Before you start

Passport and residence permit or visa
Meldebescheinigung, for most traditional banks
Steuer-ID, or an undertaking to supply it once issued
A German address for card and PIN delivery

Step-by-step

1
Open a digital account before you arrive if you can
Several German and EU digital banks issue a German IBAN without a registered address, which breaks the deadlock of needing an account to pay a deposit and a lease to open an account. Keep it as a bridge rather than as your only account.
Mobile appWho: YouBefore arrival
2
Add a Sparkasse or Volksbank account once registered
Sparkasse Leipzig has the branch and cash machine density that a fintech app does not, and smaller landlords in the east still read an established local bank as a sign of stability. It also matters for depositing cash, which more people here still handle than you would expect.
In personWho: You
3
Order your free Schufa data copy in the first month
You are entitled to one full copy of your data per year at no charge. Landlords expect a Schufa-Auskunft with every application. Request it early so the document exists when a viewing appears, and expect it to be nearly empty rather than negative.
OnlineWho: YouMonth 1
4
Carry cash, genuinely
Bakeries, market stalls, many bars along the Karli, some doctors' practices and a good number of Connewitz venues take cash only. Eastern Germany is more cash-oriented than the west, which is itself more cash-oriented than most of Europe. Fifty euros in your pocket is normal here and not a sign of eccentricity.
In personWho: You
5
Know the deposit rules before a landlord names a figure
The deposit is capped at three months' cold rent, must be held apart from the landlord's own assets so it survives their insolvency, and you have an unconditional right to pay it in three monthly instalments alongside the first three rents. Landlords very rarely mention the instalment right.
In personWho: You
6
Set up the SEPA mandates in the first fortnight
Rent, health insurance, the Rundfunkbeitrag, electricity and your phone all collect by direct debit. A failed collection produces a formal Mahnung with a fee attached rather than a gentle reminder, and it escalates on a timetable of weeks.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport and residence permit
Meldebescheinigung
Steuer-ID once issued
Employment contract or proof of freelance income
Schufa data copy, for rental applications

Things most newcomers don’t know

The deposit is capped at three months' cold rent and payable in three instalments by right.

Section 551 of the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch caps the deposit, requires the landlord to hold it separately from their own assets, and gives the tenant an unconditional right to split it over the first three rents. Landlords rarely volunteer that right. Leipzig rents are moderate by German standards, which makes people accept a lump sum without thinking — but it is still the largest single payment of your move.

Source: Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch §551

Eastern Germany is meaningfully more cash-based, and Leipzig's best places are the cash-only ones.

Card acceptance has improved everywhere but the gap persists: bakeries, markets, many bars, some clinics and a large share of the independent venues in Südvorstadt and Connewitz still take cash only, and some refuse cards on principle rather than for cost. Arriving with a card-only wallet means being turned away from exactly the places you moved here for.

Source: community-reported

An empty Schufa file is normal, and a freelancer's file needs different evidence.

Landlords read a blank file as an unknown rather than a negative, and counter it with proof of income. Employees produce an HR letter; freelancers, who are numerous here, should bring the last two tax assessments or a Steuerberater's income confirmation, plus bank statements. Turning up with nothing but a good story is what loses a flat in a market where vacancy has collapsed.

Source: community-reported

Germany escalates a failed direct debit faster than almost anywhere.

Rent, insurance, utilities and the broadcasting fee all collect by SEPA Lastschrift. A bounced collection produces a formal Mahnung with a fee, then a second, then a collection agency, on a timetable measured in weeks rather than months. There is almost no informal grace period. Set every mandate up early and keep a buffer, especially in the month you pay a deposit.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving with no German IBAN and being unable to transfer a deposit when a flat is finally offered.
Paying the whole deposit at once without knowing about the three-instalment right.
Carrying only cards in a city where a lot of the good places take only cash.
Attending viewings without a Schufa data copy and, if freelance, without income evidence.
Opening several accounts and credit products in the same month on a thin file.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.