What Is a Boarding House? Meaning, Differences and Costs

By Daniel Schulz, residir GmbH · Last updated: 13 October 2026

So, what is a boarding house? In Germany, a boarding house (Boardinghouse) is a building with furnished apartments let for anything from a few nights to several months. Each apartment usually has its own kitchen, bed linen and towels are provided, and electricity, heating and Wi-Fi are included in the price. It sits somewhere between a hotel and a rented flat: less service than a hotel, but more space and a home of your own.

We are currently setting up a boarding house with 54 apartments at Ländstraße 6 in Munich’s Lehel district, opening in autumn 2027. We hear the question “A boarding house – what exactly is that?” all the time, from tradespeople, neighbours and our first enquirers. In this article we explain the term the way we experience it day to day, using our own building as an example.

In this article:

• Boarding house: meaning and definition
• Where the term comes from
• Typical facilities and concept
• Boarding house, hotel, aparthotel and serviced apartment compared
• Who a boarding house is right for
• Boarding house costs: how prices are made up
• Minimum stay, contract and registration
• Conclusion
• Frequently asked questions

Feature	Typical in a boarding house
Length of stay	a few nights to several months, mainly from one week upwards
Type of accommodation	self-contained apartment, usually 20–50 m²
Kitchen	own kitchen or kitchenette
Included	bed linen, towels, Wi-Fi, utilities, cleaning at set intervals
Service	lean: often self check-in instead of a reception, rarely breakfast
Price	per night, with discounts for weekly and monthly stays

What is a boarding house? Meaning and definition

There is no fixed legal definition. In the industry, a boarding house is understood to be an accommodation business (Beherbergungsbetrieb) with fully equipped apartments, designed for longer stays. Guests live there as they would in a small flat, without having to worry about furniture, utility contracts or an internet connection.

So what does a boarding house mean in everyday life? You arrive with your suitcase, unlock the door and can start cooking, working and sleeping straight away. If you are in an unfamiliar city for a few weeks on business, it offers a form of temporary housing in Munich and elsewhere, without having to rent a flat.

The spelling varies. Alongside “Boardinghouse” written as one word, in German you will also see Boarding House, Boardinghaus or Boarding Haus. They all refer to the same concept.

Boarding house in German usage: where the term comes from

The word is borrowed from English. What was a boarding house in its original sense? “Board” here means meals: in 19th-century Britain and the USA, a boarding house was a lodging house where workers, sailors or students rented a room with meals for weeks or months – bed and board, in other words.

In German-speaking countries, however, the meaning has shifted. Over the past few decades, the Boardinghouse has become established as an apartment building for business travellers. The meals have disappeared; what remains is the idea of a longer stay in a room of your own.

In modern English, “boarding house” tends to suggest a simple guesthouse or even a boarding school. That is why, with English-speaking guests, we usually talk about “serviced apartments” or “extended stay” so it is clear what to expect.

Typical facilities and concept

The concept is quickly explained: everything you need to live, nothing you rarely use. Many properties deliberately do without a reception with a night porter, a restaurant or a gym, because these would push up the price of longer stays.

A boarding house apartment typically includes:

• A kitchen or kitchenette with hob, fridge, crockery and coffee machine
• A workspace with a desk and fast Wi-Fi
• Bed linen and towels, changed at set intervals
• Cleaning weekly or by arrangement
• Washing machines and tumble dryers in the building, often shared

At our property on Ländstraße, the apartments range from 25 to 50 m² and are divided into six categories, from Business to Penthouse. Instead of a reception there is a 24-hour safe check-in, luggage lockers and washing machines with dryers. We do not offer breakfast, but we do have an outdoor sauna.

Boarding house, hotel, aparthotel and serviced apartment compared

The terms overlap, and many properties call themselves an apartment hotel and a boarding house at the same time. The table shows where the differences usually lie in practice.

	Hotel	Aparthotel	Boarding house	Serviced apartment	Holiday apartment
Typical length of stay	1–5 nights	a few nights to weeks	1 week to months	weeks to months	holidays, usually 3–14 nights
Kitchen	no	yes, often small	yes	yes	yes
Reception	yes, often 24 h	usually yes	often self check-in	varies	no, key handover
Cleaning	daily	regular	weekly	weekly	final clean
Breakfast	usually yes	often optional	rarely	rarely	no
Pricing	per night	per night	night, week, month	week, month	per night or week

Boarding house or hotel?

A hotel sells service: reception, daily housekeeping, breakfast and often a bar and restaurant. For two nights, that is convenient. From the second week onwards, most guests find that a kitchen and a proper desk are worth more to them than a freshly made bed every morning. Our comparison hotel or holiday apartment shows when each option pays off.

Aparthotel, apartment hotel and long-stay hotel

An aparthotel is a hotel with apartments instead of rooms and usually keeps a reception and hotel services. The line between it and a boarding house is blurred; boarding houses focus more on long stays and lean service. We explain the term in more detail in our separate guide what is an aparthotel. You will find apartments with kitchens in Lehel under aparthotel in Munich. “Long-stay hotel” is mainly a marketing term used by large chains for the same principle.

What is a serviced apartment?

A serviced apartment is a furnished flat with hotel-style services such as cleaning and laundry. Many boarding houses are made up of exactly these units, which is why the two terms are often used interchangeably. Companies also like to speak of business apartments when they book accommodation for their staff.

