A-Z Students International Sports, Management and Business (ISMB)
Finding housing on your own
If you are not eligible for AUAS student housing or not offered a room in AUAS student housing, you will need to find accommodation on your own.
Finding a room in Amsterdam can be difficult, even for locals. There is a shortage of housing in general and finding an affordable room can be especially challlenging for international students. We advise you to start your search as soon as possible. You could consider renting a room in a private home, flat-sharing with other students or staying in a student hotel.
Consult our list of websites and organisations that offer rooms for students in the PDF below:
(updated August 2022)
Webinars: How to find a room in Amsterdam?
We host live webinars a few times per year to help students along on the subject of finding accommodation on their own. A short presentation and the opportunity to ask questions to housing staff and student ambassadors are part of the webinars.
In summer 2022, we will host two webinars:
Please register through the link above to join one of the webinars.
Curious what we will discuss? You can find previous recordings below, both with different student ambassadors who share their personal experiences.
- Amsterdam experiences currently a severe housing crisis. Affordable housing is scarce, so begin your search early. Do not wait until your visa or study enrolment is approved. If you wait, you might not find housing.
- Most students find a room through their (newly built) network. Spread the word on social media and tell as many people as possible that you are looking for accommodation.
- Local AUAS students offer their rooms in Amsterdam via our Facebook group when they leave the Netherlands for their exchange abroad.
- The ASVA Student Union provides general information about renting a room in Amsterdam and can act as a room mediator between students and landlords. They also provide guidelines on what to consider when viewing a room. For more information, visit their webpage .
- Try not to focus on the city centre. Amsterdam is a fairly small city compared to other capitals. The suburbs and surrounding towns are very nearby and can be reached easily by public transport. Also search for (cheaper) rooms outside Amsterdam and do not be too picky, while staying aware of scams.
- In July, August and September, it is really difficult to find a room in Amsterdam. You could consider finding temporary accommodation first and continue your search later.
- Also, more rooms become available each year in the months of May and June, when students finish their studies or go back to their home country. You could consider searching for a room with a start date already before summer, as you will have more chance of finding a room.
- Invest in a (second-hand) bike to save money on public transport tickets.
- Stand strong together. Increase your budget by teaming up with other students to search for a shared apartment.
- ESN (the Erasmus Student Network) offers their own tips and tricks on housing .
- Always enquire with a landlord about the possibility to register with the municipality. It is mandatory to be registered at the address where you live. If you cannot get registered, the accommodation is probably offered for rent illegally. You can find more information about registration at the municipality on our upon arrival website.
- Read more on renting and living in Amsterdam and the different Amsterdam neighbourhoods .
If you are planning on staying in Amsterdam for longer than one year, we strongly advise you to register as soon as possible on Dutch student housing websites: long before your arrival and as soon as you have registered for your degree programme.
Registration on these waiting time-based platforms is an important backup measure if the AUAS is unable to provide you with a room and/or it will prepare you for finding housing after your first year.
You can check www.room.nl/en/recently-rented to find the registration times of students that were allocated a room through ROOM.
These platforms are not suitable for exchange students, due to the long waiting times.
Scams
Please be wary of scams while searching for accommodation on various platforms (such as Facebook). Check the !WOON website for tips on how to avoid housing scams. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Support
Rules and regulations protect tenants’ rights in the Netherlands. Many tenants, especially students, aren’t sufficiently aware of this. The !WOON tenant support agency (funded by the Amsterdam municipality) provides information, advice and support for tenants. Confidentially and free of charge. By giving internationals more insight into the Dutch rental market and their rights and obligations as tenants, !WOON hopes to contribute to their stay in Amsterdam.
Protection for tentants & rental law
Check the video below by the municipality of Amsterdam for more information on your rights as a tenant and for rules & legislation regarding renting an accommodation.
Check the !WOON website