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Comment by FirmwareBurner | Hacker News Reader

That sounds terrible. What "section of Germany" are you in? Berlin?

Hamburg. The previous tenants left a mess, the landlord put in a new kitchen for us, new fences around the boundary, new back patio tiles. Ventilation is a problem as extractor fans need replacing and I’ve replaced a bunch of electric switches and sockets, but no fun.

Classmates with income only from the job centre are unable to find a place to live, although that’s hardly better anywhere. In London the rents are astronomical and competitive but the cycle of finding, viewing, renting and moving is still running fine. In Hamburg people can’t even find apartments for rent.

The landlord put in a new kitchen for you? When I lived in several different towns in Germany every single flat was rented without kitchen...I bought more than one and had to dismount the kitchen when leaving. One of German absurdities I don't miss...

"Apartments don’t come with kitchens in Germany" - https://alisajordanwrites.com/2018/08/06/apartments-dont-com...

I agree that it's dumb to have to buy a new kitchen when moving in (and tear it down when moving out). In most cases, though, you talk to the next person that moves in and, depending on the quality of the kitchen and social factors, sell it to them or just give it away. That is, when it's not part of the lease, which does exist in Germany, even if it's not mandatory. Student housing, for example, is usually fully equipped.

Yes of course I talked to the new tenant. And guess what they replied? ;-)... ..."We already have our kitchen we had to take out form our previous accommodation!"

Yes, well, the kitchen - AND ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE HOUSE - were removed by the previous tenants.

This is so fucking stupid it deserves a dedicated room in the Museum of The Stupid. Kitchens are so fitted to the physical rooms they are in, they are basically part of the house like walls, floors, ceilings and doors.

It's totally mad, isn't it!

Argument I heard every time while in Germany "some people like to take the kitchen with them"... apparently they take all these fitted furniture and do something with it. Then yeah, lightning and sometimes even the flooring.... first days in new place in absolute darkness. Still the deposit is three months in case you damage... what exactly? ADSL internet from Vodafone or some other scum is the ultimate blow.

Germany must have inspired whoever wrote the Richard Pryor film, 'Moving' when he arrives in Boise to find that the sellers of his new house were not kidding when they said "we're taking everything with us"...

And yes, darkness, there was literally no light whatsoever in either of the bathrooms unless our next-door neighbour helped out with some basic light fittings he had kicking around...

So are you a landlord, a tenant or both? Are you a UK lanlord.living in Hamburg and renting?

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