Tenant Glossary

Rental Agreements for temporary Apartments

Crocodilian provides Rental Agreements

If you want to rent a furnished apartment, you always get a rental agreement. At Crocodilian, you get a bilingual agreement, which you can fill online. If you are already in Berlin to view the apartment, and would like to move in as soon as possible, it is better to use the printed version of the online contract.

Whether you use the Crocodilian standard rental agreement or a different version, you should always have a written contract, and you should read through it thoroughly.

What are the contents of the rental agreement?

The rental agreement contains the standard details such as rental period, amount of rent to be paid, the method of payment, payment deadlines, move-in, and move-out dates, and when and how the keys will be handed over.

All the duties and rights of the tenant are also stated in the rental agreement. Duties of the tenant include properly cleaning the apartment, taking thorough care of it, and reporting any accidents or damage to the property or facilities to the owner immediately. It does not matter whether the tenant is responsible or not, all damage must be reported. This makes it easier for the owner to make repairs, or to clarify the situation while you are still in the apartment. You should not remain quiet about damage in the hope that the owner will not find out when he/she moves back in.

The apartment should also be regularly and properly ventilated to avoid the growth of mold. It is also your responsibility to make sure you do not overuse the power or heating in the apartment. Although of course, you shouldn't be sitting in the cold and dark, it's important to be conscious of how you use these utilities. For example, before you put the heating on full in every room, first consider whether you can be warmer by wearing a pullover rather than a T-shirt. Sometimes when the tenant is not so energy-efficient, the owners receive very high energy costs later on. We recommend that you always keep tabs on how you use the power in the apartment. You can do this by also checking the meter readings for gas and electricity from time to time.

Illegal downloads and uploads are strictly forbidden. This is also stated in the rental agreement. If you are caught doing so in the apartment, the fine can be as high as 1000 Euros and will be charged to your account.

No third party transfers

Subletting an apartment, or a part of the apartment to a third party is strictly forbidden and goes against the rental agreement. The contract was concluded between you and the owner. The owner has let the apartment to you upon learning about you as an individual and then informing you all about the specific details of the apartment. No one can be sure that a third party will behave accordingly. To further ensure the apartment for a third party, the security deposit will naturally have to be increased to an amount few will be willing to pay. Remember you have rented out someone’s furnished apartment, and not an empty one that you can rent out as you choose.

No commercial use for the rented apartment

Furnished apartments for rent are only for personal living use, and not for any commercial or public use. This means you cannot give the address of this apartment as an office address, open an office there, or start any kind of business. This is also against your rental agreement.