[Please note: This interview contains affiliate links to amazon]

Ken, what brought you to Stuttgart?

My family landed in Germany at the beginning of 2016. My wife had gotten a long term contract position focusing in technology project management, and I was taking time off from my career to focus on raising our family.

What did you know about Stuttgart before you arrived here?

Although we had traveled Europe previously, my wife & I had little knowledge of Germany’s culture or language. Our research on the Stuttgart real estate market involved my wife & I watching an episode of “House Hunters International.” Having lived the previous five years in Miami, we felt we had enough experience with a strained rental market such as Stuttgart and wanted an international experience. We decided to take a chance. 

What was your first impression?

Previously, we had been living in Miami Beach, and we got here in the dead of winter. It was gray and cloudy for days. It would literally be a month before I saw direct sunlight. Plus, I found myself in the same situations that every recently arrived American finds themselves in; standing in front of a closed grocery store on a Sunday, wondering why a washing load takes longer than an NBA season, trying to decipher rail timetables, etc. However, spring did come along eventually, the weather got better, and I started getting the hang of things. 

I can imagine what a huge change that must have been… Did you find a place to live easily? 

Stuttgart is a tough market for a renter. There are corporate employees, college students, US military service members / contractors, and local residents all competing for the same rental properties. Before arriving, we had been trying to schedule apartment viewings for over a month. My wife and I knew that we wanted a place in the middle of Stuttgart and close to the U-Bahn. Although we sent over twenty email inquiries in English and German, we only received one response. It was from a Stuttgart real estate agent who was offering short term furnished apartments. When we told him we were a family of three with two dogs, the agent told us that finding anyplace in downtown Stuttgart would be “impossible” and it would be best if we focused on looking in more rural areas. We kept looking. No matter how hard we tried, there were few return calls from landlords and almost no viewings. It would be almost to the end of our first month before we were able to find a place, but we did succeed. 

Was it easy to settle in?

Settling in was not easy, and I think getting our first son into a German Kindergarten was what really helped move things along. But I do not think we have ever completely settled in. The moment we think we have fully transitioned something comes up such as when my wife was pregnant with our second child or moving our oldest to the Grundschule. Thing that we could have easily handled in the US have to be relearned within the confines of our new culture.  

Was there anything that was very strange to you about the life in Stuttgart or Germany in general at the beginning?

There is a subtle yet stark difference in anything related to numbers in Europe as compared to the US. I would not say this is strange, but it was just difficult for me to overcome at the beginning. While in the US, people talk about Fahrenheit, Miles, and Gallons. Europeans are working with Celsius, Kilometers, and Liters. Yet there are other differences that are more subdued here. Time is regularly observed on a 24 hour clock. Decimal points are put where comas typically go and vice versa. Months expressed as numbers are changed. (May 6th of 2021 would be written as 06/05/2021 not 05/06/2021). Zip codes on addresses are placed before the city not after the city as in the US. It may not seem like a big deal to those who have been here for awhile. However, it was for me. And I found myself in situations such as when I was waiting for a furniture delivery on April 5 when it was actually scheduled to arrive on May 4. 

Oh wow, yes I can imagine that this was – and still is – very confusing. Is there anything you like in particular about living in Stuttgart?

Although not specifically related to Stuttgart, I have an interest in the region’s history. Americans operate on a shorter timeline than in Germany. We get excited when we see a stage where Jimmy Hendrix played in ‘68 because that seems like a long time ago. In comparison, things here in Germany have been going on for many more centuries. For obvious reasons, the mid and late parts of the 1900s take up a lot of the conversation regarding Germany’s history. But there was a lot of other stuff that has been going on here and all with critical repercussions for the rest of the world; the Weimar Republic, the Bauhaus Movement, the Dadaists, the Franco-Prussian War, the Protestant Reformation, the Gutenberg printing press. All of it interests me, and it is great that I am able to visit these places. 

Do you have a favorite place or area in Stuttgart?

I like Königstraße and the park in the center of the city. We have two children and want to make sure they get enough outside time. Of course, we all now live in the age of Covid. So, a place like the park downtown gives our boys a place to be outside while maintaining proper social distancing. 

What would you have loved to know before or while you moved here?

I was way to cautious about the myth of the Ugly American when it was unnecessary. It is the fear that people from the US are overly boisterous and jingoistic. As a result, we tent to overcompensate, be overly polite, and easily intimidated. Swabians are very upfront and simply do not have time anyone overly polite or timid.  

