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Info Brochure for residents

We have compiled all important information for the residents of our dormitories in our info brochure. Here you will find everything you need to know: from “autoload” to access authorization.

You can download the brochure as PDF by clicking on the cover.

FAQ – All about housing

What should international students pay particular attention to?

What should international students pay particular attention to?

We look forward to welcoming you in our halls of residence. It doesn't matter whether you are coming to Mainz or Bingen for a full course of study, or whether you are coming to the region for an exchange. We offer you a new home in our halls of residence.

We recommend that you apply online for a room

    before 15 January (summer semester) or
    before 15 July (winter semester).

This will give you the best chance of getting a place in the hall of residence.

Then click on the confirmation link that we will send you by email to confirm your application (only then do we receive the application in our system. Please now check your e-mail regularly (also junk mail/spam). We will send the room offer by e-mail. The offer must be confirmed within 3 days, after which the room will be offered to other students.
Would you prefer to look for accommodation on the private housing market?

Of course you can also look for a room privately. However, we would like to point out that it is not very common in Germany to rent a private room or flat that is furnished. Foreign students often have a hard time finding a flat if they don't speak the local language well and only want to rent something for a short time. In the private market, students in general often need their parents' signature or guarantee. For shared flats, you usually have to apply and take part in WG castings. This means that you often have to be in Mainz in advance to be able to find something privately. You can find more information on private housing here.

How long can I stay in the dormitory?

How long can I stay in the dormitory?

In total, the maximum period of residence for students who are fully entitled to live in our dormitories is 10 semesters (5 years). We will remind you by e-mail three months before the end of the semester that you can extend your rental agreement for another semester.

You can also extend your rental agreement for more than 10 semesters with voluntary work or with a justified application.

As before, there is no exceptional right of termination for your rental agreement, not even in the course of the current corona pandemic. However, upon request we offer you the possibility of subletting your room if you cannot or do not want to use it yourself. 

For residents with limited residence rights, an extension of the contract is only possible if there are still free apartments available in the following semester. Priority is given to students who are fully entitled to residency. The maximum period of residence is still limited. Please refer to the corresponding paragraph in your rental agreement.

Authorization - can I apply for a place in a dormitory?

Authorization - can I apply for a place in a dormitory?

You can always submit an application, regardless of whether or not you already have an admission. This question of enrolment only becomes relevant for you when you decide whether you want to sign our rental agreement.

Enrolled students from the following universities are given preference when it comes to signing a rental agreement, because they are fully entitled to live there.

  • Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz (incl. Studienkolleg and University of Music)
  • University of Mainz
  • Bingen University of Technology

Students of other universities will receive a lease offer if all applications from students of the above mentioned universities have been offered a rental agreement. Students of other universities are only entitled to residency with restrictions. Please note that rental agreements can be extended after one semester if there are still free places available in the following semester. Priority is given to students who are fully entitled to residency.Select "x_Other university" in the application form. The maximum period of residence is limited. Please note the corresponding paragraph in the statutes of the dormitories of the Stw Mainz

Externals, non-students are also restricted in their right of residence. Rental agreements will only be sent out once the two groups mentioned above have received offers. The above-mentioned information on the extension of the lease is valid accordingly. Please select "x_no university". If we still have free places after the allocation to students, we will send you a rental agreement offer.

Why does my rental agreement expire at the end of the semester?

Why does my rental agreement expire at the end of the semester?

We offer you a temporary lease for one semester, but you can extend it every semester (for more information, see "How long can I stay in the dormitory?" in FAQ).

The end of the semester is therefore also the end of the contract. On request, we offer you the possibility of subletting your room if you cannot or do not want to use it yourself. You can find more information about subletting and what you should know about it on the homepage under Sublease.

All-inclusive rental - what does that mean?

All-inclusive rental - what does that mean?

We offer you an all-inclusive rental. This means that there are no additional costs for water, electricity, internet and waste disposal besides the monthly rent.
 
Not included in the rent:

  • Broadcasting fee (further information here)
  • Washing costs - anyone who wants to wash their laundry has to pay for it. A washing machine load costs € 1.80, a dryer load € 0.80
  • For our key emergency service outside of the working hours of the janitors we will charge a fee
     

I don't have an admission yet, should I sign the contract anyway?

I don't have an admission yet, should I sign the contract anyway?

If you have not yet received an admission or if you do not yet know whether you will study in Mainz or Bingen, you will have to weigh up and decide for yourself whether you want to accept the contract or not. The validity of the rental agreement is not dependent on this.

Submit the enrolment certificate 

After receipt of your enrolment certificate you must submit it for the current semester, preferably via the rental portal.

