Are you looking for an apartment? The following places and sites are good places to find one:

• Housing office in your city, municipality, district administration

The housing office in your town or municipality can help you find accommodation. Often, apartments are directly procured there. If this is not the case, the staff of the housing office can at least help you with useful addresses and information.

• GAG Ludwigshafen

• GBG Mannheim

• GGH Heidelberg

• Ads in the daily newspapers

- Die Rheinpfalz / Rheinpfalz Immo (for Ludwigshafen and Rhineland-Palatinate)

- Mannheimer Morgen / Immo morgen (for Mannheim and surroundings)
- Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung / rnz-immo.de (for the Rhine-Neckar region)

• Advertising papers such as "Wochenblatt"

 

Finding an apartment online

• Facebook groups: There are many local Facebook groups in which users offer (a room in) their flats. For example:

- WG & Wohnung Mannheim gesucht (Shared flats & apartments wanted in Mannheim)

- Wohnungen frei in Heidelberg (Free apartments in Heidelberg)

- WG & Wohnung Ludwigshafen gesucht (Shared flats & apartments wanted in Ludwigshafen)

• Real-estate sites on the Internet: There are many real-estate portals that can help you find an apartment. You can also enter the location, price and area you are looking for:

- Immobilienscout24

- ebay Kleinanzeigen

- WG-Gesucht

- WG-Suche

- Rheinpfalz Immo

- Immomorgen

- rnz-immo.de

 

Important note: A real estate agent can cost you money!

If you use the help of a real-estate agent, and you successfully find housing, you may have to pay a mediation fee of maximum two monthly rents plus VAT. The agent's commission is usually 3 to 6 percent of the purchase / rent price plus VAT.

 

Example text: Cover note to landlords and real-estate agents

You can use this text in German if you want to write to a landlord or real-estate agent (English translation below):

Sehr geehrte Frau LAST NAME/ Sehr geehrter Herr LAST NAME,

ich habe Ihre Wohnungsanzeige bei NAME OF NEWSPAPER OR WEBSITE gesehen. Die Wohnung gefällt mir sehr gut und ist genau das, was ich suche. 
Ich möchte mich erkundigen, ob die Wohnung noch zur Verfügung steht und ob es möglich ist, die Wohnung zu besichtigen. 
Über ein persönliches Gespräch mit Ihnen würde ich mich sehr freuen.
Meine Telefonnummer: YOUR PHONE NUMBER
Meine E-Mail-Adresse: YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

Herzlichen Gruß
YOUR NAME

English version:

Dear Mrs. LAST NAME / Dear Mr. LAST NAME,

I saw your apartment ad in NAME OF NEWSPAPER OR WEBSITE. I like the apartment very much and it is exactly what I am looking for. 
I would like to inquire whether the apartment is still available and whether it is possible to visit the apartment.
I would be very pleased to talk with you in person.
My phone number: YOUR PHONE NUMBER
My email address: YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

Best regards
YOUR NAME