A student house, a studio, a house share, or anti-squatting?
Below you will find information about your options and a specially compiled overview to help you settle into the city where you want to study. We have selected a number of useful websites for you, as well as websites where you are better off not searching! Before signing a contract, always check that there are no strange conditions in your contract, that you understand what kind of contract you are getting, and that you are not paying too much rent. Some rooms are just too good to be true!
Register with Room.nl
Social student housing providers offer good student housing at a fair price. They are non-profit organizations and have many student houses in every city. Most housing providers work with lotteries, waiting lists, or interviews. With a one-time registration at room.nl, you can search for a room or studio in almost any city. You can register from the age of 16, even if you are not yet a student. The earlier you register, the better your chances of finding a place to live. You do not need to have Dutch nationality.
Finding a room via room websites
Rooms are often listed on room websites such as kamernet.nl. This is a commonly used method for finding a room and does not involve waiting lists. New rooms and properties are listed here every day, and you need to respond as quickly as possible. These sites do not check the rent being asked, which is often above the legally permitted maximum. Always be careful with these sites: anyone can post a room on them. For example, be careful about paying large amounts of money before you have seen the room and read the contract carefully before signing it. The rent for many private homes is usually higher than that of housing associations, but this also varies per city and landlord. Hospita homes are also often offered through these websites.
Find a room via Stekkies.nl
Stekkies is a paid search assistance service that helps you find advertisements for rooms, studios, or apartments. Using a self-designed algorithm, Stekkies collects new advertisements for homes and rooms from more than 1,000 real estate agents and websites. You can filter your searches based on the specifications your new room must have and receive an email notification for each new advertisement that matches your description. This allows you to respond more quickly and spend less time searching websites yourself. In addition, Stekkies helps you with templates and checklists, and you can easily search together with friends.
LSVb works together with Stekkies, which means we can offer a 15% discount on your first subscription if you use the code LSVB15. We also receive a contribution for this.
Finding a room via social media
A commonly used way to find a room is via Facebook. There are various Facebook pages and groups, and for almost all cities in the Netherlands there are pages where many rooms are offered. Student houses (or homeowners) post on these pages when they have a room available. Of course, you can always post a request yourself if you are looking for a room. Here too, it is important to know that anyone can post a room on these pages and groups.
Register with transformation organizations
Transformation has become a popular method for building student housing in recent years. This involves converting office buildings or other buildings into student housing of various types and sizes. There are various organizations involved in the transformation to student housing, the largest of which is Socius. Many of these organizations are also involved in social projects such as mixed living with the elderly or troubled youth. There are also initiatives that allow students to participate in the management process or renovation in exchange for a discount on the rent. See also “What types of rental contracts are there?”
Anti-squatting
Would you rather try anti-squatting? Then the following websites are a good place to start:
Other trusted landlords can be found on the website of: Keurmerk Leegstandbeheer
Please note: Anti-squatting also involves risks. If you would like to know more about this, see: ‘What types of rental contracts are there?
National recommendations
- Kamernet
- Kamernet has the largest selection of rooms. Many other students also search via Kamernet, which unfortunately means that this website is very busy. Because so many students respond, it can be more difficult to find a room. If you want to search on Kamernet, our tip is: make sure you REALLY stand out from the rest. Kamernet is not the cheapest, but the number of rooms and the ability to respond quickly to many rooms makes up for it.
- Marktplaats
- Responding to rooms on Marktplaats is free, but be careful! Anyone can list a room on Marktplaats, including slumlords!
- Houselink.nl
- The range of rooms on Houselink.nl is not particularly large, but there are a large number of apartments listed. You could rent one of these with friends, for example!
- Funda
- If you search among the apartments, you can often find a number of student rooms on Funda.nl. You can also rent an apartment with friends. Unfortunately, renting through the website usually involves real estate agent fees.
- Room wanted/offered (Group)
National warnings
Renting from a slumlord is, of course, always inadvisable.
The Social Hub is known to the LSVb. Renting from The Social Hub means that you have no rental rights and pay sky-high prices (up to €1,100 for a 19 square meter room). We do not think this is acceptable and therefore advise against this landlord.
If there’s one place where landlords aren’t checked, it’s here. Slumlords are VERY active on this website!
Cities
Click here on the city where you want to study/live! The links on these pages do not mention prices and are not divided into recommended and not recommended. We want to offer you as complete an overview as possible of the websites you can visit.
(Please send any additions or comments to lsvb@lsvb.nl)
Behind the names of the cities, you will also find information about the relative pressure on the housing market in that city. 0 is reasonable, + is high, ++ is very high.
Zwolle
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Please note! It is not equally difficult to find a room in every city, but when the need for a room is high, there are always creative options available. You can hang a note in supermarkets the old-fashioned way and search among the other notes to see if a room is being offered. Of course, you can always check if there is a city campsite nearby, go couch surfing for a while, or claim one of your friends’ couches for a while.
A real estate agent or agency
When the need is urgent, or if you don’t feel like searching and interviewing, you can also hire a real estate agent or agency to find a room or apartment for you. They can often find a place for you in a relatively short time, but there are costs involved. These costs are not always legally permitted. For more information, see the page What types of rental contracts are there?
Housing Hotline
Does your landlord ask for a key deposit? Are you unsure about what can and cannot be included in a rental contract? Are you unsure whether you are allowed to sublet your room? The LSVb’s Housing Hotline is available to answer all your questions about tenancy law and