Whether you are housed in a communal accommodation centre ("Gemeinschaftsunterkunft") or a flat ("Wohnung"), there are house rules ("Hausordnung") everywhere. This regulates the communal living for all occupants. The most important parts are:

Noise: Everyone in the house is responsible for avoiding noise as much as possible. You must take particular care from 1.00pm to 3.00pm and from 10.00pm to 6.00am, as these are rest periods ("Ruhezeiten"). The whole of Sunday and public holidays are Ruhezeiten.

Rubbish disposal: Rubbish must be disposed of in the bins provided. There are different bins for paper and cardboard, fruit and vegetable peel and other types of rubbish.

Airing: You should open windows regularly to let in fresh air. This will stop mould from developing.