Finding a long-term apartment to rent in Berlin has become an infamously painful process. We spoke to two professionals about the best tips for securing a long-term rental contract in Germany.

To describe the Berlin housing market as “tight” feels like a massive understatement.

Asking friends, or even strangers, if they have heard of any available apartments has become an unfortunate cliché, as have social media posts broadly seeking leads.

Securing housing in Germany’s capital city is a Sisyphean task, in which applicants compete against hundreds of others for the same rentals, and the use of online tools – like bots that alert you immediately about new online listings – has become commonplace.

Even the best qualified applicants can expect to search for months before securing a suitable offer, and for those who face additional barriers (such as having little to no German skills, or having employment that is seen as less secure) the task looks next to impossible.

All of that said, those who have either just landed in Berlin or need to move for any reason, can’t afford to give up.

The Local spoke with two experts about some best practices to apply to your housing search, be it in Berlin or another German city.

Kevin Hiller, is a Berlin native and founder of Get the Flat, a service designed to help c