Without enrolment certificate

If you are not enrolled, according to §1 paragraph 4 of the statutes you have to pay the current social contributions in addition to the regular rent. Enrolled students pay these social contributions directly to the universities (JGU, HS Mainz, TH Bingen) and are forwarded by them to the Stw Mainz for social services.
 

Autoload - How can I register for the automatic refill of my StudiCard?

Autoload - How can I register for the automatic refill of my StudiCard?

Autoload is a service for an automatic refill of your StudiCard. 

Find more information about how to get Autoload an how it works here!

If you don’t want to use our Autoload service, there are vending machines in the dormitories where you can load your StudiCard with your secret code. For example to pay with you StudiCard for the washing machine and dryer.
 

How do I reach the emergency service?

How do I reach the emergency service?

In case of emergencies such as fire, explosions, water damage with running water, power failure, vandalism or for the chargeable emergency key service outside the working hours of the janitors, if you are locked out, you can call the emergency service.

For your information - during the working hours of the janitors the key service is free of charge.
 

Something is broken in my room/dormitory, what do I do?

Something is broken in my room/dormitory, what do I do?

Fill out the repair ticket and throw it in the janitor's mailbox.

Report everything
Please report damages of any kind that you notice on the dormitory grounds, in your room/apartment and on general areas (such as the corridors) to your janitor. Please fill out a repair ticket, sign it and put it in the janitor's mailbox.

Only janitor are authorized to make repairs
Please do not carry out any unauthorized repairs, e.g. under no circumstances remove the drain in the shower! In case of blockage please inform the janitor immediately. You will be charged for the costs of repairs carried out incorrectly. So please protect yourself, inform the janitor about damages and let him or a specialized company do the repairs.

I would like to move out before the end of my contract, is that possible?

I would like to move out before the end of my contract, is that possible?

Of course you can leave your room before the end of the contract, but you will still have to pay your rent. If you do not terminate your lease in due time, your lease will remain legally valid until the date confirmed by us (see general terms of lease §15) or until the end of the contract. There is no exceptional right of termination for your rental agreement, not even in the course of the current corona pandemic. However, you can apply for a permission to sublet and look for a holiday tenant. For more information about subletting and what you should know about it, please visit the homepage under Sublease.

For more information on terminating the rental agreement, see “Moving out”.

What do I do with my empty room?

What do I do with my empty room?

Your room in the dormitory is empty?

You can avoid this by subletting your room. This is very simple: You apply for subletting to the Studierendenwerk Mainz and pay an administration fee of € 50.00. You find a suitable holiday tenant for the time you need it. Please note, however, that you, as the main tenant, remain responsible for all damages that the holiday tenant might causes.

You will find more information on the page Sublease.
 

When will I receive a rental agreement offer?

When will I receive a rental agreement offer?

Summer semester: Between January and the end of March the room offers are sent out.

Winter semester: Between July and the end of September room offers are sent out.

The later the application, the later the offer
We allocate the rooms according to the date of application, i.e. the later you apply, the later we will send you an offer.

Your rental contract will be sent by e-mail

The offers for a room in the dormitories of the Stw Mainz are sent by e-mail. Your time limit for confirming the offered lease is between 1 and 3 days. After this period the offer expires and you will be automatically deleted from the waiting list. Therefore please check your e-mail account regularly.

You have been waiting for a long time and have not heard anything from Stw Mainz yet?

Have you…

  1. send an application via the rental portal?
  2. clicked on the confirmation in the e-mail sent to you directly afterwards, so that your data is transferred to our system?
  3. clicked on the link in the e-mail that is sent out every few weeks to stay on the waiting list?

If you can answer all these questions with "Yes!" and have not heard from us after some time, please send us an e-mail
Please also check the date for which you have applied.

How are the rooms in the dormitories furnished?

How are the rooms in the dormitories furnished?

We only offer furnished living space. All apartments and rooms are equipped with at least a bed, wardrobe, desk, chair, shelf and a separate refrigerator. 

A basic equipment, such as blanket, pillow, bed linen, dishes, towels is not included. You can bring these with you or order/pick them up from us.
 

How does the Internet work in the dormitory?

How does the Internet work in the dormitory?

Internet in the dormitory

We use the university network in our dormitories. It can take about 1-2 weeks until activation. 

You can find detailed information on the page Internet in the dormitory
 

Do I need a household insurance or a liability insurance?

Do I need a household insurance or a liability insurance?

We recommend that you find out whether you are covered through your parents' liability and household insurance because of a family insurance.
If this is not the case, we recommend that you take out a household and liability insurance for your own protection. However, it is entirely up to you to decide whether you follow this advice.
 