Ken, you are co-auther of the book „Mieter and Vermieter: A Handbook of Rental Law for Americans in Germany“[affiliate link]. Can you tell us more about it?

The catalyst for the book was related to issues we were having with our overly aggressive landlord. He was demanding thousands of Euros for minor damages that we felt were not our responsibility, and our insurance company agreed with us. So, the landlord began to do everything to make us uncomfortable. He made outrageous demands threatening to evict us and have us turned over to the police for insurance fraud. Although we had been working with the local Mieterverein, we felt we needed a more direct approach in working with this issue. We needed an attorney who would work exclusively on our issue. 

This is how I came to meet my co-author, Josef Gläser. Josef’s focus is criminal law. His foray into landlord / tenant law was accidental. While in college, many of his fellow students were having issues with their rentals. Josef would help them and make a little extra money. The result was that he had become an expert in the subject, and it was a significant part of his practice along with criminal law. When Josef took our case and began talking with the landlord on our behalf, the issues did not completely end. However, the threatening dialogue subsided immediately. 

While all of this was going on, I was talking with American expats on social media sites. Numerous American renters in Germany were having similar stories of being taken advantage of by landlords. It appeared that foreign tenants, particularly US tenants, were being singled out for abuse be exploitative landlords. Not wanting to seem biased, I asked Josef if my suspicions were accurate. Not only did he confirm this, but he was also bewildered by the response of US tenants. He said they were more likely to do repairs that were not their responsibility and forfeit deposit money that was due back to them. He did not understand why the US renter typically just gives up. As well, I was constantly showering Josef with questions due to my own inquisitive nature; damages, deposits, repairs, evictions, etc. Part of it was due to my own case, but part of it was because of my curiosity about the German culture. 

Finally, Josef asked me if I would like to work with him on what he described as a brochure for Americans renting in Germany. So over a period of eight months, Josef & I would meet regularly to discuss the inner workings and hidden mechanisms of German rental law and make it more understandable for an American audience. The result was “Mieter & Vermieter – A Handbook of Rental Law for Americans Living in Germany” which was published on Amazon Kindle earlier this year. Primarily in the book, I play Robin to Josef’s Batman. He is the one with all the heavy legal descriptive super powers and I provide the narrative equivalent of a “Holy cow, Batman!”

What are you personal tips for everybody who is looking to rent a flat in Stuttgart? 

A person may spend their time in the Germany with an easy and understanding relationship with their landlord. If so, they should consider themselves fortunate and be thankful. However, the alternative is equally possible. They may have a landlord who is looking to take advantage of your naiveté as an Ausländer or foreigner. The landlord may not have a proper understanding of German landlord / tenant law themselves. It is for these reasons that there are three things a renter should consider when renting in Germany in order to indemnify themselves. 

1. The first is insuring they have the proper resources available if needed. This includes becoming a member of the local Mieterverein (www.mieterbund.de). Or it can also include getting attorney insurance and finding an attorney specializing in German landlord / tenant law ( Fachanwalt für Mietrecht und Wohnunseigentumsrecht) when necessary. German Personal Liability Insurance is also helpful to have during the occurrence of any damages to a rented property that are above the normal wear & tear. Most of the major insurance providers in Germany offer this kind of coverage.
2. The second thing is that a renter needs to understand that a German rental contract is a fixed document. It is not an easy task for a landlord to alter it. For example if a renter tries to do something that the landlord dislikes such as dispute the ancillary costs (Betriebskosten), an irritable landlord may instead demand immediate payment and threaten to terminate the lease. The truth is that there are very few reasons that a landlord can end the lease, and German law appears to be very tenant friendly with these issues. The same goes for rental increases. A landlord may send a letter to the tenant saying, “This past year has been very expensive unfortunately and as a result, we must sadly increase the rent cost an additional 15% per month starting with the following month.” Without question, the tenant will dutifully respond by paying the increase the following month. In actuality, the increase may not be justified. There is a thinly defined set of circumstances where an eviction or rent increase is warranted. The tenant should always contact a German attorney or their Mieterverein immediately when these issues come up. 
3. The third item is in regards to return of rental deposit. A rental deposit is expected to be returned to the tenant within six months from their returning the apartment / house to the landlord. However, this is not a fixed timetable. The German Federal Supreme Court is remarkably unclear about an exact timetable. A nefarious landlord who is seeking to keep the deposit for themselves has a prominent legal gray area to work with.

