{"id":9857,"date":"2013-05-16T14:06:28","date_gmt":"2013-05-16T14:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wordpress72\/?page_id=12179"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:31","slug":"survival-guide-finding-a-room-for-a-suitable-price","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2013\/05\/16\/survival-guide-finding-a-room-for-a-suitable-price\/","title":{"rendered":"Survival guide: Finding a room for a suitable price"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Survival guide: Find a room for a suitable price<\/h2>\n

10 May 2013 \u2013 Being an international student in the Netherlands requires a lot of arranging which can lead to frustrations. EM provides tips and tricks to ease your stay in the Netherlands. This week in our Survival Guide: how to find a suitable room and how to ensure you do not pay too much.\u00a0 <\/b><\/p>\n

How to find a room?<\/b><\/p>\n

There are plenty of options to find a room provided by the EUR itself here<\/a>, including Housing Anywhere<\/a> for exchange students and Vestia Wonen<\/a> for students intended to stay in Rotterdam for a longer period. However EM found some other useful platforms where you can find a room. <\/p>\n

Facebook<\/i><\/p>\n

There are a few Facebook-groups on which students offer rooms on a daily basis. <\/p>\n

1. ESN-Rotterdam Housing<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

This group is monitored and initiated by ESN-Rotterdam<\/a>. On a daily basis other students offer rooms for rent for both shorter as well as longer periods. This group is by far the most active group.<\/p>\n

2. Rotterdam Rooms Available for Rent<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

Although it is less active, rooms are still offered on a weekly basis.<\/p>\n

There are also groups that particularly focus on selling furniture, but on which also rooms are offered on a weekly basis.<\/p>\n

3. Commodity Market Rotterdam<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

4. Buy & Sell Rotterdam<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

Tip:<\/b> One of the advantages of finding a room through one of these Facebook-groups is that you can directly see who offers the room by checking out their Facebook profile. <\/p>\n

However, finding a room is not the only problem if you newly arrive in Rotterdam. You also have to ensure that you do not pay too much for a room. <\/p>\n

How does Dutch law protect you from high rent prices?<\/b><\/p>\n

Dutch laws on housing protect everyone living in the Netherlands. Even though practically all international students rent in the liberalized housing market \u2013 to be distinguished from social housing \u2013 there is a legal price cap for accommodation.<\/p>\n

What is the Rent Committee? <\/b><\/p>\n

The Rent Committee is an independent commission for renters and landlords. Renters and landlords can ask the Rent Committee to make a decision concerning a problem that a renter and landlord may have and on which you cannot get to an agreement together. <\/p>\n

What does the Rent Committee do?<\/b><\/p>\n

The Rent Committee offers an online tool that calculates the maximum legal rent for your room or apartment based on a point system. If this huurprijscheck (Rent Check<\/i>) indicates that your rent is too high, you can contact the Rent Committee. <\/p>\n

Note:<\/b> The Rent check for independent living spaces such as entire apartments with no roommates can be found here<\/a>, the Rent Check for not independent living spaces and thus, student rooms in shared apartments can be found here<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Tip:<\/b> The Rent Checks are not available in English but only in Dutch. So, make sure you have a fluent Dutch speaking friend help you in order to ensure you do the check correctly. <\/p>\n

If the Rent Committee too finds that the rent was above the legal maximum, they stipulate a new, legally binding, price.<\/p>\n

Note:<\/b> The time the Rent Committee needs to figure out if your price is indeed too high is a couple of months. <\/p>\n

What can the Rent Committee do for exchange students?<\/b><\/p>\n

As an exchange student you can also use the Rent Committee, the procedure will continue once you leave the country. Also, correspondence is possible from all around the globe. In addition, you can appoint a legal representative in your absence. <\/p>\n

Tip<\/b>: Start the procedure on time. The Rent Committee will not take action if approached after your contract has ended. <\/p>\n

Note<\/b>: If you are still renting and start the procedure within six months of the beginning of your contract, you are eligible for a refund of the total amount you overpaid. If you start the procedure after the first six months, you can enforce a rent reduction only for the months to come. <\/p>\n

What does the Rent Committee charge? <\/b><\/p>\n

Initiating the procedure costs 25 euro to the committee. This amount will be refunded if you were correct in enlisting their services. <\/p>\n

How can I contact the Rent Committee?<\/b><\/p>\n

Phone<\/i><\/p>\n

The only way to contact the Rent Committee directly is to call them on their free phone number: 0800 \u2013 4887243. They are available from 08:30 till 17:30 on working days.<\/p>\n

Website<\/i><\/p>\n

All information and documents are also available on their website, http:\/\/www.huurcommissie.nl<\/a>\/. <\/p>\n

