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Name not allowed on doorbell?
However, the main tenant messaged me on whatsapp to say that I would not be able to put my name on the doorbell or on the mailbox. She said its because her and her partners names will stay there, and adding three additional names would not fit there.
Is this an issue? Specifically,
is it legally allowed to have a contract like this and prevent the names from going on the doorbell
could I run into issues from not having my name on the doorbell? For most of my mail, I could use C/O like when ordering a package, but I am concerned about mail that may come automatically from the city, which would be addressed just to me
could not having my name on the mailbox affect my registration? I have to be registered for my residence permit, for example
Im planning to ask her at the key handover about the names again, but if she pushes back against our names being there, would it be okay if I just stuck my name (along with the other two flatmates) onto the mailbox and doorbell? My concern is that despite saying that the landlord is okay with the sublet, she may not have asked for permission, and by doing this they may find out and this could cause us to be kicked out.
Any advice about this would be greatly appreciated!
just stick a tiny label with your name on the inside of the mailbox flap, nobody checks that and your post will still come through fine. the main tenant prob just doesnt want to deal with updating the intercom panel which is a pain in the ass if its one of those old systems where you need a special key to open it. for the Anmeldung the Burgeramt doesnt even look at your doorbell so that wont cause any issues. if shes really weird about it at the handover just ask if you can put a sticker on the inside of the mailbox door, that way her
The name on the doorbell matters less than you think for most practical purposes. Berlin post teams are used to sorting through c/o addresses and will deliver anything with your name on it, even if the bell says something else. I've lived in two different WG situations where my name never made it to the Klingel and never missed a piece of mail, including official letters from the Finanzamt.
If you're worried about the Anmeldung, don't be. The Burgeramt does not send someone to check your doorbell before processing your registration. They take the Wohnungsgeberbestatigung at face value unless something else triggers suspicion. Your bigger risk is the main tenant not having actual permission from the landlord, which would make your contract invalid and could get you evicted quickly if the landlord finds out.
Rather than fighting over the doorbell, ask for a copy of the written permission from the landlord or the landlord's direct contact. If she can't produce either, that's a real problem. A sticky label on the mailbox inside the flap is harmless and solves the delivery issue, but it won't fix an illegal sublet.
u can always stick a small label on the inside of the mailbox flap, the post people see it when they open it to drop mail in. that's what i did in my old wedding WG and never missed anything including stuff from the auslanderbehorde
the doorbell thing is prob just her being lazy or the panel being one of those old ones where u need a special key to pop the nameplate out. if it's a digital system where u can edit names from inside the apartment then it's a bit weirder but still not a huge deal
the real question is whether she's got written permission from the landlord. if she does, the doorbell thing is just an annoyance. if she doesn't, that's the actual risk no matter what u do with the bell. ask to see that document or the landlord's contact at the handover, her reaction will tell u everything
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What is the correct spelling for a street name that appears differently on multiple signs in Charlottenburg?
Worth noting that Berlin street names have official umlaut and ß rules that trip people up, so a sign showing "Strasse" versus "Straße" is not actually a spelling error, just an older transcription. Same with "ue" versus "ü" (e.g. "Kantstrasse" vs "Kantstraße"), both are considered valid renderings and you'll see the ß version on the blue Schilder and the ss version on older plaques or in databases that predate Unicode. If the difference you're seeing is between those two forms, there's nothing to fix and both are technically correct.
if the signs u mean are the old enamel ones on the house facades those are often protected as Baudenkmal so nobody's allowed to correct them even if the spelling is outdated. the binding version is whatever is in the Berliner Strassenverzeichnis plus the entry in the Liegenschaftskataster, so if u tell me the street i can point u to the right Bezirksamt Mitte or Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf page. tbh the merged district thing is real but the facade signs are a separate story, theyre basically museum pieces at this point
honestly thats super common in Charlottenburg, the district offices were merged from older Bezirke and nobody ever fixed all the Schilder. if its a real street you can check the official strassenverzeichnis on berlin.de, that list is what the Burgeramt actually goes by. which street is it? some of the Kaiserdamm / Kantstrasse signs are notorious for this.