Advice for finding student housing
1. Start Early - don't leave it too long to begin looking for student housing. This means already familiarising yourself with housing websites and requesting to join Facebook student housing groups in advance.
2. Be Open-Minded - finding student accommodation doesn't mean that you have to stay in the same place for the entirety of your studies. It's good to know what you want, but make sure your list of requirements isn't too long.
3. Work Together - if possible, ask friends and family to help you look as well. Sometimes having an extra pair of eyes to look out for available properties - and red flags - can be a huge asset if you're struggling. Talking about your search to others may also unexpectedly give you some new leads.
Helpful Websites For Finding Student Housing
DUWO is one of the biggest student housing platforms in the Netherlands and offers accommodation in many different cities, Leiden included!
Funda is another popular website for finding apartments in the Netherlands. You can filter your search by neighbourhood, price, apartment size, and more!
Hospi Housing provides a social solution for the housing shortage. Each year, students in the Netherlands struggle to find housing. Hospi Housing connects them with local hosts and guest families and make the perfect match.
THE FIZZ is a student accommodation brand in Leiden which offers fully furnished apartments/studios with options for short and long term stay. It is a dormitory with various community areas, services and events!
HousingAnywhere offers student accommodation for short- and long-term stays in the Netherlands in many different cities.
Kamernet is a good way to start your house hunting journey. They advertise rooms, studios, and apartments. A personalised profile with preferences and specifications can help you optimise your results. However, responding to advertisements requires a fee.
Kamer.nl has a selection of studios, student rooms, and apartments for rent throughout the Netherlands. It offers accommodation with a variety of prices and sizes.
Pararius is one of the most popular websites for finding accommodation in the Netherlands. You can search by neighbourhood, price, property size, and more!
ROOM offers accommodations for people following a study programme. To subscribe to ROOM a one-time payment of 35€ is required.
Huure has a variety of rental properties available throughout the Netherlands, it has a great filtering system that helps you filter out by any needs you might be looking for from neighbourhood, price, property size, and more!
Facebook groups for finding student housing
Another way to find affordable student housing is to search on different social media platforms. Facebook, for example, has different groups in which people can post about available rooms. However, always make sure to do some research on any room or apartment before putting down a deposit or signing a contract. There are often scams on social media housing groups, so it's important to be cautious.
Visit the Student Housing Leiden and Leiden Housing Facebook groups to look for student accomodation. You can post in the groups if you are looking for a new room, but you will also find posts by people looking for a new roommate!
Broaden your search area
Although it may make the most sense to begin your house search directly in Leiden, if you're struggling to find housing it can help to broaden your search area. Many nearby municipalities are within easy commuting distance of Leiden - municipalites such as Leiderdorp, Voorschoten, Zoeterwoude, and Oegstgeest have frequent bus connections to Leiden. Living in a smaller municipality can mean more affordable rental prices, too.
You can also consider looking for accommodation in larger cities such as The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Haarlem, which are all easy to reach by train from Leiden.
Read more about our advice on finding housing