Note:<\/b> The website of the Rent Committee is only available in Dutch. <\/p>\n

<\/i><\/p>\n

Also read The Accommodation Situation in EM #16, page 30<\/a><\/span>. <\/p>\n

NdB<\/p>\n

Survival guide: Find a room for a suitable price<\/h2>\n

10 May 2013 \u2013 Being an international student in the Netherlands requires a lot of arranging which can lead to frustrations. EM provides tips and tricks to ease your stay in the Netherlands. This week in our Survival Guide: how to find a suitable room and how to ensure you do not pay too much.\u00a0 <\/b><\/p>\n

How to find a room?<\/b><\/p>\n

There are plenty of options to find a room provided by the EUR itself here<\/a>, including Housing Anywhere<\/a> for exchange students and Vestia Wonen<\/a> for students intended to stay in Rotterdam for a longer period. However EM found some other useful platforms where you can find a room. <\/p>\n

Facebook<\/i><\/p>\n

There are a few Facebook-groups on which students offer rooms on a daily basis. <\/p>\n

1. ESN-Rotterdam Housing<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

This group is monitored and initiated by ESN-Rotterdam<\/a>. On a daily basis other students offer rooms for rent for both shorteras well as longer periods. This group is by far the most active group.<\/p>\n

2. Rotterdam Rooms Available for Rent<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

Although it is less active, room<\/p>\n

s are still offered on a weekly basis.<\/p>\n

There are also groups that particularly focus on selling furniture, but on which also rooms are offered on a weekly basis.<\/p>\n

3. Commodity Market Rotterdam<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

4. Buy & Sell Rotterdam<\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

Tip:<\/b> One of the advantages of finding a room through one of theseFacebook-groups is that you can directly see who offers the room bychecking out their Facebook profile. <\/p>\n

However, finding a room is not the only problem if you newly arrive in Rotterdam. You also have to ensure that you do not pay too much for a room. <\/p>\n

How does Dutch law protect you from high rent prices?<\/b><\/p>\n

Dutch laws on housing protect everyone living in the Netherlands. Even though practically all international students rent in the liberalizedhousing market \u2013 to be distinguished from social housing \u2013 there is alegal price cap for accommodation.<\/p>\n

What is the Rent Committee? <\/b><\/p>\n

The Rent Committee is an independent commission for renters andlandlords. Renters and landlords can ask the Rent Committee to make adecision concerning a problem that a renter and landlord may have and on which you cannot get to an agreement together. <\/p>\n

What does the Rent Committee do?<\/b><\/p>\n

The Rent Committee offers an online tool that calculates the maximumlegal rent for your room or apartment based on a point system. If thishuurprijscheck (Rent Check<\/i>) indicates that your rent is too high, you can contact the Rent Committee. <\/p>\n

Note:<\/b> The Rent check for independent living spaces such as entire apartments with no roommates can be found here<\/a>, the Rent Check for not independent living spaces and thus, student rooms in shared apartments can be found here<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Tip:<\/b> The Rent Checks are not available in English but only in Dutch. So,make sure you have a fluent Dutch speaking friend help you in order toensure you do the check correctly. <\/p>\n

If the Rent Committee too finds that the rent was above the legal maximum, they stipulate a new, legally binding, price.<\/p>\n

Note:<\/b> The time the Rent Committee needs to figure out if your price is indeed too high is a couple of months. <\/p>\n

What can the Rent Committee do for exchange students?<\/b><\/p>\n

As an exchange student you can also use the Rent Committee, theprocedure will continue once you leave the country. Also, correspondence is possible from all around the globe. In addition, you can appoint alegal representative in your absence. <\/p>\n

Tip<\/b>: Start the procedure on time. The Rent Committee will not take action if approached after your contract has ended. <\/p>\n

Note<\/b>: If you are still renting and start the procedure within six months ofthe beginning of your contract, you are eligible for a refund of thetotal amount you overpaid. If you start the procedure after the firstsix months, you can enforce a rent reduction only for the months tocome. <\/p>\n

What does the Rent Committee charge? <\/b><\/p>\n

Initiating the procedure costs 25 euro to the committee. This amount will be refunded if you were correct in enlisting their services. <\/p>\n

How can I contact the Rent Committee?<\/b><\/p>\n

Phone<\/i><\/p>\n

The only way to contact the Rent Committee directly is to call them on their free phone number: 0800 \u2013 4887243. They are available from 08:30 till 17:30 on working days.<\/p>\n

Website<\/i><\/p>\n

All information and documents are also available on their website, http:\/\/www.huurcommissie.nl<\/a>\/. <\/p>\n

Note:<\/b> The website of the Rent Committee is only available in Dutch. <\/p>\n

<\/i><\/p>\n

Also read The Accommodation Situation in EM #16, page 30<\/a><\/span>. <\/p>\n

NdB<\/p>\n

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