Housing

Most students who decides to come here would have hard time looking for the right accommodation. Sometimes, school provides you the student accommodation websites such as Student Woning and DUWO and SSH (Student Housing Agency) at each school. These companies have good priced student accommodations however, it takes up to 2-3 months to a year to get your spot saved. Basically, you are getting a number which means the waiting line that you have to wait. Tired of waiting? Here are some tips for getting your place in the Netherlands.

1. Use real-estate websites

This is the method I used to get my apartment. There's a website called Pararius, and it even provides English website! Other students use websites such as Kamernet, however you have to be careful of scammers in this website. Not saying every post is a scam, but if the landlord asks you a money to save a spot before getting a contract, you can suspect that it might be a scam in big chance. And also, you need to pay and get a subscription to contact with the landlord. I personally recommend using Pararius instead of other websites.

2. Use Facebook groups

Lots of people use Facebook now and it has marketplace feature nowadays! You can find some good apartment/room/studio through those Facebook groups in good price. Lots of students uses Facebook groups to find their place and you can find your future roommate there also. However, since you can also use Facebook anonymously, you need to be aware of scammers also.

3. Try to visit real-estate agencies in town

This is a bit old fashion way, sometimes, these agencies have excellent offer on rooms for students. You can easily find these offices in every town. However, if you are not in town yet, you can also use other methods up there!

4. Money matters

As students, price of the accommodation matters. How much does it normally cost in different cities? Here are some average prices you should expect for a room (Prices differ from location in the city)

Amsterdam: Around €500-1500 per month

Utrecht: Around €300-1100 per month

Den Haag (The Hague): Around €100-900 per month

Groningen: Around €280-1000 per month

Rotterdam: Around €250-900 per month

Eindhoven: Around €270-800 per month

There are tons of other tips you can get online of housing in the Netherlands, above are few of my tips from my experience. Let me know in the comment below if you have any question or suggestion!

Next post will be about general living stuff!