At the Tenants' Meeting: Asking About Costs and Suggesting Changes
German for the Mieterversammlung: asking what a renovation will cost, proposing to pay in instalments, and suggesting a change to the house rules.
Once or twice a year, everyone in the building sits in a room together and decides things. Stairwell renovation. Laundry times. A new bike shed. This is the Mieterversammlung, the tenants' meeting.
Most newcomers go once, understand about forty percent, say nothing, and never go again. That is a mistake — not because your German needs practice, but because decisions get made there that end up on your bill.
You do not need fluent German to take part. You need three moves: ask what it costs, say if it is too much, and suggest something better. All three are in this lesson.
Key phrases to know
- Was würde das ungefähr kosten? – Roughly what would that cost?
- Pro Wohnung circa 200 Franken. – About 200 francs per apartment.
- Das ist viel. – That's a lot.
- Können wir das nicht verschieben? – Can't we postpone it?