Important abbreviations and terms
Abbreviations in the housing market and their signification
Here you can look up the most important abbreviations and terms of the real estate world, that are frequently used in real estate listings or ads. We explain what they stand for and what to take note of.
| Abl. | one-off payment for e.g. furniture of the previous tenant |
|---|---|
| ab sof | rental period starting from now |
| Altbau | pre-war building year of construction mostly around the turn of the century, with high ceilings |
| App. | apartment (1-room apartment with integrated kitchenette) |
| Bj. | year of construction (of the building) |
| Betriebskosten | operating costs include costs allocated to the tenant e.g. garbage, building insurance, property management and about 15 other types of costs (not the heating of the apartment) |
| Blk. | balcony |
| DG | top floor |
| DHH | semi-detached house (one half of the house consisting of two single-family homes) |
| Duplextiefgarage | 2 underground parking spaces on top of each other that can be used with help of a hydraulic system |
| EBK | fitted kitchen (kitchen unit in one design) |
| EFH | single-family house (detached house) |
| EG | ground floor |
| Etagenheizung | own heating system in the apartment as opposed to central heating |
| Gge. | garage |
| Hauptmieter | The main tenant of an apartment |
| HZ | heating costs |
| Hobbyraum | room in the basement / cellar, which can be used by an extension. |
| Inkl. | included (incl. utilities) |
| Kabelanschluss | TV connection (not via aerial) with a large choice of channels (about 30 different channels and pay-TV of up to approximately 60 channels) |
| Kaltmiete | rent excl. utilities, heating, electricity |
| KN | kitchenette (small kitchen) |
| KT | deposit: safety paid to the landlord (a maximum of 3 months' rent excl. utilities) |
| Kü | kitchen |
| Laminatboden | very similar to the wooden floor and very resilient. |
| Maisonettewohnung | duplex apartment over two floors |
| möbl. | furnished |
| MM | monthly rent |
| Nfl. in m² | floor space: total usable area incl. entire balcony-/terrace surface and areas under the roof, hobby rooms, cellars, which are not calculated in the living space |
| NK | utilities (operating costs, heating, hot water) |
| OG | upper floor / Floor |
| Parkettboden | wooden floor with different patterns |
| Prov./Provision | commission fee: for the placement of a property the broker charges (maximum 2.32 months' rent) |
| qm | square meters (sqm) |
| Rgb. | rear building |
| RH | terraced house (family house surrounded by a row of houses) |
| Untermiete | main tenant is the landlord |
| TG | underground parking lot |
| VB | asking price = the price is negotiable |
| Warmmiete | rent incl. utilities |
| Wfl. in m² | living space (less than floor space) e.g. balcony 50%, terrace 25%; including areas with less than 1 m high ceilings, cellar compartments are not included |
| Whg. | apartment |
| WG | to share an apartment (an apartment or house is used by several residents) |
| Wokü | eat-in kitchen - kitchen with dining area |
| Zentralheizung | the individual homes are supplied by a central heating system |
| Zi | room |