can take bus 105 (direction „Eschberg Tilsiter Straße“) directly to the bus stop „Danziger Straße“ or “Carl Duisberg Haus”.

Getting to university: From the bus stop „Danziger Straße“ and also from “Carl Duisberg Haus” you can take bus 107 (direction „Folsterhöhe“) to the bus stop „Ilsestraße“. There you change to the busses 102, 109 or 111 to get to the campus.

You can check bus connections online at: www.saarfahrplan.de

 

I will arrive on a weekend or in the afternoon, do you have suggestions for a hotel?

While we cannot make any recommendations, we know that students have stayed here in the past:

Europa-Jugendherberge (Hostel) www.djh-info.de
City Hotel Saarbrücken www.aranoltels.de
Ibis Budget Hotel www.ibis.com
Hotel Schlosskrug www.hotel-schlosskrug.de
B&B am Bahnhof www.hotelbb.de
Gästehaus Weller www.weller-hotel.de

 

B – After you moved in


There is no blanket or pillow in my room. What do I do?

This is normal - the rooms are not equipped with this. You can buy these things from shops in the city, for example in Saarbasar or in Tedox in Saarbrücken.

Tedox: Ursulinenstraße 71, 66111 Saarbrücken. Bus stop: Brauerstrasse

Saarbasar: Breslauer Str. 1A, 66121 Saarbrücken. Bus stop: Saarbasar or Am Zoo

 

There is no kitchenware (plates, cups, cutlery…) in the room, where can I get it?

You can buy it in the same places as the bed supplies (see above), but for university students there is also a kitchenware-rental-service at university. It is available Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11.00 to 13.00. You only have to pay 10€ deposit, which you get back in the end, when you return the things.

 

How does the cleaning of the common rooms work (kitchen/bathroom)?

You and your flatmates are one household, which means you are jointly responsible for the cleanliness in the apartment! If you move out and the rooms are dirty, you are all responsible for the costs of the cleaning and they will be charged to all students

It is therefore very important that you talk to your flatmates to arrange a cleaning schedule.

For your bedroom of course, it is your personal responsibility to keep it clean

 

I have moved in, but there is no internet. What do I do?

Tilsiter Straße / Königsberger Straße

The internet is not automatically included in the room, but it is the responsibility of all three students in the apartment to arrange the connection themselves. If you have a flatmate that has moved in before you, you can ask him/her whether he/she has already signed up for internet.

If not, there are several possibilities to get a connection. Many students in the past have chosen “o2 Young DSL”, since this is a contract that you can cancel every month. You can sign up for this contract in the shops in the city.  Of course, other providers (kabeldeutschland, vodafone, 1&1…) are possible as well.

It is also an option to buy a so-called Surfstick, which is like a USB stick that you plug into your computer to get Wi-Fi. The monthly costs for this are also not too high.

Carl-Duisberg-Haus

The internet is not automatically included in the room, but it is the responsibility of all three students in the apartment to arrange the connection themselves. If you have a flatmate that has moved in before you, you can ask him/her whether he/she has already signed up for internet.

If not, there is the possibility to make your own internet connection. In the past, many students chose the offer of “VSE.net/Kabeldeutschland” or “Deutsche Telekom”. The contracts of “o2 DSL” are also technically possible.

 

There is a problem in the apartment or something is broken. To whom do I talk?

Please contact your landlady by mail, she will try to solve the problem as soon as possible.

 

How do I pay my rent?

You can pay the rent in cash or per bank transfer.

On your rental contract, you will find one bank account for the deposit and one for the rental payments. You pay the deposit to the deposit account. The rental account is used for your monthly payments of the rent. Please note that the rent has to be paid at the beginning of the month, latest on the 3rd working day!  

If not by transfer, you can pay it in cash in the office of Ms. Molz, during her opening hours.

 

I have lost my keys, what do I do?

Please contact Ms. Molz, so she can order a replacement key for you. The costs will be taken from your deposit. It is therefore also important to stay in contact with your flatmates, so you can call them to let you in, in case you lock yourself out of the house or in cases of emergency.

 

Are there house rules that I need to be aware of?

YES! With your rental contract, you have received the general rental conditions as well as the house rules. You need to comply with these rules at any time. If you break the rules, the landlady can terminate your contract with immediate effect.  

 

Do I have to register with the city?

Yes, every person moving to Germany needs to register with the local authorities. Please visit the “Bürgeramt City”, which is located behind the town hall (Rathaus), Gerberstraße 4, 66111 Saarbrücken. You need to bring your passport and a so-called “Wohnungsgeberbestätigung”, which you receive from the landlady.

 

Can my relatives or friends stay in my room?

You may have guests staying in your apartment for a short period. However, please be aware that a guest usually does not stay longer than a maximum of three nights. If you have a person staying in your room for a longer period, it can be a reason for the landlady to terminate your rental contract.

 

I have received a letter from the "Rundfunkbeitrag" (German broadcast fee), but I am an international student and I do not have a TV. Do I really have to pay this fee?

Yes. Every person living in Germany needs to pay this contribution, whether you own a radio/TV/computer, or not. There is no exception from this payment for international students (Erasmus, Master students etc.), everyone has to pay this fee. The rate is currently ~17.50€ per month.

Your apartment is considered a shared apartment, which means that you can split the costs by the number of flatmates. This means, you have to agree on one person in the apartment that will transfer the money every month. The other flatmates then reimburse their share to him/her.

If you are not sure how to handle this or if you do not understand the letters, you can come and ask us.

 

I would like to move out, how can I cancel my rental contract?

You can cancel your rental contract by giving one month’s notice. This means, if you want to move out for example on April 30, you have to hand in the cancellation latest on March 31. This cancellation needs to be in written form and hand-signed by you. You can hand it in in person, send it by post or scan the signed document and email it to Ms. Cönen.

 

Do I have to take everything with me when I move out or can I leave some things?

When moving out, you have to remove ALL personal belongings from the apartment (clothes, books, decoration etc.), you may not leave any of this in the apartment.

The only thing that you could leave is cleaning agents or kitchenware, if they are in good condition.

If you move out and the room is not emptied out, the landlady can charge the costs for this to your deposit.

 

How do I get my deposit back?

After you have moved out, the deposit will be sent back by bank transfer (4-6 weeks later). For this, you need to give your landlady, ideally by email, the exact details of your bank account. If it is a bank account outside of Germany, try to give as much information as possible: IBAN, BIC, Swift, address of the bank….

Please note: there might be fees for a bank transfer to an international bank account, which will be paid for by your deposit.