Rent a HOWOGE flat sooner with Telegram alerts

A commission-free flat from a city-owned Berlin landlord attracts a queue within hours, so the real advantage is hearing about it early and having your request ready to send.

3 steps

Set up in a minute

Search on HOWOGE, sort by newest

Build a HOWOGE search you would actually apply from

In the flat search on the HOWOGE website, pick the districts you would live in, the room count your household needs and a rent limit you can sustain, plus floor area if offered. If the page lets you filter by WBS, use it. Then copy the results page's address.
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Copy the link, paste it into mxsender

Create the search in MXSender with Telegram

Paste the link into MXSender and select Telegram. Email can be added to the same search if you also want a copy in your inbox.
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New listings land in your Telegram

See the card, open the flat, send your request

Each new flat arrives as a card with the photo, title, rent and a button to the listing. From there you follow the listing's own way of registering interest.
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Start monitoring HOWOGE →

Track a search on HOWOGE right now

Paste the HOWOGE search link you want watched — we’ll check we can read it, then set up your alerts.

Track this search →

For example:

📘 How to pick the right link ↗

🔎 Open HOWOGE ↗

Picture a Tuesday in Lichtenberg

A two-room HOWOGE flat goes online in the morning. By lunch, a long line of people may have seen it, and contact could be closed by the afternoon. Someone who checks the site after work never knew it existed.

A Telegram card changes that only in one respect: you learn about the flat when our check spots it, wherever you are. The rest, a fast and complete request, is up to you, and the sections below help with that.

The document folder Berlin landlords expect

Exact requirements are stated per listing or after you register interest. Commonly asked for in Berlin: proof of income for the last months, a copy of your ID or passport and residence permit, a credit report (often a SCHUFA report) and a letter from your current landlord confirming no rent arrears. A WBS where the flat needs one.

Scan these once and keep the PDFs in your Telegram Saved Messages. When a card lands and the flat fits, everything you need is in the same app.

Does your WBS match the flat?

Some HOWOGE flats are reserved for holders of a Wohnberechtigungsschein, a certificate based on income and household size. It also states the flat size and room count you qualify for. Set your filters to match, so the cards are flats you can really take.

No WBS? Read the listing before you write; if it asks for one, skip to the next card.

Splitting the hunt across districts and plans

Keep your first-choice area and your fallback area as two searches. Each card carries its search's hashtag, and you can mute the fallback so it arrives without a sound.

Free checks one search every 30 minutes. Starter ($5.99) checks five searches every 10 minutes. Pro ($14.99) checks twenty searches with the fastest checks. Telegram is part of every plan.

A word on fake offers using the HOWOGE name

If a flat claiming to be from HOWOGE shows up somewhere else and the contact asks for money before a contract, such as a deposit, a fee or a payment to reserve a viewing, be careful. Check the offer on the HOWOGE website itself and pay nothing before you have a signed lease.

❓Frequently asked questions

Does a card mean I will get a viewing?

No. It only tells you early that a new flat is online. HOWOGE decides whom to invite.

Are current listings sent when I start?

No. The flats online at the first check are treated as known. Only flats added later reach the chat.

I'm new to Berlin and my German is limited. Is that a problem?

The card is mostly photo, rent and a link, and your browser can translate the listing. A short, polite request in German usually reads better to the landlord.

My WBS just came through. How do I update the search?

Set the new filters on the HOWOGE site, copy the new link and replace the old one in your MXSender search.

Can my partner see the same cards?

Forward any card in Telegram, or add email for the same search and set up a forward to their address.