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r/Groningen • 6 yr. ago
amberknightot
How to Get a Room/Apartment/Studio in Groningen (For International Students)
I've seen too many posts about international students freaking out about find a room after being accepted into University
here. I'm hoping to get this pinned next to the At Home In Groningen link which should be the first thing you thoroughly
read because it has all the information about registering your address, rental contracts, legal stuff etc. Educate yourself
before your hunt.
There are many ways to go about search and I recommend you use all of them (if you can) as it is difficult to find a room
especially in the months of July and August.
1) SSH - Student Housing (as of July 2018 is completely full for the coming academic year).
Info: Shared accommodation for incoming international students. Rooms with shared kitchen & bathrooms & facilities.
Multiple buildings across the city.
Pros: They take all international students given there's available space. A great way to make friends in a new city as
everyone you live with is in the same boat as you.
Cons: Can be expensive. You have to leave after a year as the rooms are allocated for incoming first years and Erasmus
students.
2) The Student Hotel - Student Housing
Info: Shared accommodation for incoming international students. Studios/Rooms with shared kitchen & bathrooms &
facilities. One building.
Pros: They take all international students given there's available space. A great way to make friends in a new city as
everyone you live with is in the same boat as you. Nice rooms (as it is a hotel). Use of a gym, and a bike.
Cons: Is very expensive.
3) Rental Search Websites - Private Housing
Kamernet - Free to Search for Rooms. Must pay subscription to create search profile and contact Landlords.
Pararius - Free to search for rooms, create search profile and contact landlords.
Pros: Good for finding cheap accommodation. Choice between type of accommodation eg rooms/studio/apartment.
Cons: Kamernet you have to pay. No guarantee of a place.
4) Facebook Groups - Private Housing
Groningen Rooms
Student Rooms Groningen
Free Housing Announcements
Free Housing Announcements (Group For Students)
Info: People post here if they're looking for a new housemate or to sublet their room. Multiple people are interested in the
same rooms so you must present yourself and try to stand out when you pm them about yourself.
Pros: Good for cheap accommodation, no agency fee. Loads of places are posted every day.
Cons: Risk of coming across of scammers. Competing with hundreds of other students. No search profile. No guarantee of
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Tips: To avoid running into scammers:
1. Don't reply to any posts that don't have pictures.
2. Don't continue contact with someone who wants you contact with some one else for information.
3. Organise a viewing over skype if you can't make it in person.
4. Don't pay anything until you have seen a contract and contacted the landlord.
5. Be savvy.
5) Rental Agencies - Private Housing
Be wary of these
Maxx
DC Wonen
KP Makelaars
These are suggested to be better
Lefier
Nijestee
Patrimonium
Stichting de Huismeesters
Info: You can hire an agency that will find rooms for you if you can afford it. You create a search profile with them and they
send you info on rooms you can set up a viewing for. You must pay a agency fee once you have found your place which is
based on how many viewings you have gone to and the work the agent has done for you.
Pros: The quality of rooms is good. No risk of a scam. Search profiles are very exact so you can find exactly what you are
looking for. Agent does the "hunting" for you.
Cons: Expensive even before you start paying rent. Most places need you to have liability insurance. There have been
reports of these agencies charging illegal fees (see comment below) so beware and know your rights before settling
anything.
This list isn't complete for perfect so I am welcome to suggestions to improve it or add to it. If there are more websites and
agencies you would recommend please feel free to comment them or pm me and I will add them.
Edits: Added suggested different agencies.
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Domoar1gatomrroboto • 6y ago
As i am still looking für room in September, so you think that is it worth to sign up at kamernet (or other Sites) or is it
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just wasted money at this point of time? Log In
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Imagine_89 • 6y ago
It's hard to find a room when you are not in Groningen, it's more easy when you are there. If you post a room for rent
on FB you get at least 50 reactions, so the person who rents will invite the persons who are aible to come to
Groningen.
Besides this, not every landlord is willing to rent to foreigners because they don't speak English/ it's harder to take
legal action if the person is back in their homecountry.
End September/Octobre there will be new rooms free because of people who alreday dropped out of the university.
This is litteraly the worst time of the year to search for a room. If you want to find a room throught networking I would
suggest to go to the Keiweek. If you are going to study for 4 years in Groningen it could be a benefit to join a student
union and find a room throught their network.
For some foreign countries they have a facebookgroup of the country i.e. "name of your country" in Groningen. If this
excists for your country/language then it's also worth to post your need for a room there.
Good luck. The amount of people who are desperate to find a room makes me sad. We have over 10.000 foreign
students in Groningen but we don't have the facilities to house them all. Which makes the risk of scamming and
criminalty bigger:( Also not a good experience to start your studies, I wish we would be more welcoming to you!
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Damian0358 • 6y ago
Having messed up on my end when it came to getting a room via SSH, wanting to finish the residence permit
process prior to getting one (and realizing that I was late by two weeks by the end of June), I've found myself
completely smeckledorfed even with all the research I've done.
But I did notice something - on the 29th of last month, RUG's page on accommodations was updated to include the
following line: "From the second week of July, we will publish available rooms for international students via a portal at
Athomeingroningen.com."
Several articles on the matter, such as this and here, similarly mention something about rooms being offered via At
Home in Groningen. While I'm still looking into the alternative options mentioned the post here (though the costs
associated hurt me somewhat, as the living money deposit meant that I've had to send a lot more money than initially
anticipated), but I wanted to hear people's thoughts on this.
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tddro • 6y ago
From experience:
Agencies aren't going to go an extra mile for you 99%. DC Wonen straight sent me away and didn't want to do
anything with me when my deposit was held hostage against me – I had to pick up private lawyer to get it back.
I legitimetely asked DC Wonen why then I paid roughly 121 EUR admin fee if they aren't going to help me? Bunch of
twats.
Just be careful out there guys and gals, no one really cares about internationals here so always double-check things
etc.
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cmd-t MOD • 6y ago • Stickied comment
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For students: event when hiring with a 'reputable' organisation. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR RIGHTS
ARE. International students are an easy prey for organisation skirting the law with illegal fees.
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bartlovepuch • 6y ago
BE AWARE! Maxx, DC wonen and K&P, makelaars all have been screwing renters with illegal fees!
https://www.sikkom.nl/laat-je-niet-verneuken-door-kp-makelaars-en-vorder-de-contractkosten-terug/
https://www.sikkom.nl/tag/maxx/
https://www.sikkom.nl/dc-wonen-flest-huurders-voor-121-euro-vorder-je-knaken-terug/
15 Share
namegoesherelulz • 6y ago
So, is there a way to avoid getting screwed? Or is it just something that all these agencies do that I'll just have to
live with?
Also, an acquaintance of mine recommended me Groningse Panden, how does that compare to the three
mentioned agencies?
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