Housing

The Private Market

You will find a wide range of rooms and apartments owned by private individuals and organizations. RUAS doesn't mediate with these providers. The information provided here is intended to help you in your own research. Please be vigilant of fraudulent activities, such as landlords who ask you to wire money to a "Money Transfer Agent" (e.g. Western Union or GWK), while searching on the private market. Money should always be transferred to a Dutch bank account. And if possible, never pay money without first viewing the room. If you're looking from abroad, always check the address on google maps, to ensure it is an actual residential address.

Prices

Prices start at about € 300 for rooms and can go up to € 1.500 for apartments. The cost of gas and electricity are not always included in the rent. Landlords usually charge a deposit.

Location and Quality of rooms

Rooms and apartments offered on the private market are located all over Rotterdam so it may be useful to have a look at the Living in Rotterdam page at rotterdamuas.com to find out a bit more about the different parts of Rotterdam. Do not forget to keep in mind the distance from school and the city. Since it may be impossible to see the room or apartment before coming to the Netherlands, it is important to do your homework and try and judge the quality of a room and the authenticity of an offer as best as possible with the information at hand. Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (RUAS) has no dealings with privately offered accommodation and therefore cannot help you should you run into any difficulties.

Rental Procedures

Your landlord should provide you with a contract. However, some do not in order to avoid paying rental taxes. If you do not have a contract it is not possible to register at the municipality. According to Dutch law, persons living in the Netherlands longer than 4 months are obligated to register at the municipality. You should therefore insist on getting a contract.

It is always important that, before signing your contract, you find out the terms and conditions of terminating your contract. It is possible that if you do not give sufficient notice to terminate your contract, your landlord may refuse to return your deposit or charge you extra fees for early termination.

Tenancy Agreements

Legal aspects of renting a room can be quite confusing and time consuming, but it is an important part of the process. Tenancy agreements are normally in Dutch so it is advisable to have a Dutch speaker read through the contract or use google translate to translate the document in order to avoid any unnecessary problems with your landlord.

Some important questions you may want to ask yourself when reading your tenancy agreement:

• What are the rental requirements? What documents do you need to be able to apply for the accommodation? Think about a copy of your passport, proof of enrollment at your university, a work contract and/or pay slip).
• Can you register at that address with the municipality of Rotterdam?
• Does the property come furnished or unfurnished?
• Are costs of utilities and services included in the rent? If not, how much will they cost per month? If gas, heating and water are included in the rent, this means you will be paying an advance. So, if you have a habit of taking long showers or keeping your heater on all day, the landlord may charge you for the extra usage.
• Are there any extra fees or taxes included? For instance, water and garbage taxes, commissions to a mediating agent, registration fee for websites, or a reservation fees for reserving a room?
• What is the length of the tenancy contract? Under which circumstances can you stay longer or shorter than the rental agreement?
• What are the deposit costs and under which circumstances do I get it back?

Housing benefit (in Dutch: Huurtoeslag)

It may be possible to receive a housing benefit from the Dutch government. This usually depends on your financial situation. Have a look on the website of the tax authorities for more information.