Anchor centers, emergency shelters, dormitories: depending on the federal state, there are very different models in Germany of how refugees arrive here – and stay. Andrea Kothen from the aid organization Pro Asyl has been dealing with the subject for a long time. She says: “Unfortunately, there has been a renaissance of mass accommodation for refugees for several years, also due to federal legal requirements. This is also a problem because it makes private letting, actually normal living, more difficult.” Kothen already had one in 2015 Guideline created for people who want to rent housing to refugees.
So what’s the best way to go about it when you have this plan? It makes the most sense to first contact the nearest authority that is responsible for the accommodation of refugees in the area – usually the social welfare office of the district or the city. If the administration is basically ready to accommodate refugees in private apartments, the next step will be to check whether the apartment or room on offer is suitable at all. “In individual cases it happened that people got in touch with us who had a shabby, in fact unlettable bunk and thought: It is still good enough for poor refugees,” says Andrea Kothen.
A private lease can also be a solution
If the condition and amount of the rent are in order, the landlord can conclude a rental agreement with the authorities. This is how it works, at least as a rule, for landlords with larger houses. The extent to which individual, small apartments are also possible differs from office to office. For potential landlords, it can also be an alternative to conclude a rental agreement under private law.
In this case, the refugee turns to the authorities himself and expresses his or her wish to move or submits a corresponding application. To do this, however, a number of conditions must be met. For example, the official permit that the person may move into private accommodation as a tenant.
Jonas Kakoschke, 38, has founded a portal on which refugees can find shared accommodation.
(Photo: Lena Kuntz)
If the refugee does not have sufficient income of his or her own, it also depends on whether the social welfare office pays the rent for the new apartment. The office has guidelines on how large the apartment can be per person and how much it can cost. The heating costs are also covered by the office – also up to a certain amount.
Jonas Kakoschke didn’t have a whole apartment free in 2014, but at least a room in his Berlin flat share. Shortly before that, the graphic designer met several refugees who told him about the unworthy conditions in camps. And so he decided to rent the free room to a refugee. In the end, he not only found the right roommate, but also founded an online portal with Mareike Geiling, on which you can report if you are like him.
The initiative is now called “Welcome together”. “Our main activity is arranging shared accommodation for refugees, but we also advise landlords who want to make an entire apartment available,” says Kakoschke. However, this happens much less often. Overall, the number of inquiries decreased. But that also has to do with the fact that the initiative itself has changed over the years. “We take a closer look at the shared apartments today than we used to.” In 2015 in particular we would have been happy about every request, says Kakoschke. At that time, however, there were also many more refugees who were acutely looking for a room.
The team is now taking a closer look. Is the apartment okay? But also: How open are the roommates really to refugees? “In the end it only makes sense if both sides feel comfortable.” Not only people who have a free room themselves can register on the website, but also refugees who are looking for one. In addition to videos with assistance in German, English and Arabic, there is also the possibility of finding a volunteer tandem partner who will help you find an apartment.