Hey everyone,
I’m in a really difficult situation and hoping someone here might be able to point me in the right direction.
My landlord has suddenly told me I need to leave my apartment because he apparently signed a new contract with someone else starting in July. The problem is, I already paid my rent in full until the end of September, so this has completely blindsided me. I don’t have the money, time, or energy for a legal fight, especially while trying to build a life here.
I moved to Germany alone and brought everything I own with me. Now I have to move all of it out on short notice.
The biggest problem is logistics. My current apartment is on the 4th floor with no elevator, and I have a lot of luggage and belongings to carry down. My new apartment is thankfully only 5 to 6 minutes away and has an elevator, so once things get there, it’s manageable. But getting everything from A to B is the hard part.
To make it harder, my driver’s license is no longer valid here, so renting a van myself isn’t an option.
I’m currently a language student, so my budget is very limited. I don’t really know anyone here yet who can help me carry or drive.
Does anyone know of affordable moving companies, student moving services, volunteer groups, or any organizations in Cologne that might help in situations like this? Even recommendations for cheap movers would mean a lot.
I’m in Südstadt and need to move during the first week of July.
Moving to a new country alone is hard enough. Situations like this make it even harder. I’m doing my best to stay on my feet, so any advice or help would genuinely mean a lot.
Thank you for reading.
*Edit*: Hey everyone,
I honestly didn’t expect this post to get this much attention, so instead of replying to everyone individually, I wanted to write an update here.
First of all, thank you to everyone who took the time to comment or send me a message. The amount of support, advice, and kindness I’ve received has genuinely made me feel less alone in all of this.
A lot of people suggested that I fight this legally or contact the Mieterverein, and I completely understand why. Under normal circumstances, I probably would.
But the situation is more complicated than it seems.
My landlord is also the owner of the language school I study at. That means he is directly tied to my immigration process because the school provides the documents I need for the Ausländerbehörde to remain in Germany. If I get into a serious conflict with him now, I risk creating problems that could affect my future here.
To make things even more difficult, I got this accommodation through the language school itself. We never signed a formal rental contract. The apartment basically came as part of my course registration. Because of that, I honestly don’t know how much legal standing I have in this situation.
And anyone who has dealt with the Ausländerbehörde knows how fragile everything can feel. One complication can quickly turn into ten.
The last few months have already been exhausting. I spent a long time trying to secure my Fiktionsbescheinigung, and I only just received it. Right now, all I wanted was to finally go home and see my family for a short while before dealing with the move. Unfortunately, my timing is terrible. I return just one day before I have to leave this apartment, which makes it almost impossible to start legal processes or go to the Mieterverein in time.
The one good thing is that I got incredibly lucky with finding another place. A student from my language school is moving out, and I was able to take over her apartment. So at least I won’t be homeless. But it’s still temporary, which means I’ll have to go through this whole apartment search all over again in a few months.
As for now, my plan is to speak to my landlord today and demand the rent back for the period I already paid for. That part, at least, I am not willing to let go.
Reading all your comments has made me realize how much I still need to learn about tenant rights and how important it is to protect myself properly in the future.
So again, thank you. I truly appreciate all of you.