The Private Market:
You will find a wide range of types of rooms and apartments owned by private individuals and organizations, however, the number of rooms offered can be limited. The Netherlands is experiencing a housing crisis and therefore the housing market is becoming more competitive. As a result finding suitable accommodation can be difficult and expensive. We strongly advise students to start their journey for accommodation as early as possible and recommend you to have secured accommodation before you travel to the Netherlands.
RUAS doesn’t mediate with the providers on the private housing market. The information provided here is intended to help you in your own research. Please be vigilant of fraudulent activities, such as landlords who ask you to wire money to a “Money Transfer Agent” (e.g. Western Union or GWK), while searching on the private market. Money should always be transferred to a Dutch bank account. And if possible, never pay money without first viewing the room. If you’re looking from abroad, always check the address on Google Maps, to ensure it is an actual residential address.
Prices:
Prices start at about € 475 for rooms and can go up to € 1.000 for apartments. The cost of gas and electricity are not always included in the rent. Landlords usually charge a deposit and the deposit can be a couple months of rent.
Location and Quality of Rooms:
Rooms and apartments offered on the private market are located all over Rotterdam so it may be useful to have a look at the Living in Rotterdam page to find out a bit more about the different parts of Rotterdam. Keep in mind the distance from school and the city. Since it may be impossible to see the room or apartment before coming to the Netherlands, it is important to do your homework and try and judge the quality of a room and the authenticity of an offer as best as possible with the information at hand. Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (RUAS) has no dealings with privately offered accommodation and therefore cannot help you should you run into any difficulties.
Rental Procedures:
Your landlord should provide you with a contract. However, some do not in order to avoid paying rental taxes. If you do not have a contract it is not possible to register at the municipality. According to Dutch law, persons living in the Netherlands longer than 4 months are obligated to register at the municipality. You should therefore insist on getting a contract.
It is always important that, before signing your contract, you find out the terms and conditions of terminating your contract. It is possible that if you do not give sufficient notice to terminate your contract, your landlord may refuse to return your deposit or charge you extra fees for early termination.
Tenancy Agreements
Legal aspects of renting a room can be quite confusing and time consuming, but it is an important part of the process. Tenancy agreements are normally in Dutch so it is advisable to have a Dutch speaker read through the contract or use Google Translate to translate the document in order to avoid any unnecessary problems with your landlord.
Some important questions you may want to ask yourself when reading your tenancy agreement:
- What are the rental requirements? What documents do you need to be able to apply for the accommodation? (E.g. copy of your passport, proof of enrollment at your university, a work contract and/or pay slip).
- Can you register at that address with the municipality of Rotterdam?
- Does the property come furnished or unfurnished?
- Are costs of utilities and services included in the rent? If not, how much will they cost per month?
- Are there any extra fees or taxes included? For instance, water and rubbish taxes, commissions to a mediating agent, registration fee for websites, or a reservation fees for reserving a room?
- What is the length of the tenancy contract? Under which circumstances can you stay longer or shorter than the rental agreement?
- What are the deposit costs and under which circumstances can you get it back?
Housing Benefit (in Dutch: Huurtoeslag):
It may be possible to receive a housing benefit from the Dutch government. This usually depends on your financial situation. Have a look on the website of the tax authorities (Belastingdienst) for more information.
Links to Alternative Housing Providers
| Housing provider | Type of provider | Location of rooms | Fees |
| HousingAnywhere | HousingAnywhere is an online bookingform for student accommodation. Our our students can sign up here to receive a 20% discount on the subscription fee and priority access to all listings available. | All over Rotterdam and The Hague | Membership fee |
| Stadswonen | Renting rooms, studios and apartments to students. Students with the oldest registration date get first priority. | All over Rotterdam | Yes, when registrating for the webiste |
| The Social Hub | The Student Hotel is a hybrid hotel that offers short term hotel rooms as well as student accommodations for up to a year. | Kralingen | Yes, when booking a room |
| Rots-Vast | Rots-Vast is a real estate company with apartments throughout the Netherlands. | All over Rotterdam | Yes, upon renting a house |
| Kamernet | Kamernet is a housing platform that connects individuals looking to rent out their rooms or apartments with those looking for an accommodation. | All over Rotterdam | Membership fee |
| Housing4students | Housing4students is a real estate company that offers their own apartments to international students. | All over Rotterdam | Yes, when booking a room |
| Student Housing Rottedam | Student Housing Rotterdam offers fully furnished and (semi) shared rooms and apartments | Kralingen | No registration fee |
| Rotterdam2Stay | Rotterdam2Stay is real estate company that specialises in the student housing sector in the Netherlands. | Kralingen | Membership fee |
| Nestpick | Online platform | All over Rotterdam | Membership fee |
| KamerRotterdam.nl | Online platform | All over Rotterdam | No registration fee |
| Rivarentals | Real estate company who specializes in providing houses for students to rent together. | All over Rotterdam | No registration fee |
| Rentslam | Rentslam is a housing platform that connects individuals looking to rent out their rooms or apartments with those looking for accommodation. | All over Rotterdam | Membership fee |
| Vitro | Student studio’s expected to be ready by mid-November | Rotterdam | Yes, when booking a room |
| Holland2Stay | Holland2stay offers rental apartments and studios | All over the Netherlands | Yes, when booking a room |
| Ben Housing | Ben Housing is a real estate company offering furnished and unfurnished apartments | All over Rotterdam | No |
| Niya | Niya is a real estate company offering student rooms and studios | Rotterdam and neighbourhood | No |
| Pararius | Pararius is a housing platform for rental properties in the Netherlands | All over the Netherlands | May differ per accommodation |
| Hospi Housing |
Staying with a verified host or guest family will provide you with a soft landing in town and is the perfect way to get in touch with the Dutch culture and language. You’ll have your own private room and shared facilities like a kitchen and bathroom. |
All over Rotterdam | No registration fee |