A landlord acting in bad faith will come up with elaborate excuses on the reason why the deposit cannot be returned; bookkeeper is out of town, final invoice on repairs has not been received, a damage that was not recorded previously has just now been noted, etc. What the landlord is trying to do is to have the tenant give up on trying to recover their deposit. If the landlord can get the renter to give up on recovering the deposit, the renter’s deposit claim expires after three years. 

Even if the former tenant is back in the US or their other home country, they can easily give the German attorney or Mieterverein power of attorney to resolve these issues. Any potential cost on these items tend to be relatively small in comparison to the money lost from forfeiting the deposit.  

Wow, it looks like you have learned A LOT about German rental law! Very interesting, even for me as a German 🙂

Ken, thank you very much for this Expat Interview and the insights into your book. 

More information:

Mieter and Vermieter: A Handbook of Rental Law for Americans in Germany [affiliate link]

The post Expat Interview with Ken, co-author of “A Handbook of Rental Law for Americans in Germany” appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

[Post with personal recommendations]

Veerle, what brought you to Stuttgart?

As for so many expat wives: it was my husband’s job that brought me to Stuttgart. For him it was coming back to the roots – he is Swabian and studied in Stuttgart for a few years.

It was not your first move, you have been kind of all over the place before you settled down here in Stuttgart. What was different with moving to Stuttgart compared to your experiences with other countries and cities?

Well, for the first time I moved to a city where I already knew some people, friends of my husband who became my friends as well and who had visited us at our destinations abroad. So for the very first time it wasn’t starting from “zero”.

What did you know about Stuttgart before you arrived here?

I knew very little from Stuttgart, to be honest. Main railway station, Königstraße, Schloßplatz, Udo Snack at Calwer Straße and the TV tower, that was pretty much it.

Did your expectations about Stuttgart live up to reality?

To be honest, I didn’t have many. Stuttgart was still pretty much a sleeping beauty in the mid 90s and people kind of felt pity for you when you told them that you move to Stuttgart.

Was something very strange to you at the beginning?

I was quite surprised that Stuttgart, although being a city, had a bit of a countryside mentality. For instance, in 1994 going out for dinner on a Monday evening was very difficult with most restaurants closed. Also there were no cafés or bars to sit outside on the terrace and enjoy a drink. The choice of restaurants was quite limited. I still remember how happy we were when we discovered the (then) only Japanese restaurant, Kicho.

Thank god these days are over… How long did it take until you’ve really settled in and felt like home here in Stuttgart?

The first year was pretty tough, I have to admit. But then step by step we felt more at ease, made new friends, discovered the city and the region.

Is there something you like in particular about living in Stuttgart?

Fortunately, over the past two decades, Stuttgart has become more and more open and international. For me, it has the perfect size to offer everything one could wish. Plus there is this fabulous cultural package of jazz festivals, opera, ballet, theater, museums. On top of all, it is really green. Do you know of any other metropolis where the vineyards grow right into the center of the city? And yes, the local wines became really good over the years, too!

Oh yes, that’s true. Do you have a certain place, restaurant, museum… you love the most?

This is a very difficult question – I have so many favorites. The Grabkappelle on the Rotenberg is my favourite place for a sunset picknick – that makes me very happy every time. Favorite restaurant is Perbacco at the Paulinenbrücke. Apart from the Städitsches Kunstmuseum at Schloßplatz and the Staatsgalerie I love the Mediterranean atmosphere and architecture at the Lapidarium in the Mörikestraße. That’s not enough? Check out a very recent book by Emma von Bergenspitz: “Glücksorte in Stuttgart” and you will be surprised how many wonderful corners this city has!

You are a mom of two. Do you have any tips for other expat parents what to do with children in and around Stuttgart?

In the meantime my girls are grown up, but the open-air swimming pool in Möhringen as well as the Fildorado in Filderstadt were always their favorites during summer. Also on our list: the forest-playground on the Waldau Degerloch and the “Jugendfarm” in Riedenberg. And let’s not forget: Lake Constance is just a two-hours drive from Stuttgart. If you want to get away from it all, have a dip at the Strandbad in Überlingen (very casual), or go back in time at the Art Nouveau jewel “Parkstrandbad Hotel Bad Schachen”.

You have founded the relocation company reloxx in 2004. Did your personal experience with moving to Stuttgart inspire you to do so and why?

It was in fact my personal experience of moving to Warsaw that inspired me to offer professional help with home search and administrational assistance. When you arrive in a new country and city and you barely speak the local language because you didn’t have the time to learn before arrival it is very difficult to get around. To know where you can live, how you can find an apartment, how to sign up for utilities etc. or even the easiest of tasks sometimes.

