Moving into a Berlin WG: furniture and costs
2026-08-08
Shared flats move fast. A room comes free, the handover is agreed in a week, and you take it with a mattress on the floor and a plan to sort the rest later. Later tends to become months.
Is a WG room furnished?
Usually not. Most Berlin WG rooms are let bare, sometimes with a bed frame the previous tenant left behind. Assume three pieces are on you: a bed, a wardrobe or clothes rail, and a desk — and that whatever was left behind is being sold to you, not given.
What is fair to share with flatmates?
Anything in the shared rooms and anything fixed to a wall. Kitchen shelving, hallway storage and living-room furniture are reasonably split; your own room is your own cost. Agree who owns what before it is assembled, because the awkward conversation is the one that happens at move-out.
Can you drill in a room you are subletting?
Check who holds the main contract. In a WG the Hauptmieter or the landlord is the one who can consent, and a wall-anchored wardrobe in your room is normal contractual use — but a shelf in the shared kitchen is a decision for everyone. Ask before, not after.
How do you furnish a room quickly without overspending?
Buy the bed and the wardrobe new and everything else second-hand. Those two are the pieces where a bad purchase costs you sleep and storage; a desk or a shelf from a flat-clearance ad is fine. A wardrobe assembled and anchored properly costs €89 upwards and takes about 1.5 hours.
How fast can assembly actually happen?
Often within 1–2 days, sometimes the same day, depending on the week. Send a quick request with the date you take the room over — flatshares and moving days are most of what we do, and a Saturday appointment is normal rather than an exception.
Matching service
Quick request – fixed price usually within 2 hours