Housing

Subletting your room or apartment (even partially) to third parties is only permitted with the written consent of the Mainz Student Services Association. Without this permission, holiday rentals are not permitted.

A one-time administrative fee of €75 will be charged to process your application. During the vacation rental period, you remain the contractual partner and are liable for your room—including for any damage that occurs during the vacation rental period.

Application for approval of a vacation subblease as a PDF download at Downloads Housing, page opens in a new window

The rent may not exceed the current flat rate rent. We recommend that you sign a written contract with your vacation tenant, agree on a deposit, and ask for a copy of their ID. It is also a good idea to take photos of the condition of your room before handing it over.

You organize the key handover yourself. Your vacation tenant can obtain a guest account for the internet at the information point.

Answer:
You can only sublet your room during the holidays if you move back in after the holiday rental and remain the main tenant. This means that holiday rentals are only permitted if you continue to live in your apartment after the holidays.

Examples:

• Permitted:
  You are traveling during the semester break, but will continue to study in Mainz afterwards and continue to live in your apartment. In this case, you are allowed to rent out your room for vacation purposes.
• Not permitted:
  You want to move out and plan to bridge the remaining rental period with a vacation rental. This is not possible—vacation rentals are only possible if you move back in yourself after the vacation.

Important: A vacation sublease is not a way to terminate your lease early or give up your room permanently.

If you are unsure whether your situation is suitable, please feel free to contact us!

Answer:
You can only sublet your room during the lecture-free period. This is from February 1 to March 31 and from July 1 to September 30. During these periods, you can submit an application for vacation sublease to the Studierendenwerk Mainz. Only once your application has been approved may you sublet your room for the specified period.

Important: If your rental agreement expires during the current semester, vacation sublease are no longer possible. This means that you must remain the main tenant even after the vacation sublease period.

To sublet your room during the holidays, you must complete the application form in full and submit the original to the Infopoint or send it by mail to the Housing Department. You are not allowed to sublet your room during the holidays without an approved application.

In summary:

• Vacation sublease is only permitted during the lecture-free period (February 1–March 31 / July 1–September 30).
• An application for vacation sublease is mandatory.
• No vacation sublease if your lease ends during the current semester.
• Submit the original application to the Info Point or send it by mail.

If you still have questions after reading all the FAQs or are unsure about anything, please feel free to come to the Info Point for a personal consultation. The Housing Team will be happy to help you!

It is essential that you submit a formal application to the landlord, Studierendenwerk Mainz.

You are responsible for finding a subtenant yourself. Once you have found a subtenant, submit the completed application form, including copies of your ID and enrollment certificate, to the Infopoint or drop it in the mailbox at Staudinger Weg 21. Now wait for a response from Studierendenwerk Mainz.

Once you have received approval from Studierendenwerk Mainz, you can take the next steps and sign a contract with your vacation tenant.

Application of a vacation sublease as a PDF download on Download Housing, page opens in new window

During the lecture-free period (February 1 to March 31 / July 1 to September 30), you may only rent to students. Therefore, in addition to each application, we require a copy of the vacation renter's ID and a certificate of enrollment. Please note that vacation renters should not be older than 35 years of age.

Before you accept a potential vacation renter and recommend them to Studierendenwerk Mainz, ask yourself whether they would be a good fit for your dormitory and, if applicable, your shared apartment, because as the main renter, you remain the contractual partner of the Studierendenwerk Mainz for the duration of the vacation rental.

When your vacation tenant returns the rental property, you are responsible for the condition of your apartment/room in accordance with all rights and obligations agreed in the rental contract.

Special conditions for shared apartments

If you want to rent out your room in a shared apartment, you have two options:

The simplest: Find a vacation renter of the same gender.

Slightly more complicated: You need the written consent of your roommates if your vacation tenant is not of the same gender. The consent of your roommates must be in writing with their signatures and submitted to the Studierendenwerk Mainz with the vacation rental application without being requested. Please note that if consent is not obtained, we will have to reject your vacation tenant.

Example: You live in a 2-person shared apartment in Hechtsheim. You have found a student as a vacation tenant, your roommate and your potential vacation tenant agree to share the kitchen and bathroom with the opposite sex and to live together. Both declare in writing that they agree to live together in the two-person shared apartment. You submit this declaration together with your application for vacation rental.

If either the vacation renter or the roommate does not agree with the constellation in the shared apartment, it is best to find another vacation renter. The Studierendenwerk Mainz will have to reject the application without the missing consent.

