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Finding accommodation on your own

If you are not offered a room through UvA student housing, or if you’re a senior student, you’ll need to find accommodation on your own. This page provides tips on how to find accommodation, including options such as renting a room in a private home, flat-sharing with other students, or staying in a student hotel.

On this page:

Tips for finding accommodation on your own

  • Affordable housing in Amsterdam is scarce, so begin your search early.
  • Also consider a room in nearby towns, such as Zaandam, Almere, Purmerend, Haarlem, or Hoofddorp.
  • Please be aware of scams while searching for accommodation on various platforms (such as Facebook). Check the Iamsterdam website for tips on how to avoid housing scams.
  • On the Facebook page of the ISN (International Student Network), you can meet other students who are looking for a room.
  • 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, please visit their webpage.
  • Consult our list of websites and organisations that offer rooms for students:
How to find a room in Amsterdam: tips and websites (PDF, 2p.)

Register with waiting time-based platforms

If you decide to stay in Amsterdam for longer than one year, we strongly advise you to register on Studentenwoningweb.nl and ROOM.nl long before the start of your study programme, as these are waiting time-based platforms. This means that you need to wait a while before you will receive a room offer. Out of all students that respond to a room offering, the offering is allocated to the student ranked highest on the waiting list. You can check www.room.nl/en/recently-rented to find the registration times of students that were allocated a room through ROOM.

Registration on these websites is an important backup measure if UvA is unable to provide you with a room and/or it will prepare you for finding housing after your first year.

Housing webinar with tips & tricks

The International Student Housing Office hosted a webinar on 18 June and 30 July 2021, on how to find accommodation on your own. The webinar consisted of a short presentation with tips & tricks on how to find housing yourself, and there was an opportunity to ask all your questions. A student ambassador was also present to share their experiences.

Here you can find a recording of the Housing webinar of 18 June 2021.