hTTi

Thanks folks for sharing your experience. At least I'll have something over the TV, which I will never watch.

-- Alison

JN53 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 07, 2026 11:36 pm If you're in Steglitz-Zehlendorf area, I could maybe suggest a couple of doctors in that area.

Thanks for the quick response. I have in fact just moved to Steglitz.

-- Alison

I finally have an apartment with a 1-year lease. Are renters usually permitted to drive nails into the wall in order to hang their pictures, or is that right out?

Thanks,
Alison

Does anyone have advice about picking out a doctor and dentist now that I have health insurance? Two friends have given me recommendations, but in both cases the location of the providers is a bit distant both from my apartment and my job. I gather that I just call up and request an appointment? Tha...

Here's a quick update about my experience shipping my household goods from the US to Germany. I chose JK Moving, whose local agents Ace picked up my goods in San Jose, CA on 30 Jan and delivered them in Berlin on 29 Apr. That delivery interval was close to their 9-11 week transit time plus the time ...

I'll be moving from one furnished apartment to another. As far as I can tell, they are exempt from rental control. They're not, you simply ask the landlord for proof what the furniture cost and when it was purchased and use 2% of that cost as the "furniture surcharge". Wow. If you're ever...

So every time one moves, one must make a new Meldebescheinigung. I've registered twice before, but never moved within Germany. it is doable online too, with eAT / and ID cards That is great news since I should get my eID a few days before the move. During the first week of June in 2025, I decided to...

I'll be moving from one furnished apartment to another. As far as I can tell, they are exempt from rental control. I look forward to getting a better deal the next time I move since I'll have more time to search.

Thanks,
Alison

Hello fellow expats,

I have to move again at the end of the month. Probably I must again visit the local Rathaus and alter my existing Meldebescheinigung? Sorry for asking so many questions. My HR support person at work hasn't answered my repeated queries.

Thanks,
Alison
Berlin

"Korrekte Mieten sind die Ausnahme" https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/verbraucher/mietwucher-berlin-100.html Reading this (not paywalled) article, I get the impression that the free advice and legal appeals are only accessible to renters in rent-controlled (Mietpreisbremse) apartments. ...

I've been seeking a German tax advisor who also knows US tax law in vain. If you encounter one, please speak up!

Thanks,
Alison

In a situation like the one described—table service, a sit-down meal, and a bill of around €70—the local norm would typically be to round up or add roughly 5–10%. So instead of paying exactly €70, most people would say something like “machen Sie 75” or leave €3–€5 extra. It’s done directly when pay...

Last weekend I went on a countryside walk with a friend. After walking for a couple of hours, we encountered an inn where we had lunch. The inn was a bit fancy so the total bill was about 70€. It was my turn to pay, so I settled up and then headed off to the toilet on our way out. During this time, ...

I have the Advanzia Mastercard Gold, as noted above by Nixon, which also doesnt't take money automatically to pay the minimum balance. I use it a few times a year and pay it off online from our Sparkasse account. Franky, it's just a backup card, in case I must use a EU-based cc Don't you have to pa...

Fraufruit wrote: ↑Mon Apr 06, 2026 10:02 pm You haven't been here in the hottest part of the summer yet, have you?

I have. If it's hot enough, simply walking to the U-Bahn will make me sweaty, I'm sure!

-- Alison

Since you are thinking of riding it a just one way, try going earlier in the morning by U-bahn. Before rush hour and return by bike. Since one must be on time arriving a the office and can dally on the way home, that was exactly my plan. I always cycle in cycling-specific clothes anyway, and find t...

One other omission in the BVG web page is that it mentions nothing about trams. Presumably bicycles are never allowed on trams.

-- Alison

Thanks, john_b, for that detailed reply. The U-Bahn travels pretty much door-to-door from my apartment to my office, but I want to take my bike, it sounds like I'd be best off cycling to the nearest S-Bahn line, which would not be too inconvenient. Another oddity is that https://www.bvg.de/de/fahrra...

I've read https://www.bvg.de/de/fahrrad which answers most questions. I have a monthly ticket for myself, so I could buy one for my bike as well, for 14,60€ within the Berlin AB zone. What I'm wondering is how useful such a ticket is. I've seen bikes at off-peak hours on the S-Bahn, but don't recall...

Since the topic came up before, I'll mention that I've learned that Berliner Volksbank does automatically pay credit card accounts from a Girokonto. Volksbank is a co-op, which was recommended to me by two new German friends on separate occasions. They have relatively few ATM machines, but their cus...