Advertise your living space in regional housing search groups or on online housing search portals such as

www.studierendenwerk-mainz.de/wohnen/privat-wohnen/privatzimmervermittlung

www.wg-gesucht.de

www.mitwohnzentrale.de

https://housinganywhere.com/de/

Check who is eligible to be your vacation tenant. Please also consider their age and how well they fit into the reality of life in the dormitory.

As the main tenant, you remain responsible to us, the landlord (Studierendenwerk Mainz), for the rent payment. Ongoing rent payments will continue to be debited from your checking account, as you, as the main tenant, remain the contractual partner of Studierendenwerk Mainz for the duration of the vacation rental. We will send reminders about outstanding rent to you and, in the event of prolonged non-payment of rent, we may take further legal action against you. In addition to a freely negotiable rent, which may not exceed the current flat rate rent, we recommend that you negotiate a reasonable deposit.

Example: The Studierendenwerk Mainz debits the rent from your account on a monthly basis. Your vacation renter transfers the monthly rent to you. This way, you can be sure that your vacation renter is meeting their payment obligations.

Draw up a written contract with the holiday tenant, ask for a reasonable deposit and, if necessary, a copy of their passport or identity card for your own personal security. You may also want to take photos of the condition of the room before handing it over to the holiday tenant.

As the main tenant, you remain the contractual partner of the Studierendenwerk Mainz for the duration of the vacation rental. In this respect, you are responsible for all rights and obligations agreed in the rental contract for the condition of your apartment/room when the vacation renter returns the rental property. Any damage caused by the vacation tenant will be at your expense and will be deducted from your deposit at the end of the contract. We therefore recommend that you only return the deposit to the vacation tenant once you, as the main tenant, have received the deposit back from the Studierendenwerk Mainz. Your deposit will usually be paid out to the bank account you specified approximately 6-8 weeks after the end of your rental agreement. If we have found any issues when you moved out, processing will be delayed.

If you have already found a vacation tenant, please forward the completed vacation rental application, including a copy of the vacation tenant's ID card, passport, and/or visa, as well as their enrollment confirmation, to our Info Point.

You will receive a confirmation email from us with the countersigned vacation rental application. Please note that only then is your vacation renter permitted to move in.

Application for approval of a vacation sublease as a PDF download on Downloads Housing, page opens in a new window

In principle, the caretakers in the dormitories are not responsible for handing over your room to your holiday rental. Please organize this room handover yourself. If you are no longer on site, you could also arrange this through friends at your place of study or in the dormitory, for example.

Before handing over the rental property, we recommend that you take photos of the condition of your room/apartment so that you can assert claims for compensation against your vacation renter in case of doubt.

Sign a written vacation rental agreement with the vacation renter. You can find templates for this free of charge at major online real estate providers.

In your own interest, we advise you to ask to see the vacation renter's passport or ID card to verify their identity or to have a copy sent to you.

Please also refer to the FAQ sections on room handover, deposits, and rent payment.

If you want to rent out your room in a shared apartment, you have two options.

The simplest: Find a vacation renter of the same gender.

Slightly more complicated: you will need the written consent of your roommates if your vacation tenant is not of the same gender. The consent of your roommates must be in writing, signed, and informal, and must be submitted to the Studierendenwerk Mainz with the vacation rental application without being requested. Please note that if consent is not obtained, we will have to reject your vacation tenant.

Example: You live in a 2-person shared apartment in Hechtsheim. You have found a student as a vacation tenant, your roommate and your potential vacation tenant agree to share the kitchen and bathroom with the opposite sex and to live together. Both declare in writing that they agree to live together in the two-person shared apartment. You submit this declaration together with your application for vacation rental.

If either the vacation renter or the roommate does not agree with the constellation in the shared apartment, it is best to find another vacation renter. The Studierendenwerk Mainz will have to reject the application without the missing consent.

Once your vacation renter has moved in, they can pick up a guest account for free internet access at our info point. They must have their passport or ID card ready to present when picking up the account.

Registration for vacation rentals

Please fill out the vacation rental application and submit it to the Infopoint or drop it in the mailbox at Staudinger Weg 21.

The vacation renter must be a registered student and, if possible, not older than 35 years of age.

You can find possible internet portals for finding a holiday tenant under the question: “How do I find a holiday tenant?”

Application for approval of a vacation sublease as a PDF download at Downloads Housing, page opens in a new window

On the Legal Basis page (opens in a new window), you will find the legal basis for answers in this FAQ in the document.

• General Rental Terms and Conditions (PDF)

in § 8 Transfer of the Rental Property to Third Parties, Vacation Rental.

Application for approval of a vacation rental as a PDF download, page opens in new window