What are the greatest challenges expats face when they relocate to Stuttgart?

At this very moment I think the biggest challenge is finding suitable accommodation. The situation on the real estate market is very tense – small offer, high demand and high rents. Even with a good budget it is hard to find anything that lives up to your expectations. Another challenge are kindergardens There simply aren’t enough. There is some improvement, but it is still difficult in some suburbs.

How can the services you and your team provide help with these challenges?

We do know the real estate market inside out since many, many years. We built up a good network of private landlords and real estate agents, so we can give our clients a head start every now and then. And we know how to address the administrational challenges to keep as much hassle as possible away from our clients.

What would be your personal tipps for expats moving to Stuttgart?

As soon as you have arrived in Stuttgart, focus on exploring the different areas, so you can make your mind as of where you would like to live. This will definitely help when you start house hunting. Join expat groups for personal exchange, learn or improve your German. And: THINK POSITIVE! Small miracles happen every day – and we are sure working very hard for our clients to make them happen.

Veerle, thank you very much for your time and for sharing your experiences with us!

More about Veerle and her relocation service:

reloxx.com

Tipps Veerle shared in the interview:

Udo Snack

Perbacco

Kunstmuseum

Staatsgalerie

Lapidarium

Emma von Bergenspitz: Glücksorte in Stuttgart [Affiliate link]

Freibad Möhringen

Fildorado

Jugendfarm Riedenberg

Strandbad Überlingen

Parkstrandbad Hotel Bad Schachen

Transparency: This Expat Interview is part of my cooperation with reloxx.

The post Expat interview with Veerle from reloxx relocation service appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

Nicole, what brought you to Stuttgart?
In the summer of 2015 I was living in Chicago, that’s where I’m from. I was in my mid-thirties, I was single and I wanted to go to Europe. But I couldn’t find a friend to go with or if I did, we wanted to go to different places. It was one of those situations where I was like: “OK, I’ll go alone!” So, I did.

I went to Prague first and stayed there for four nights. It was nice but the weather was not so great. It rained the whole time. But I made the most of it. And then I went to Vienna. And I met my husband in Vienna. It was great. He is from Vienna so I had a local tour guide! He took me everywhere so I could see everything. A few days later, my last stop was to go to Paris for my final week. My husband said he would take me to the airport and even came inside with me. I wasn’t really expecting all of that. And then I flew to Paris.

I spent the first day by myself and had a nice dinner. On the next morning I woke up and he had sent me a text message saying “If you’ll have me, I would love to come to Paris.” He arrived that night and took the week off of work. So we had one week in Paris together. And then we both went home. He was living in Stuttgart by the way. He was only in Vienna to celebrate his birthday. So for one year we did a long distance relationship, which was tough. Every month for one week either he would come to Chicago or I would go to Stuttgart. That’s what we did. It was not only expensive but also exhausting and it became difficult with work. So finally we were like “Ok, it’s been a year..”. And he was always begging me to move to Stuttgart. And then finally I said I’ll do it. I’ll move. So I quit my job and found someone to rent my condo in Chicago and – that’s it. I got my cat ready and we flew over together. That was in June 2016.

What did you know about Stuttgart before you came here?
My husband and I are both foodies so he told me about the market hall and about all of his favorite restaurants. During the year I just came to visit I would go straight to the mineral baths, mainly to Leuze. Bad Berg too, but now it’s under construction.

When you came to Stuttgart for the very first time to visit your future husband, what was your first impression of the city?
I think I was pleasantly surprised. In the States people know Stuttgart because some army guy was here once. But there isn’t a very good understanding of the city – or that it even is a city. People underestimate it really. For example the Schlossplatz: When people come to visit me they are surprised that they are standing in front of a castle – in the middle of the city. And it’s beautiful. Stuttgart turned out to be more metropolitan than I had originally pictured it.

Do you remember what was strange to you at the beginning?
I think I’m still getting used to saying hello and good bye to everybody, like when you go to a store. I’m not used to doing that. And this whole bill-me-later and pay-later-thing on the internet is strange to me, too. I don’t understand why people would send me stuff for free and expect me to pay for it later. Oh and when I went to the doctor for the first time. I only wanted to do a check-up, like do my blood-pressure and a blood-test, the doctor seemed like I was asking for something out of the ordinary. But maybe it was only the doctor who acted a bit strange. But apart from that – not much. Nothing felt really weird to me.