How are the rent adjustments calculated?

How are the rent adjustments calculated?

In order to ensure that the financing of the halls of residence is secured for the future in the event of rising prices, the Board of Directors decided on 23 June 2022 that the warm rent component of the halls of residence rent will be increased in future on 1 September each year according to the consumer price index. As a rule, an announcement of the rent increase is to be made in June.

In order to calculate the rent increase concretely, the price increases according to the CPI from June of the previous year to May of the current year are taken into account.


The rent increase according to the CPI refers exclusively to the warm rent portion of the hall of residence rent. What does this mean?

The Studierendenwerk Mainz differentiates internally between the so-called warm rent portion and a cold rent portion when determining the all-inclusive rent to be paid by you. However, these terms have nothing to do with the cold or warm rent as you may know it from the general rental market. The so-called cold rent share includes the repayment instalments and interest from the financing of the halls of residence or the rent that the Studierendenwerk pays to third parties as the owner of the halls of residence buildings (e.g. for the Kisselberg halls of residence). The warm rent share includes all other costs, such as heating, water, electricity, caretaker, administration, maintenance, minor upkeep, property tax. Only this warm rent share is subject to adjustment according to the CPI and is calculated per bed space. For the cold rent portion, the rent increases that the building owner passes on to us are taken into account in the rent increase. The annual annuity we pay to the bank for our own halls of residence remains the same.  

How was the current rent increase calculated?

The warm rent portion broken down across all halls of residence to the individual bed space at Studierendenwerk Mainz amounted to € 152.49 in 2021. Only this part of your all-inclusive rent is subject to adjustment according to the CPI. The CPI rose by 8.11% in the period from June 21 to May 22. This results in an increase in the warm rent portion of € 12.37. In the same period, the rent payment obligations of the Studierendenwerk increased by € 1.17 broken down by bed space due to contractual obligations or other rent increases. This then results in a total rent adjustment of € 13.54 and rounded € 14.00. (Note: In 2022, the rent was already adjusted by € 6 on 01.04, which is why there will only be another rent increase of € 8 on 01.09).

What is not covered by the rent increase?

These rent increases do not cover additional expenses for regularly necessary major renovations, maintenance and other investments in the halls of residence. The Studierendenwerk's administrative board decides separately on such additionally required rent increases at irregular intervals according to need

Do I have to pay broadcasting fees?

Do I have to pay broadcasting fees?

In Germany you have to pay a broadcasting fee and register for it. If you do not do so, you will receive a reminder for the outstanding amount from the responsible office. Why? 

Here you will find an explanation of the solidarity model on rundfunkbeitrag.de.

Can you be exempted or apply for a reduction?

You can find information on this on the page rundfunkbeitrag.de.

You live in a shared flat?

In shared flats only one tenant needs to pay: Please discuss this with your roommates and divide the fee between you.
 

Study on housing preferences and housing situation in the dormitories of the Studierendenwerk Mainz

Who lives in our dormitories, why do students move in there and what is important to them in their dormitory life. Apartment or shared flat, price or number of square meters, facilities or distance? Viktoria Bading and Andreas Wettlaufer answered these and other questions in the study for their master thesis under Dr. Schiener in cooperation with the Stw Mainz.

"Living preferences and living situation in the dormitories of the Studierendenwerk Mainz" is the title of the study from 2019, in which 32% of the tenants took part. Get to know the demography of the residents' structure and read what the two sociology students found out in their master thesis: Download the study.

Studienbericht: Leben und Studieren in den Wohnheimen des Studierendenwerks Mainz

Ein Studienbericht aus dem Lehrforschungsprojekt „Bedingungen und Präferenzen studentischen Wohnens im diskreten Entscheidungsexperiment“ 2021/22 von Studierenden der Johannes-Gutenberg Universität Mainz, Institut für Soziologie in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Studierendenwerk Mainz aus dem November 2021.

Hier finden Sie den Bericht.

Wohnheimwörterbuch

Wohnheimwörterbuch

Du bist gerade erst in Mainz angekommen und du hast keine Lust dauernd ein Wörterbuch mit dir herumzuschleppen? Dann versuch es mal mit der illustrierten Wohnheimwörterbuch-App iDormDict für dein Smartphone, die dir das Leben ungemein erleichtern wird!

Das Wörterbuch ist auch als PDF herunterladbar.


Gesundheitswörterbuch

Das Gesundheitswörterbuch gibt dir einen guten Überblick z.B. über Krankenversicherung, Arztbesuch und Atteste.