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2. Press Overview
3. Rooms in Shared Apartments: Supply & Demand
4. WG Search Ahead of the Winter Semester 2026/27: Enquiries per Room More Than Double

WG Search Ahead of the Winter Semester 2026/27: Enquiries per Room More Than Double

The search for a room in a shared apartment becomes considerably more intense ahead of the winter semester 2026/27. Across 26 German university cities analysed, a newly published listing received an average of 28.6 written enquiries within its first seven days in August. In June, the average was 13.8. This represents an increase of around 107 percent.

While the number of enquiries per room more than doubled between June and August, the number of newly published room listings rose by only around 18 percent over the same period. The pressure intensified particularly sharply in August: fewer new rooms were listed than in July, while each listing received considerably more enquiries.

Demand rises in August while the number of new listings falls

A comparison of the summer months shows how quickly the search for shared accommodation changes ahead of the winter semester. In June 2026, a newly published room listing in the cities analysed received an average of 13.8 written enquiries within its first seven days. The figure rose to 17.4 in July and 28.6 in August.

The supply of new listings developed differently. The largest number of new rooms was published in July. In August, the number fell by around 7 percent compared with the previous month. At the same time, enquiries per listing rose by around 64 percent between July and August. Immediately before the winter semester, people searching for a room therefore faced fewer new listings than one month earlier – and considerably more competition for each room.

“Anyone looking for a room in a shared apartment ahead of the winter semester can feel the difference within just a few weeks: in August, every new listing receives considerably more enquiries than it did in June. At the same time, fewer new rooms are being listed after the July peak.”

Annegret Mülbaier, Press & PR at 91��Ƶ

Particularly high numbers of enquiries in Münster, Freiburg and Heidelberg

The intensity of demand in August varied between university cities. In Münster, a room listing received an average of 55.4 written enquiries within its first seven days. The figure was 54.8 in Freiburg im Breisgau and 52.7 in Heidelberg. Demand was also well above the average of the cities analysed in Cologne, with 47.3 enquiries per listing, and Bonn, with 45.2.

In both Münster and Heidelberg, listings received around three times as many enquiries in August as they did in June. In Freiburg im Breisgau, enquiries per listing more than doubled over the same period. These figures describe the level of demand for listings on 91��Ƶ; they do not represent a complete count of everyone searching for accommodation in the respective cities.

Additional data for individual university cities are available to the media on request.

The number of room wanted ads also rises

Alongside enquiries, the number of newly published room wanted ads also increased considerably. Across the 26 cities analysed, 167 percent more wanted ads were published in August than in June. This provides an additional indication that the search for accommodation intensifies ahead of the winter semester.

However, only some people searching for accommodation publish their own wanted ad. To compare the level of demand for individual rooms, we therefore focus primarily on the written enquiries a new listing receives within its first seven days.

Methodology

The analysis covers newly published room listings in 26 German university cities in June, July and August 2026. In each city, at least 200 new listings were published on 91��Ƶ in every month analysed. The same fixed group of cities is used for our time series on WG room supply and demand since 2024.

An enquiry is defined as a new written conversation started via 91��Ƶ in response to a listing. Enquiries are counted within the first seven days after publication. Multiple messages within the same conversation are not counted as separate new enquiries. Telephone contacts and enquiries made outside the platform are not included.

Accounts that published more than 200 new listings during the three-month period were excluded so that unusually large bulk uploads by individual providers would not disproportionately affect the results. The combined averages were weighted according to the number of listings included.

Further data on supply and demand

Our overview page on WG room supply and demand shows how the search for shared accommodation ahead of the winter semester has developed since 2024. Analyses of long-term rent trends are available in our section on student housing costs in Germany.

Press contact

Data, regional analyses and insights from 91��Ƶ

Are you researching the search for shared accommodation ahead of the semester or do you need figures for a particular university city? We are happy to provide journalists and editorial teams with additional analyses and context.

Annegret Mülbaier
Press & PR at 91��Ƶ
pr@wg-gesucht.de