Frequently Asked Questions

Amsterdam is a very popular place to live. Students (Dutch and international), as well as many others are looking for places to stay, and therefore affordable housing is scarce.

In this tight housing market, AUAS International Student Housing has a limited number of rooms (approx. 600 units) reserved, which can accommodate roughly 60% of the newly incoming international^*) students every semester. This means that about 40% of all international students have to find a place on their own. Do not underestimate this, it often takes weeks or even months to find suitable accommodation. It is not recommended to only start searching when you arrive in Amsterdam for your studies. Therefore, we encourage everyone to start in time, and look for accommodation independently, even if you also applied for the AUAS housing service. For more information, check out the webpage on how to find a room independently.
_{*) exchange students and bachelor/master degree seeking students}

Under certain conditions, you may be eligible for AUAS housing. Please contact housing@hva.nl to explore your options.

Officially you are not eligible for AUAS housing, as we can only offer housing to students from English-taught study programmes. Please contact housing@hva.nl to explore your options.

Newly arriving students from the UK will be subject to the regulations for non-EU/EEA countries. This means that you need a residence permit to study in the Netherlands. This also means that you will be considered as a non-EU student for your housing application.

No, unfortunately we cannot assist part time (deeltijd) students. Due to Dutch legislation we cannot offer shortstay rental contracts to part time students.

Unfortunately it is not possible anymore for degree seeking students who already started their studies in September at the AUAS to apply for housing.

We advise you to register already for Room.nl and Studentenwoningweb.nl . These websites are waiting time-based platforms. This means that the longer you are registered, the more chance you will have of getting a room. Also check our recommendations for finding housing on the private market here.

Unfortunately, we cannot start any earlier with the housing applications. Several AUAS study programmes have different application deadlines up until June. These study applications need to be processed and reviewed. We would like to give everyone a fair chance to apply for housing. Therefore, everyone can apply at the same time on a specific date in June.

Unfortunately it is not possible to view any locations or buildings before you apply. We work with several different housing providers and our buildings are spread out throughout the city of Amsterdam. Our rooms are also always fully booked. For privacy reasons we cannot show any inhabited rooms.
To get an impression of the offered accommodation, you can visit the websites of our housing partners:

• De Key
• DUWO
• StuNest-Spartaan
• Student Experience (location Amsterdam NDSM and Minervahaven)
• OurCampus

If you have any special needs regarding your accommodation due to a disability or medical condition, please contact housing@hva.nl to discuss your housing options. Make sure that you have an official medical statement with information as to why you have specific needs for your housing. We kindly ask you to upload the statement in your housing application and to inform the housing office in time.

No, unfortunately pets are not allowed in our student accommodations. If you want to bring your pet, we advise you to search for housing on the private market.

Yes, most of the AUAS housing partners accept students younger than 18 years old. In some cases, they will ask your parents/legal guardian to sign the rental contract together with you (digitally).

Please note that if you want to find housing on the private market, that many housing providers do not accept tenants under 18 or even under 21.

We do offer shared rooms (sleeping and living together in the same room) in budget category 1, but it is unfortunately not possible to sign up with a friend for flat sharing (having your own seperate bedrooms but share a kitchen/bathroom). If you want to share a flat or apartment together with friends, we advise you to search on the private market instead.

Our housing is allocated on a first come, first served basis. It is therefore unfortunately not possible to indicate a preferred building or location. We do offer shared rooms (sleeping and living together in the same room) in budget category 1.

A shared room is shared by friends. A couples room is shared by a couple.

Difference between shared rooms and couples rooms:

All of our housing is also offered via other higher educational institutions in Amsterdam. It is therefore likely you will also be sharing with students from other higher educational institutions (universities or universities of applied sciences).

Yes. If you intend to bring your partner, you can apply for a couples room. Only one of you needs to be an AUAS student. More information on our locations & room types page.

The information sent in the housing application form will be used by the AUAS to offer our housing services. For that reason, the AUAS stores and shares this information with its housing partners and the Municipality of Amsterdam.

These housing partners require this information to offer rooms within the contingent of AUAS, while the Municipality needs it to identify you as a resident of Amsterdam. To establish if you are still eligible for accommodation through the housing service of the AUAS, we will save your data for a maximum of 3 years. We may also use this information to approach you for participation in customer research to improve our service.

When applying for student housing on our housing platform, you are required to pay a one-time AUAS housing fee. This fee is non-refundable. This fee helps to cover the AUAS expenses related to providing international student housing. These costs can legitimately not be covered by university funds, which are meant for academic purposes.

To complete your housing application, you need to pay the AUAS housing fee. When you have received the housing application form, you can pay at the end of our registration. It is only possible to pay with a credit card (VISA or Mastercard) or Paypal. Other means of payment are unfortunately not possible.

On top of the AUAS housing fee and to finalize your room reservation, you will need to pay a one-time administration fee to the housing provider. This fee is non-refundable and covers the extra costs that are incurred when renting to and providing customized services for international students.

