From experience, emails without at least a friendly greeting (Dear... etc.) and sign-off (Best/warm regards, etc.) are much less likely to receive a positive response. Landlords and students searching for a flat mate are looking for friendly, communicative tenants and roommates, so the email should be considered as the first impression, especially in a competitive market such as Hamburg.

So start off with a short introduction of yourself: Just one or two sentences explaining why you came to Hamburg and what you are looking for is often enough.

Below, you can find the guide the Hamburg Welcome Center provides for all people coming from abroad. They also have a useful list of abbreviations which you might find in German accommodation ads. (If you click on the small picture, a PDF will open, which you can also search.)