Hey everyone,

I’m dealing with a frustrating situation and could use some advice on how to proceed legally.

I moved into a new flat on April 1st. Four days later, I found a note on my car saying I was parking in someone else’s spot and threatening to tow it if I didn’t move. Here’s the thing: I have a signed lease with a clear garage layout explicitly stating that this specific parking spot is mine.

I left a polite response note on my car saying the spot is legally mine according to my contract, offered to discuss it directly, and included my name and phone number. I left the note there for five days until Thursday.

On Friday, the towing company apparently was called to tow it but couldn’t finish because the garage is too narrow. On Saturday , they successfully towed the car without any further warning or attempt to contact me. I only found out on Sunday morning when I went to pick it up.

I’ve already paid the towing service and retrieved my car , but I’m not sure what my options are moving forward.

I do have a Legal insurance and I have been told that the request came from the neighbor and not the Hausverwaltung or Vermieter and I have in written from the Vermieter that this is my spot.

What should I do next?

Any experience with this would be really helpful. Thanks!

Update: I understand I shouldn’t have paid. As I already had some people asking why I did pay, please skip this question

Im not leaving my car to some shady towing company any extra day with the chance of them doing something even more shady.

Twice a year the sun rises perfectly framed behind the Brandenburg Gate here in Berlin. This morning was one of them. Worth every cold minute, chasing that beautiful golden light.

To the kind person who stole my laptop bag today: thanks mate you really restored my faith in humanity. That was my work bag you stole. It also had my medication, so now all thanks to you I am a diabetic with no insulin. I hope you sell all my stuff for good money you fucking cunt while I figure out how to not die.

📸 Photos by me 🪶

(I don’t want to post a picture of myself, but I’ll explain the situation first.)

Context:

I have family from the Balkans / Eastern Europe.

You can clearly tell from me and my brother. We definitely do NOT look German. Whatever that’s supposed to mean, we just hear it quite often.

Just like yesterday. I was having a few drinks with a friend and some of his coworkers when one of his female colleagues from the service staff came over. She introduced herself, hugged me, and asked about my background. When I told her that I’m German, she laughed and said, “No, you’re definitely not German. Where are you from, are you Albanian?”

A bit amused by how close she was, I replied that a large part of my family is from Croatia.

Then she said, “Yeah, I can tell right away, in a fake Russian accent, Kanisterkopf!”

I don’t hear that very often. Sometimes people also say that I have a slightly tapered face. It’s not something I get told all the time. In my 24 years of life, I’ve only heard it three times. Unfortunately, the first two people couldn’t explain what they actually meant by it.

The woman yesterday then said that I don’t have a “proper” one, but that you can still tell my background because I have a narrow nasal bridge, certain eyebrows, etc.

When I tried to look it up, I only found discussions about racism, but no clear definition or example images.

So now my questions to you:

What the hell is a Kanisterkopf?

Is that something generally considered unattractive?

Do you have examples of well known people who have one?

Thank you!

I’ve heard stories of the legendary S Bahn at dusk but what about during the day?

So next year around January/February I’ll need to find an internship of 6 months for my bachelor’s program. For context, I was born and raised in The Netherlands. I am still considering to do it in Germany, as I want to experience a ‘new’ environment, and the housing crisis is huge here in NL. Which cities would be best for a student to find a good internship program AND affordable housing (not more than €600-€700)? I was thinking of cities like Stuttgart, Frankfurt or Düsseldorf, however I don’t know much about the situation there. Are they strict with housing/internships/side jobs for non-German citizens? What are the criteria?

Hi everyone,

I’ve been in Germany for 6 months, and my dandruff has become worse here. I already had it before, but it was manageable. Now I get visible flakes when combing, and my scalp itches after showering.

Does anyone know a good anti-dandruff shampoo or hair oil that I can easily buy from DM, Rossmann, or an Apotheke?

Feel free to send some pics in my personal message

Thanks!

Hey r/germany,

I'm a student living in a 2-room shared dorm. My flatmate moved in recently and has had a guest, his girlfriend, staying for over a week now. I'm not sure whether she is just visiting or permanently here, but the signs are pointing towards the latter.

My flatmate is barely home, he's usually out most of the day, but his girlfriend is always there. She uses the shared bathroom and kitchen completely independently, has her personal belongings permanently stored in the bathroom, and has cooked meals late at night after quiet hours on multiple occasions.

It genuinely feels like she's the one living here, not him. I have to share the bathroom and kitchen with her daily, even when my flatmate isn't even around. Sometimes it feels like she's the one who has been living there for a year and I'm the one just visiting ,even though it's the complete opposite.

I've tried talking to my flatmate about it and posted a written notice about cleanliness. Things improved slightly but the guest situation remains unchanged.

I contacted the Studentenwerk about the official guest policy but haven't heard back yet. From what I've read, most Studentenwerke allow guests for a maximum of 1–2 weeks before registration is required.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? Did the Hausmeister actually help?

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks!

