Do Germans mean to be rude?
Dec 16, 2004, 8:59 am
#31
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Naples, Florida
Posts: 7,419
Originally Posted by Analise
...Does German law (or is it EU law) protect people from being discriminated against by landlords because of race, sex, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation?
Not like in the US.
Yesterday was an article in the German press that the Red/Green ruling parties wants to get stricter laws against discrimination.
There is one "problem": I Germany it is extremely difficult to get a renter out of a unit; terminate a rental contract.
I could not sell a condo with a (nice) renter. After the renter vacated the unit, I had 60+ prospects from one ad. For people familiar with the market, the condo was in Hamburg-Blankenese. :-: :-: :-:
Dec 16, 2004, 9:24 am
#32
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Stuttgart, Germany
Programs: UA 1P 1MM, IHG Plat, HH Silver, DB BahnComfort
Posts: 332
Hi Bluewatersail,
I am Jewish and American, and have been living in Germany for 20 years. I really find the incidence of direct anti-semitism to be very low. To wit: Only once during the past 20 years have I ever heard a German making a comment implying prejudice about Jews. Since I don't wear any jewelery, etc. identifying myself as Jewish, I don't think they are holding it back for that reason. (Of course, they can tell I'm not German!) Anyway, I really doubt that that was the reason behind the refusal.
About 15 years ago, I bought a 2-family house, which had both units rented. I wanted one of the 2 tenants to leave so that I could renovate and move in. They had already lived there 3 years, so the official, legal notice period was 3 months. Well, after 9 months I had to give in and pay them 15 months rent in cash
to leave. My choice would have been to go to court, a process which might have taken up to 2 years and (my lawyer said) had only a 50% chance of success.
Needless to say, I agree with the other posters who have said: it's not that you're Jewish, it may be that you're not German, and I can certainly understand why the landlord said he is "scared"!
I am Jewish and American, and have been living in Germany for 20 years. I really find the incidence of direct anti-semitism to be very low. To wit: Only once during the past 20 years have I ever heard a German making a comment implying prejudice about Jews. Since I don't wear any jewelery, etc. identifying myself as Jewish, I don't think they are holding it back for that reason. (Of course, they can tell I'm not German!) Anyway, I really doubt that that was the reason behind the refusal.
About 15 years ago, I bought a 2-family house, which had both units rented. I wanted one of the 2 tenants to leave so that I could renovate and move in. They had already lived there 3 years, so the official, legal notice period was 3 months. Well, after 9 months I had to give in and pay them 15 months rent in cash
to leave. My choice would have been to go to court, a process which might have taken up to 2 years and (my lawyer said) had only a 50% chance of success.Needless to say, I agree with the other posters who have said: it's not that you're Jewish, it may be that you're not German, and I can certainly understand why the landlord said he is "scared"!
Dec 16, 2004, 9:48 am
#33
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Palm Beach/ New England
Programs: AA EXP 3MM, DL GM, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 4,382
Originally Posted by fm747
Sorry to hear about your expereince!
I am German myself but have lived outside Germany many years and so I guess I have experienced Germans both as German and as an "outsider".
To Germans (being rather general here..there are always exceptions) their house is a very special (almost sacred) place, often passed on from a previous generation. Germans do not move house as easily as perhaps people in the USA might do because of their attachment to the house. Perhaps because of this attachment the person offering the house might be very concerned/picky about who they will rent their home to. Don't take it personally...they might have been just as nervous or rude to a local.
On the other hand, when I rented an appartment in Washington DC some time ago they application form required me to disclose my financial situation, my race (skin colour), religion, sexual orientation etc. Now that was something else!
I am German myself but have lived outside Germany many years and so I guess I have experienced Germans both as German and as an "outsider".
To Germans (being rather general here..there are always exceptions) their house is a very special (almost sacred) place, often passed on from a previous generation. Germans do not move house as easily as perhaps people in the USA might do because of their attachment to the house. Perhaps because of this attachment the person offering the house might be very concerned/picky about who they will rent their home to. Don't take it personally...they might have been just as nervous or rude to a local.
On the other hand, when I rented an appartment in Washington DC some time ago they application form required me to disclose my financial situation, my race (skin colour), religion, sexual orientation etc. Now that was something else!
Financial situation is a normal and (usually) required question.
Dec 16, 2004, 6:40 pm
#34
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: UK
Posts: 7,560
Aussiedler
Perhaps slightly off-topic, but since several people brought up the subject...:
This all goes back much further than WWII.
Back in the 18th century quite a number of Germans emigrated to Russia where (just like many modern-day immigrant populations) they went to live in their own communities. They kept their language and their culture and traditions over several generations, until they were forcibly dispersed and made to assimilate in the days of Stalin.
In the 1970s (or thereabouts) the government of West Germany decided to offer sanctuary to anyone with German ancestry that wanted to leave the Soviet Union, and this resulted in a huge influx of what were, effectively, Russian immigrants... most of whom did not even speak German.
These Russian newcomers often found it difficult to settle, and many members of the young generation, in particular, ended up being lost between two worlds and seeing no future for themselves in either country. Sadly a small but significant number of them drifted into crime out of this sense of being lost, and this gave the whole Aussiedler community a bad name. In the eyes of many Germans, Aussiedler equals crime...
"Aussiedler" (my simple - and maybe incorrect - definition for that would be someone of German descent, not living in a German territory since the end of WWII)
Back in the 18th century quite a number of Germans emigrated to Russia where (just like many modern-day immigrant populations) they went to live in their own communities. They kept their language and their culture and traditions over several generations, until they were forcibly dispersed and made to assimilate in the days of Stalin.
In the 1970s (or thereabouts) the government of West Germany decided to offer sanctuary to anyone with German ancestry that wanted to leave the Soviet Union, and this resulted in a huge influx of what were, effectively, Russian immigrants... most of whom did not even speak German.
These Russian newcomers often found it difficult to settle, and many members of the young generation, in particular, ended up being lost between two worlds and seeing no future for themselves in either country. Sadly a small but significant number of them drifted into crime out of this sense of being lost, and this gave the whole Aussiedler community a bad name. In the eyes of many Germans, Aussiedler equals crime...
Dec 17, 2004, 9:03 am
#36
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: DCA
Posts: 1,413
Originally Posted by Aviatrix
Back in the 18th century quite a number of Germans emigrated to Russia where