For non-German-speakers: it pays – literally – to learn the simple language of apartment ads (Strom is electricity, Haustiererlaubt is pets allowed, and Waschmaschine is, well, you can guess). Rental agencies and others who post on English-friendly craigslist.org often charge 10% to 30% over the going rate. To rent like a local, check out www.studenten-wg.de and www.wg-gesucht.de.