You will receive your key from the caretaker of your residential complex. If you have agreed this with your buddy beforehand, you can also get the key from him/her.

You will also receive a move-in report and your Internet access data.

■  Contact Caretaker Vogeliusweg

• Address: Vogeliusweg 18
• Office hours: Mon - Fri 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m

The rental agreement must be signed by you in person at the STW Housing Administration. Please bring your id/passport with you.

You should familiarise yourself with the rental agreement and the general terms and conditions of rental online. You can find the documents on the Studierendenwerk website under the heading ‘Housing’.

Please note: There are special office hours for signing the contract. These are exclusively for exchange students and are only available in March/April and September/October. Monday to Thursday, 8:30am - 3:30pm; Friday, 8:30am - 12pm.

After signing the contract, you will receive the following documents:

• Rental agreement
• Rental terms & conditions
• SEPA form (to authorize direct debit for the monthly rent)
• Landlord's certificate

■  STW-Wohnraumverwaltung 

• Address: Mersinweg 2
• General consultation hours: Wednesday 10 a.m.–12 p.m. and Thursday 1:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
• E-Mail: housing-exchange@stwpb.de oder Oezbuek@stwpb.de
• Homepage: stwpb.de/

You will also be asked to provide your bank details in order to set up the mandatory direct debit system for paying your rent. Please note that you will need SEPA*-compatible bank details for this. If you do not yet have an account that meets these requirements, you should arrange to open one as soon as possible, for example with a German bank or an online bank.

Your rent will be debited automatically as soon as the STW has received your bank details and provided that your account has sufficient funds at the beginning of each month. 

! Please note that the STW will always be notified if the rent cannot be debited due to insufficient funds. You will be contacted in any case, even if this sometimes takes a while. If the rent payment is not received on time, legal action will be taken against the tenant and the tenancy agreement will be terminated. In the interests of all parties involved, we therefore ask you to manage your monthly budget responsibly.

*SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) stands for a Europe-wide uniform procedure for cashless payments. 

The following data is required to complete the SEPA form:

• Name of the account holder
• Name of the bank
• Account number (IBAN)
• Bank Identifier Code (BIC)
• Your address in Paderborn

When you receive the key from the caretaker, he will accompany you to your accommodation. After showing you the accommodation, he will give you a move-in report documenting the condition of the flat/room. If your buddy picks up the key for you, you will receive the document from them.

Please review the report carefully and keep it until you move out. If there are any defects (including lack of cleanliness) in the accommodation that are not noted on the document, please take photos and report them immediately to the STW by email. If you need assistance with this, please ask your buddy for help. 

In case you have caused any damage yourself during your stay, please also report this to the STW.

Every exchange student must register with the city of Paderborn. You will later receive a personal tax number and a broadcasting licence fee number in connection with this. 

To register, you must bring several documents with you, including a landlord's certificate the so called Wohnungsgeberbescheinigung. Please ask the STW housing administration to issue this document when you visit. 

If you have any questions about rental matters, please always contact the Student Services (your landlord) in the first instance. As the STW receives a large number of emails, the quickest and easiest way is to come directly to the STW office hours. There you can also discuss things in person at short notice.

■  STW-Housing Administration

• Address: Mersinweg 2
• Office hours: Wednesdays 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. and Thursdays 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Here you will find all the information you need about the broadcasting licence fee.

Link: https://www.rundfunkbeitrag.de/welcome/english/students-and-apprentices