Holiday apartments and workers’ accommodation

A holiday apartment (Ferienwohnung) is aimed at holidaymakers, is usually charged with a final cleaning fee and has no regular interim cleaning. With us, you can also enquire about the apartments as holiday apartments in Munich for a city break. A Monteurzimmer (workers’ room), by contrast, is tailored to tradespeople: more basic, often a shared room with a communal kitchen.

For teams working on site, a boarding house can be the better choice if everyone is to have their own bathroom and kitchen. We describe what matters on our page about workers’ accommodation in Munich.

Who a boarding house is right for

Daniel Schulz, our managing director, has been working with serviced apartments for eight years. In his experience, most guests stay between one week and three months. Typical groups include:

• Project staff, consultants and engineers working on site for weeks at a time
• Commuters who arrive on Monday and go home on Friday
• New employees who need a stopgap while they look for a flat
• Families whose home is being renovated or who are new to the city
• Trade fair visitors and exhibitors staying for an entire fair week

For trade fairs such as bauma or EXPO REAL, an apartment with a kitchen is often cheaper than a week in a hotel at trade-fair rates. How to get from Lehel to Riem is explained on our page about accommodation near Messe Munich.

If you have a free afternoon between appointments, a central property gets you to the old town quickly. From Ländstraße it is around a twelve-minute walk to Marienplatz; our tips are in the article on things to do in Munich.

Boarding house costs: how prices are made up

What a boarding house costs depends mainly on the city, location, apartment size and length of stay. Almost all operators use tiered pricing: the longer you stay, the lower the price per night. A monthly stay usually works out considerably cheaper per night than a single night.

The price usually includes:

• Rent for the furnished apartment
• Electricity, heating, water and Wi-Fi
• Bed linen, towels and cleaning at set intervals
• Final cleaning, sometimes shown as a separate flat fee

When comparing, look out for extras such as parking, additional cleaning, pets or a deposit. With us, dogs are allowed on request depending on the apartment category. Hotels can sometimes look similarly priced per night, but on longer stays you also pay for eating out – which you save with your own kitchen.

As a rule of thumb for tax: short-term accommodation in Germany is charged at the reduced VAT rate of 7%, which is shown on the invoice for corporate clients – more on this in our guide to holiday rental tax in Germany. Very long stays may be classified differently; your accounts department or tax adviser can clarify the details.

Minimum stay, contract and registration

There is no statutory minimum stay. Many properties set their own lower limit, often three to seven nights, while some also let single nights. At the upper end, several months are common.

Legally, you usually sign an accommodation contract (Beherbergungsvertrag) rather than a conventional tenancy agreement or fixed-term lease in Germany. For you, that means no long notice periods, but also less tenant protection. The boarding house operator provides the apartment, takes care of repairs and is your point of contact.

On registration: under the Federal Registration Act (Bundesmeldegesetz), if you live in an accommodation establishment and are already registered at another address in Germany, you only have to register once your stay exceeds six months; if you have no registered address in Germany, the obligation applies after three months. Check your individual case with the local registration office – details are in our guide to Anmeldung in Munich. If registration becomes necessary, the operator, as the housing provider, issues the Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (landlord’s confirmation of residence). If you are moving to Munich for good and looking for a permanent home, you are better off with furnished apartments in Munich on a regular tenancy agreement.

Conclusion: an apartment with a kitchen instead of a hotel room

A boarding house is the answer to a simple question: where can I live comfortably when I am in a city for weeks rather than nights? You get a furnished apartment with a kitchen, laundry and cleaning, pay less than in a hotel and do without a reception and breakfast in return. If you are looking for a boarding house in Munich, you will find our 54 apartments in Lehel from autumn 2027, a four-minute walk from Isartor.

Frequently asked questions about boarding houses

What is a boarding house, in simple terms?

A boarding house is a building with furnished apartments with kitchens, let for anything from a few nights to several months. Bed linen, towels, utilities, Wi-Fi and cleaning are included in the price.

What is the difference between a boarding house and a hotel?

A boarding house offers apartments with their own kitchen and lean service, while a hotel offers rooms with a reception, daily cleaning and usually breakfast. Boarding houses are designed for longer stays and are therefore often cheaper per night.

Is a serviced apartment the same as a boarding house?

Almost, as a boarding house usually consists of serviced apartments. “Serviced apartment” refers to the individual flat with services, “boarding house” to the whole building made up of such apartments.

How long can you stay in a boarding house?

Stays of one week to several months are typical. There is no statutory minimum or maximum stay; many properties set a lower limit of a few nights.

How much does a boarding house cost?

The cost depends on the city, location, size and length of stay. Almost all boarding houses use tiered pricing, so the price per night drops considerably for weekly and monthly stays.

Do you have to register your address when staying in a boarding house?

Usually only if your stay lasts longer than six months and you are already registered at another address in Germany, or after three months if you have no registered address in Germany. This is what the Federal Registration Act provides for accommodation establishments. If in doubt, check your individual case with the local registration office.

Is breakfast included in a boarding house?

Usually not, as the apartments have their own kitchen. Some properties offer breakfast at an extra charge; there is none at our building in Lehel.

Is it spelt Boardinghouse, Boarding House or Boardinghaus?

In German, Boardinghouse written as one word is the most common spelling. Boarding House, Boardinghaus and Boarding Haus all mean the same thing.