Yes it is me again the April PCS person. I do want to thank everyone who has taken the time to answer my questions. You have been more help than you know. So here is another one.. I have signed up for @ AHRN.com to get an idea of avaliable houses and am wondering how the deposit and 1st months rent works. I assume the deposit is on us and we get that back come the end, but do you get rembursed for your 1st months rent? Most houses have a deposit of 2 months plus you pay your first months rent. Any help in the area would be greatly appreciated. Thank you 

Anything paid as a deposit will be returned at the end (I think they have 30 days to give it back) less any damages of course. When you get here and you pick a house you can get an advance for your first month's rent and your deposit. The first month's rent will be taken out of your pay over 12 months and the deposit can be deferred until you move out of the house and get it back from the landlord, then you pay finance back for the deposit. 

A word of caution...more people than not do NOT get their deposit back as the landlord will find a way to keep the deposit. 

we live here at Ramstein now, but we just moved from Stuttgart. Our deposit was 2800 euro and we didnt see a dime back.... The house was brand new but we left it very clean and in good shape, he even commented on what good shape it was in, and then tried to say that we owed him 2000 euro more to have it painted fresh....then he said that since we did leave it in such good shape that he would just keep the deposit....they think that we are all rich or somthing and that like $5000 isnt anything to us....it would have been nice to have that back and I think we should have gotten it back too, but its different here. 

I've lived in several houses over the years. We've always gotten our deposit back, minus any minor fixes like a chipped sink or something. All landlords are supposed to paint in between tenants, so they shouldn't charge you that. There are good landlords out there, please don't think they're all crappy. We've had some great landlords here, and a couple are lifelong friends. 

We moved on base and got our entire deposit back with no problems whatsoever. 

You will have to pay the regular rent plus the deposit. The landlord is required to put the deposit in a special account. Used for only that purpose. ( by law) You have the right to see the proof of that account. Make sure to read the rental contract carefully. If you have a military housing contract you will not have to paint or pay for it once you get ready to move again.Any damage to the house and property you are accounted for. It may be wise to have a renters insurance. Once you get ready to move out do not wait until the last minute to show the landlord the house. before you move in write down all the existing damage. Take the landlord along for that and have him sign it off. When you get ready to have the last inspection be sure to have that paperwork with you. This is our fifth house and we never had any problems about getting the deposit back. 

Thank you all so much!! Your info is appreciated more than you know. This is our first Pcs ever(been in 12 years) and all of your comments and advise are so helpful 

I think most people who doesnt do the pcs cleaning of a thing always end up getting their deposits mouled by the german landlords. If you would want your deposit back,we are proudly offering pcs cleaning services etc.Call us to help make your thousand euros deposit get back into your pocket by cleaning your entire house,making sure that landlord is at least happy that the house is very and pretty clean,ready for new tenants to move in,okays and rules out a PASS on inspection.Landlord has no right to seize your deposit except for reasons like heavy damages in the house done to either furniture,appliances and not keeping the house clean and ready for new tenants to move in....After 3 or more yrs,a house/appartment is due to repenting/few renovations which is the landlords duty. 

Chesy- What do you charge on average for an average size house, say... 3 bedroom/2 bath? 

I've heard several horror stories and a few good ones in between. Some landlords know that once you move back to the States (and I have heard they have 6 months to give deposit back) they realize you are less likely to fight for your money, so they simply keep it. They usually have excuses that they had to paint the house, etc. We are in a great house, great neighborhood off base, but because of this, I am putting our names on the housing list for on base. I'd rather live right where I'm at but don't feel like losing the $5k 

yes, there are many stories of landlords taking advantage of situations but there are also just as many situations where the tenant messes things up and the landlord is left out to dry. i've often been told i should rent out part of my house to make some extra money but i've seen too much of what people living in your house can do to take that chance. 

Your landlord can't legally keep your money without documenting everything, and that is what the housing office is for. A landlord should NEVER keep money for painting; they are required to paint between tenants. As a previous poster said, they have to put your deposit into an account, and show you proof of the deposit. They should also hand you back your deposit on the last day you leave the house, after a final walk through. Rie Rie, I wouldn't move back on base just because of a few horror stories. 

We had a horrible experience and they do have up to 6 months to return a deposit. It happened to us a few years back. We even went through the German court system to get it back. They are good landlords out that and bad ones as well. Its hit and miss. Its always best if you can talk to the previous tenant and ask. More often then not the people are still living there. GOOD LUCK!!!! 

I'm active duty military and I just bought a house. It was built for me in 6 months with no money down. The home builder is now building town homes for singles and family size homes. When you PCS you have the option of selling the home back, sell it or have the company manage your home for you and rent it out to other Americans. If you have additional questions let me know. pitbull72222@yahoo.com