My first apartment was a limited lease for 6 months (like AirBnB but a private company), which I could terminate within a month if I could find another place. I could not, had to extend it to 2 years (the landlord said it will not be possible to extend beyond 2 years). After the 1.5 years of search, I was able to get not so affordable but acceptable place.
1.5 years to find an apartment, that is not cheap but bordering the acceptable rent. Nobody should suffer this in their lifetimes.
I am not going to name the companies and get sued. Stuff like that are serious in Germany.
First question: I looked mostly in the center, nothing more than 7 kms away from my workplace. I needed somewhere that I can commute by bike, since the traffic and the fight for parking spaces are too exhausting. S-Bahn is too overcrowded.
For your second question, double of the rent cap, two rooms (or maybe 1.5), don't care if the building is old or new. Partly furnished is preferred but I do not mind unfurnished.
Please post with your main account if you are going to ask more personal questions.
Confirms my thinking that everyone wants to live in the middle and there isn't enough supply and really not enough space for new supply.
From my anecdotal experience, if all listed rents were double the rent cap, all apartments would still be filled, but lots of people would be locked out of the market.
Classic gentrification problem. I don't know the solution.
I think for foreigners it just means paying a ton more, and just accepting that the value-for-money trade-off when seeing cheaper but more desirable places is not real - because they are mostly unattainable.
1.5 years to find an apartment, that is not cheap but bordering the acceptable rent. Nobody should suffer this in their lifetimes.
I am not going to name the companies and get sued. Stuff like that are serious in Germany.