All our monthly rental rates include electricity, water, gas and internet. In addition to rent, you must pay administrative fees, a refundable deposit and in some cases local taxes. Our offered housing is not always in walking distance from the university campusses. So please note that public transport in Amsterdam can be expensive. You need to calculate this in your monthly budget. Please also see our cost of living page.

Sometimes. With some housing providers, it is possible to pay your rent for an entire year or semester upfront. The default option is to pay in monthly installments. Contact your housing provider in case you are interested to pay your total rent upfront.

Our housing is allocated on a first come, first served basis. It is therefore unfortunately not possible to indicate a preferred building or location. On our housing application platform, you will be asked to indicate your monthly budget. You will be offered a room in this budget, depending on availability.

Please see our locations & room types page.

No, unfortunately we cannot meet any requests for a particular room type in a specific budget category, as this depends on availability. For example: we cannot guarantee a specific request for a private room with private facilities in category 3, as this category also offers rooms with shared facilities.

If you want to be certain of receiving a room offer for a private room with private facilities, you could choose for budget category 4, but this depends on your monthly budget of course.

We will however try to place as many students in their preferred budget category. We will not offer students a room above their maximum budget category.

Arriving earlier than your start date on the rental contract?

Early arrival is unfortunately not possible. You will be able to move in from the start date stated in your rental contract. Make sure to prepare for arrival, and do not forget to arrange your key pick up with your housing provider. If you decide to travel to Amsterdam earlier than the start date of your contract, you will need to make alternative arrangements at your own expenses. We have some hostel suggestions here.

Arriving later than your start date on the rental contract?

Notify your housing provider about your arrival date.

More information about your arrival can be found on our arrivals page.

No. Your housing offers your own (shared or private) kitchen to cook your own meals. We do not offer any accommodation with meal plans.

All rooms are furnished with standard bedroom furniture, unless stated otherwise. This includes a bed, wardrobe, a desk or workstation and a chair. Most housing providers also provide starter kits, bed linen sets and/or kitchen sets. Your housing provider will inform you about this before your arrival.

It depends on when you cancel your housing application if you receive a refund. Below you will find an overview of the cancellation and refund policy of the AUAS housing fee and the costs that you made when booking your room at one of the housing providers.

_{*Unfortunately no exceptions can be made if your visa application or study or course enrolment was unsuccessful.}

You can cancel your housing application yourself. Open your housing request via your personal page on MyInfo . After your cancellation, the AUAS housing fee will be refunded within 6 weeks.

Contact housing@hva.nl in order to cancel your housing application. Please note that the AUAS housing fee will not be refunded.

If you want to cancel your room reservation & signed contract, please contact housing@hva.nl. Be aware that you will unfortunately not be able to reserve another room when you cancel your reservation. It depends on when you cancel your room reservation if you will receive a refund. In the table above you can find an overview of the cancellation and refund policy of the AUAS housing fee and the costs you made for booking your room at one of the housing providers.

Our rental contracts are semester contracts with a fixed end date. When you sign your rental contract, you agree with the fixed rental period with a maximum of 1 or 2 semesters. These contracts can only be terminated early when you cancel your study enrolment.

The AUAS Housing service offers rental contracts for a fixed period of time (1 or 2 semesters). Therefore it is unfortunately not possible to change the end date of your contract.

The AUAS Housing service offers rental contracts for a fixed period of time (1 or 2 semesters). Therefore it is unfortunately not possible to change the end date of your contract. The first semester ends officially in January. Please see our academic calendar .

The AUAS Housing service offers rental contracts for a fixed period of time (1 or 2 semesters). Therefore it is unfortunately not possible to change the end date of your contract. For example, when you want to leave the Netherlands because your classes are over, when you have found a (summer) job or when you have found alternative housing before the end of your AUAS Housing contract, you unfortunately cannot terminate your AUAS Housing contract early.

If you cancel your study enrolment, do not forget to also cancel your housing application. Please note that costs may be involved.

You have not received a room offer yet?

You can cancel your housing request via your personal page on MyInfo .

You have received a room offer already?

You need to notify housing@hva.nl of your wish to cancel your housing request.

In case of significant personal circumstances, we advise you to contact the student counsellors or student psychologists . They are specialized in assisting international students.

In case you are experiencing issues with your room mates, you can take the following steps:
1. Try to come to a mature solution together by talking frankly to each other and to make arrangements. If this does not help;
2. You can talk to the building caretaker or Resident Assistants (together). They can act as a mediator. Still no solution?
3. Contact a student counsellor for help and advice.

In case you are experiencing health issues, we advise you to contact your doctor. Do not have a doctor in Amsterdam yet? Go to the General Practioners Practice AUAS . They are specialized in assisting international students. Make sure you have health insurance , to avoid high costs.

In case you are experiencing maintenance issues, please contact your housing provider. They handle all maintenance requests.

Yes. Please get in touch with housing@hva.nl to arrange early termination of your housing contract. Send proof of your study disenrolment (for example: a screen shot of Studielink or an email from your study advisor). Please note that costs and a term of notice (usually one calendar month) may be involved.

Note for exchange students: leaving Amsterdam before the official end date of your (Erasmus) exchange period does not count as a cancellation of your study enrolment.