Accommodation in Amsterdam

Find place where to live: well, there starts a fun part which is not fun at all. This will be your full time non paid job to find a place. In my three and half years I moved 10 times till I found perfect place with perfect location and perfect price. There are no best way to find a place you need to use all possibilities. I suggest you to be on time when your school offers you place to stay. Most of the time it’s cheaper but farther from centre. Prices for room are around 600EUR. Let’s check what option we have,

Another messy day before moving out.

Drinking morning coffee on my new terrace!

• Facebook: there are many, many groups but you don’t need to sign in in all of those. If you want to make post, It’s a one-time shot, why is that? Because if you will post more times people will think something is wrong with you, I mean in the way that you are not consistent in your choices or somebody with whom is hard to live together. Facebook is place where you introduce yourself with other people. This is very important because Amsterdam is city to enjoy and people with whom to do so. Don’t write long story, but also not one or three sentences. For exmp. ‘’Hi, I’m Clara from France, I’m 23. I need room for three months, my bugged 500E. ’’ This is wrong and boring. Briefly explain who are you where and what you gonna study, some hobbies, main future about you, your experience with living with other people. And be punctual. In which neighbourhood you want to live, your bugged, when you are ready to move in and for how long time. If you will forget something it will take extra time, till someone will ask you what price or where and you will be like aaam, mmmm, eeeee…..NO! Amsterdam is city where everything happens quick, quick.
• Erasmusu: This is online platform specially to find a room. Thought under subscription and additional coast. And I have to say there are much cheaper options. And roles of the game are the same like in FB groups. Also on this page Dutch people are much more active. But Dutch people like to live with Dutch people, so don’t spend much time on them.
• Albert Heijn: If you are really desperate check in local grocery shop on the poster stand. There are some options but very, very rear, that somebody add they post with goal to find new roommate or renting a flat. You can’t trust this place because you don’t know who has posted it. And most of the time it’s black renting.

When you are not yet in the city

Fraudsters use this situation in very smart way. It’s not that easy to recognise them, because they are very friendly and nice and first will try to know you, and this is already first way to recognise them because they will be more focused on you than apartment. But in the text will come new information about apartment and then, will come sentence, but if you want it you need to pay in advance because there are many people interested. I need to be sure you will not change your mind. NEVER pay money even don’t continue conversation because this is most common way how to cheat money out of students. Even if they say we can do skype conversation don’t trust them. Just don’t spend time on this. Best what you can do is go back to page where you found it and report as scam. Other way of fraud is, and this is also very common, I’m right now out of country, you can get the keys at That place but you need to transfer money, and most of the cases you need to transfer money via transfer company not straight to the account. This is total SCAM.

There is no reason to continue conversation in e-mail.

Tip: When you are suspicious about something. Just copy paste text from add in google, this is best way how to see if guys are not fraudsters, you can also check pictures on google with the same text. Sometimes you will see the same text with random pictures or even in totally different country. For sure SCAM.

How to do right?

Spend a minute to make research, always open profile, check how many friends this person has, is he active. Also do google search just write he’s name and look what comes up. Sometimes you will be asked to do payment. Make sure you have talked to this person. Account number where you need to transfer money belongs to this person. And very important you need to get contract or just a signet agreement, explaining, that this and that person has asked for this and that price because of that reason, with signature and date. The best is if you could stay somewhere in the city and meet people face to face.

Viewing:If you are in the city and you go view room, apartment. Write down question. Ask who else lives there, always try to meet those people and ask questions why they move out. You need to know who is owner or place is from rental agency, than find out from which exactly. If landlord try to avoid this type of question that’s suspicious. If you rent room from a person and he/she says, for example, you need to be quiet there, because downstairs lives families. (Very common sentence) Ask if registration is possible even you don’t need it, and contract. If he/she don’t give you one of this. It’s black rental. No matter where you live you must have contract. And also ask if they have.

And also ask if they have problems with mouses. It’s a big thing in Amsterdam.

In one week we chatch 6 of these, after 2 weeks they won the battle and we left.

Contract: There could be many thing written in the contract but most important that it’s written when you move in and when out. From who you will rent the place and also address, where you will rent. How much you will pay, also deposit, make sure it says you will get deposit back when you move out. Some contract says you need to find rental before you move out in order to get deposit. It’s risky for you, but it’s also easy to find new person.

TIP: Make sure you make pictures when you move in and keep them till you move out.

View from my window In Amsterdam.

When roommates are bored.

Story

I had to change apartment with short notice. New room I found on Facebook. I told my story, why and for how long time. We exchange numbers and I went to see room. In Facebook I talked with women but men greeted me. He explained that women is his girlfriend and they both live there, plus one more guy and I had share room with other girl. Owner was really friendly, open even to help move my stuffs. As I didn’t had much options and time was ticking I agreed to rent room for a while. Of course he asked me to pay in advance to make sure I will not change my mind. Because he offered to make contract I was okay to do payment. I made payment in cash and since he seemed to be trust worthy I didn’t pushed on contract. I lived there for more than half year, people changed in my room till moved one girl. She stayed for two and half weeks and moved out. As everyone else she paid for full month plus deposit, total amount 800EUR. She asked owner to return her deposit but owner declined her request, because she moved out with short notice. Of course she was not okay with that, that’s why she tried to find any possibility to resolve situation. On her research she find out that he doesn’t own apartment but rent from government. And this is illegal or black renting. That day I met girl and we discussed situation. On my way home I received message from my owner that company has contacted him and requested to release apartment from tenants. Itried unlock apartment doors but they were locked from inside. Nobody answered on door bell, after neighbour suggestion I left. Next day I was contacted by lawyer who is specialised especially in this cases. We met and I explained situation, because she was interested to take away apartment from him and she needed my help, lawyer explained what to do to get back my belongings. This is what I did as she told me. Next day I send him message if I could pick up my belongings on what he answered that I had to give him 80EUR. I went there, he let me in, we started normal, calm conversation. Each time when I asked if I can go collect my stuff he made upstory about 80EUR, and while I will not give him this money I will not be allowed to collect my stuffs. I offered him to resolve situation with police.Conversation got intense, he become aggressive and pulled me out the apartment doors. Standing by the doors I called Police, after explaining situation they agreed to come and help me. But also they explained, because I don’t have any prove that I live there only keys of apartment, they will be able to help me only if guy will show himself in appropriate behaviour. When I knocked again on doors and tried open them they were closed. Police took ownership of situation. When landlord opened doors he didn’t allowed enter apartment. He made up stories which didn’t made sense. Itlead to escorting him to police station.In the end I got my stuffs but I was able to take so much how much I could bring by myself. As I didn’t know if I will get my stuffs at all, I didn’t asked anybody to pick me up. Police officers brought me to Central Station. Overall I got back about 30% of my belongings, I took me four days to resolve situation, every day I went from one lawyer office to another and spend hours in Police office. Also looking fornew place where to live. (btw I found it in Albert Heijn) The last day I spend 12 hours from which more than half was spend in police office. My lost was 700EUR and all the stuffs I couldn’t carry on which I never got back, and I’m not even mentioning all the stress I went through. And it was only because I didn’that signed agreement.

Morale for you guys: Until contract is signed, nothing is real!

TIP:There is such a thing as Huurtoeslag=rent benefits. If you are eligible to apply for that you will get back some money from rent each month. This are the roles,

1. You must have signed rental agreement.
2. You are registered at the same address where your landlord.
3. You have valid residence permit.
4. You are at least 18.
5. You earn below certain level

Now you can take a look to these available rooms in Erasmusu for rent.

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