Anything that is different to the US but that you like in particular?
I love Birkenstocks and I never really knew about them in the US. And around Christmas time I really enjoy that people wrap gifts for you in the stores. In the States you have to pay someone to wrap your gifts or you wrap them at home but I feel that is a really nice convenience. Plus, I love that Germans love coffee and cake! This tradition, I think it is really cute – and more people should be doing it around the world. I also like German breakfast, like how you incorporate savory. In the US it’s always very sweet. Here in Stuttgart I really like the public transportation system. It’s clean, it’s fast, it’s reliable. And the market hall. Even in Chicago, which is a huge city, there is no big food market. And the mineral baths. I think it’s just amazing to live in a place with so much natural water.

If you had to pick one, which would be your favorite place in Stuttgart?
Oh that’s a hard one. I would say the market hall. Or maybe the Schlossplatz. It’s such a nice place to sit outside. The fountains are really beautiful, the building is really beautiful, at night it’s very beautiful… it’s a nice place and the gardens are really beautiful, too. I just love that feeling of being downtown.

Have you found a more hidden place that you didn’t know about at the beginning?
I just found the Japanese garden, near Buschpilot. I stumbled upon it and I loved it. Well, there is a lot of graffiti but still. I think it’s a lovely hidden gem. I knew about the Chinese garden before but the Japanese one was new to me.

You said you’re a foodie. So what’s your favorite German dish?
I think it would be Käsespätzle. And I like Maultaschen, too. You know, I grew up in Wisconsin and Wisconsin is also a meat and potato kind of place so I like heavy food anyway – especially in the winter.

And what are your favorite restaurants in Stuttgart?
In Stuttgart-West there is this restaurant called Zum Spätzleschwob. That’s where I go for German food. And I also love sushi from Sushi-Ya at Feinkost Böhm. And I really like Metzgerei – for brunch, for lunch and for dinner. I also just love the bakeries. In Chicago there are not many bakeries, it’s not part of everyday life. So I really appreciate that.

How did you learn German?
Right after I moved I enrolled in an intensive course. But I think it was too soon. I just landed, my things were still on the way, I hadn’t settled in yet so I think I was just stressed out and not ready for it. Now I think about self-learning or learning online for example with babble for an hour a day or so. Also people tell me about Volkshochschule, so I’m thinking about doing an evening course to support my own learning.

What advice do you have for other expats that are planning to move to Stuttgart?
Get the VVS app on your phone So that you can buy tickets on your phone and plan your trips. I think that makes a big deal. Otherwise public transport can be confusing with zones and prices. And recycling and garbage separation are important here and very different to where I come from. This can be very complicated for someone who’s new. In general, I can recommend to just get into the train and explore all the great little neighborhoods. Walk around, explore the stores and restaurants. And the next day you can pick another neighborhood and explore it. I try to do a lot of exploring but even I find places where I haven’t been before. That’s what I would recommend.

You also have a blog. Tell us about it!
Yes I do, it is called americanexpatineurope.com. I started it when I moved to Stuttgart as a way to keep in touch with family and friends who were not on Facebook. I don’t write regularly but when I do, I get a good response.

And it is a good source of information and even inspiration for other expats or people who plan to move to Stuttgart! Thank you very much for your time, Nicole.

Links to places and services mentioned in the interview

americanexpatineurope.com

Marktkhalle

Mineralbad Das Leuze

Birkenstock sandals

Buschpilot restaurant (only in German)

Japanese Garden (only in German)

Chinese Garden (only in German)

Restaurant Zum Spätzleschwob

Sushi-Ya at Feinkost Böhn (only in German)

Restaurant Metzgerei (on facebook and only in German)

babble.com

Volkshochschule (VHS) Stuttgart (only in German)

VVS (public transportation in Stuttgart)

The post Expat interview with Nicole from americanexpatineurope. com appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

The website welcome-center-germany.com is a great starting point. Here you find lots of information, divided in four sections: Visas and Permits; Living in Germany; Learning German; and Insurance Products.

In the section Visas and Permits the Welcome Center provides information about how to apply for the right visa, how to bring your family members along and how to become a German citizen.

The Living in Germany section holds articles about how to find accommodation in Germany, open a bank account and finding a job.

Another very important and helpful section is Learning German. I know that our language can be quite tricky to learn and I know from some of you guys that you’re struggling sometimes. So this section might be helpful and encouraging.

The fourth section covers information about insurances. An introduction to health insurance or articles about car insurances can help you make the right choice.

I think this website might be very helpful for those of you thinking about moving to Germany or who are already preparing to do the big step.

More information:

Welcome Center Germany

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