The abbreviations used in accommodation advertisements are often as confusing to Germans as they are to non-native speakers. Below is a table of the most common abbreviations:
Vocabulary 7: Advertisement abbreviations
AB Altbau
(old building)
Abstand Abstand
(money paid for renovation done by previous tenant)
Ap. Appartement
(apartment)
At. Atelier
(studio)
B. Bad
(bathroom)
Balk. Balkon
(balcony)
BK Betriebskosten
(service costs)
ca. circa
(approximately)
DG Dachgeschoss
(attic)
DI Diele
(hall)
3er-WG Dreier-Wohngemeinschaft
(three-person shared flat)
Du. Dusche
(shower)
EBK Einbauküche
(fitted kitchen)
EFH Einfamilienhaus
(detached house)
EG Erdgeschoss
(ground floor)
erford. erforderlich
(required)
F Fahrstuhl
(lift)
FbH Fußbodenheizung
(underfloor heating)
Ga. Garten
(garden)
Gar. Garage
(garage)
gemütl. gemütlich
(comfortable)
gepfl. gepflegt
(well looked after)
gfl. gefliest
(tiled)
HH Hinterhaus
(building behind courtyard)
Hk. Heizkosten
(heating costs)
Ka. Kamin
(fireplace)
Kab. Kabel-TV
(cable television)
kalt Kaltmiete
(excluding heating costs)
KDB Küche, Dusche, Bad
(kitchen, shower, bath)
kft. komfortabel
(comfortable)
Kl. Keller
(cellar)
KM Kaltmiete
(rent excluding heating costs)
KN Kochnische
(kitchenette)
Kt. Kaution
(deposit)
Kü. Küche
(kitchen)
m² Quadratmeter
(square metre)
max. maximal
(a maximum of)
mind. mindestens
(at least)
MM Monatsmiete
(month's rent)
Mn. Maisonette
(maisonette)
möbl. möbliert
(furnished)
mtl. monatlich
(monthly)
MVZ Mietvorauszahlung
(rent to be paid in advance)
NB Neubau
(new building)
NK Nebenkosten
(additional costs)
NR Nichtraucher
(non-smoker)
od. oder
(or)
(2.) OG. (zweites) Obergeschoss
(second) floor
OH Ofenheizung
(coal oven heating)
Öl. Ölheizung
(oil heating)
Pk. Parkettboden
(parquet flooring)
Prov. Provision
(commission)
qm. Quadratmeter
(square metre)
ren. renoviert
(renovated)
RH Reihenhaus
(terrace house)
Rm. Raum
(room)
ruh. ruhig
(quiet)
SFL Seitenflügel
(side wing of building with courtyard)
son. sonnig
(sunny)
Sou. Souterrain
(basement)
Tel. Telefon
(telephone)
Tep. Teppichboden
(wall-to-wall carpet)
Terr. Terrasse
(terrace)
TG Tiefgarage
(underground car park)
t-möb. teilmöbliert
(partially furnished)
verm. vermieten
(to let)
vg. verkehrsgünstig
(close to public transport)
VH Vorderhaus
(building with street frontage)
v-möb. voll möbliert
(fulliy furnished)
vorh. vorhanden
(present; available)
warm Warmmiete
(including heating costs)
W-B Wannenbad
(bath tub)
WBS Wohnberichtigungsschein
(permit for subsidised housing)
Wfl. Wohnfläche
(living space)
WG Wohngemeinschaft
(shared flat / house)
Whg. Wohnung
(flat)
WM Warmmiete
(rent including heating costs)
Wm. Waschmaschine
(washing machine)
ZH Zentralheizung
(central heating)
Zi. Zimmer
(room)
2 Zi.-Whg. Zweizimmerwohnung
(two-room flat)
2 ZKDB Zwei Zimmer, Küche, Diele, Bad
(two rooms, kitchen, hall, bathroom)
2er-WG Zweier-Wohngemeinschaft
(two-person shared flat)
zzgl. zuzüglich
(plus)