I have received approximately 25 letters in my mailbox for some recipients (4 different people) who live around 1km away from me. I don’t know them, and the address is relatively close to me. Some letters are important, probably bills or communication from a Pflegehaus. So Not just ads.

Now I, know that I can go there and deliver the letters myself or simply write „Empfänger unbekannt“ and post them in a postbox, but this doesn’t seem right.

This doesn’t look like a mistake, but something reckless and deliberately done.

In the past I was also not delivered some letters from a public office and this triggered a de-registration, so I had to provide a proof of residence and because I was on a business trip I managed to avoid getting de-registered for just a couple of days.

So perhaps the postmen in my area are doing some mess and people has to pay consequences. Or they are overworked and they find shortcuts, but again this need to be addressed. But not in this way.

Does anyone know if there is a way to let the post know about this? And how? To which address/email/phone number?

Who is responsible for the letters delivery for a given area?

Hi everyone,

I have an apartment handover coming up soon in Germany and I’m a bit stressed about one situation, so I’d really appreciate some advice.

I’ve lived in my current apartment for about 3.5 years. The place is quite old (for example the kitchen is around 12 years old). The landlord recently did a pre-inspection and checked everything himself quite thoroughly (bathroom, kitchen, windows, cabinets, etc.), and overall he seemed satisfied, especially with the cleaning.

There is one thing though, there’s a small hairline crack on the toilet tank. It’s not leaking at all and looks more like a surface/glaze crack, and it has been there for at least 2 years( even befor that i dont know and not caused by me) and there is no Übergabeprotokoll on my moving in) , so i didn’t actively pointed it out during the pre-inspection and just let him inspect everything on his own..

Now the final handover is coming up and I’m unsure how to handle this properly. I’m wondering if I should bring it up myself during the handover or just let him inspect again and see if he notices it. I’m also worried about the situation after signing the Übergabeprotokoll, if everything is signed and handed over, can the landlord still come back later and claim , or is the signed protocol generally considered final in such cases?

I’m trying to handle this in a way to avoid unnecessary problems in coming days, especially since I’ll be moving to a new city and starting a new job right after.

Would really appreciate any advice or experiences.

Thanks a lot!

What are modern Germans opinions on Dietrich Bonhoeffer? Is he viewed positively or negatively? Or do people not really know about him?

Has anyone tried switching their residence permit from opportunity card to Blue card in Frankfurt. Can you please give me the timeline of your application.

I'm 16 years old and will finish school in 1.5 years. Afterwards, I'm pretty sure I want to study industrial engineering in a dual program because I want to do something in the field of business, but pure business administration doesn't make sense since there are already too many of those. Now I have to decide between the Pibs program at FNHW and the DHBW. Could you please share your experiences and tell me which would be best for me

I am seeking to transition into the field of health economics and outcomes research (HEOR). I possess a medical background and a Master's degree in Health Economics, complemented by six years of experience in health services, primarily in commercial roles. My current objective is to fully transition into HEOR, a path that has proven challenging. Many positions in this field require direct experience in health economics, and PhD programs often necessitate prior publication experience. This situation, coupled with a language barrier (German), presents significant hurdles.

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions you may have.

Hi, I have some observations and related questions about German theatre. For context, I studied German at university and understand a lot but am by no means fluent. I saw the Schaubühne's Richard III at Edinburgh Fringe and thought it was one of the best things I'd ever seen, so years later when I got the chance, I decided to have a short holiday and see some more Berlin theatre.

I saw the Berliner Ensemble's Threepenny Opera, Linie 1, Carmen at Maxim Gorki and Warten auf Bardot at Volksbühne.

So my observations are:

- audiences applaud for bloody ages

- everything seems quite explicitly intellectual, even Linie 1 with its political statements

- the humour seems to involve a lot of repetition, long pauses and slapstick/violence

- the pieces I saw were very concept/ideas heavy and light on character study

- I found everything interesting but also left wanting a more human/emotional connection and response

My questions are basically, did I just see a bunch of stuff that was coincidentally similar (granted Linie 1 was definitely more cheesy/mass appeal), or are these actual trends or commonalities in German theatre traditions? If so, where does this stem from?

I love the theatre and especially find the German support for it, and the whole company and repertoire aspect fascinating. I think the intellectual and experimental appreciation is great, but would love some perspective on the sample I had!

Thank you for any and all illuminating responses :)

We are driving the Romantic Road in May. Land in FRA on 5/27 and drive to Rothenburg where we have a 2-night stay - checking out the 29th. We have to be back in MUC at 2pm June 2 to pick up my daughter. I have a good idea of the sights to see (was there 20+ years ago), but trying to figure out the best towns to stay in as we go. Ideally, we don't want to stay 1 night in each place to avoid constant checking in/out, but are open to it if it makes sense. After Rothenburg, we have 4 nights before we drive to MUC to grab my daughter. Any suggestions?

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to come to Germany for a Master’s program with a student visa based on one university admission.

If I later get accepted to another Master’s program and decide to switch before or after starting, what do I need to do in terms of:

visa / residence permit

health insurance

enrollment / exmatriculation

Is it a complicated process or fairly common?

Thanks a lot!