Housing
Sep 29, 2009
Finding a place to live in a country as crowded as Holland is not easy. It is even difficult for Dutch students to find their own rented rooms on the private market. If you are taking part in an exchange programme or are enrolled on an international course, a room might be arranged for you. If so, accept it immediately or you will regret it later!
Finding good and affordable place to live can be a problem in the Netherlands. Almost all university towns suffer from accommodation shortages. Many Dutch students live with their parents because they are unable to find suitable accommodation near their university.
Receiving universities often help their international students by finding them accommodation, but don’t take this for granted. Please check in advance what the situation is at the university you will be attending.
What to expect
In the Netherlands students usually have their own bedroom. Depending on the house where you are staying, the shower, lavatory, kitchen and living room may be shared with other students. It is common for male and female students to live together in the same student house. If this is a problem for you, please make this known as soon as possible.
Given the shortage of good accommodation, you may find the room you get is rather small and not of the standard you had expected. Usually, there is not much that can be done about that, because most universities are glad if they can find accommodation at all for all their students.
Rent and bills
Accommodation is also expensive, especially in the bigger cities. Try and find out in advance how much a room is going to cost. Don’t forget to include additional expenses such as the deposit and the utility bills. These are not always included in the rent. Thinking about these things in advance can help avoid unpleasant surprises later.
The website Studychoice.nl gives information about average room prices in student cities and also provides information about what quality you can expect in a specific city.