These specialized platforms can help you find housing as an exchange student

If you’re an exchange student looking for housing, you probably already explored three main options. First you looked on social media like Facebook, but you quickly noticed those are being plagued by scams, and not all of those are easy to catch. You obviously consulted the webpages of your host university, but places in university halls are often quite limited. Lastly, you went online and just googled, finding dozens of websites -none oh which are designed for exchange students and most of which ask for exorbitant monthly fees.

Three different housing platforms …

Checking out university accommodation should be your very first option, that’s for sure. But what if places are limited, none is left or your chances are just too small to risk betting on one horse only? Many students turn to Facebook, risking their money -and sanity- on questionable listings, or waste their time and bank account searching through websites that simply weren’t built for them.

I don’t blame you, I’ve been there. I went on exchange twice, and the second time finding accommodation as an exchange student was even more stressful than the first. Now, working as Exchange Coordinator, I hear the same frustration from the students I support. Luckily, this frustration didn’t go unnoticed. There are three platforms built specifically for exchange students, just like you. Here they are, listed in no particular order:

• Erasmusu displays listings by landlords or corporations uploading available accommodation for short-term students. You can browse and contact people for free, and once you make a booking -i.e. you get the room- you pay a booking fee. The fee in question isn’t fixed but based on the rent of the listing you’re booking, it can vary from 100 to 250 euros.
• Erasmusplay, on the other hand, collects listings that already exist and conveniently displays them on their website so you don’t have to do all the heavy searching to filter out short-term stays. Once you find an interesting place to stay, you’re being redirected to the original listing on one of their partner’s websites, while they receive a commission for referring you to them. This system makes it essentially free for you, but their partners do charge fees ranging from 50 to 200 euros.
• Exchange Rooms, the platform you’re reading this article on, has yet another strategy. Where the other platforms list rooms from landlords or corporations, Exchange Rooms collects listings from verified exchange students subletting their room while they’re going abroad. You pay a one-time 10 euro fee once you want to contact a fellow exchange student about a room -after that, contacting people is unlimited and no other fees are part of the platform. After finding a room, you arrange the subletting among yourselves according to local regulations.

The three platforms operate in essentially different ways that are by no means mutually exclusive. In fact, the source of their listings being different (directly from landlords, aggregated from other sites and directly from fellow students) means that they’re entirely complementary. All three can be used in your broader strategy to look for housing during your exchange.

… three advantageous ways of finding housing

All three platforms have the same three advantages. The first one is trust: all three verify the users posting listings. The second is affordability: for Erasmusu and Erasmusplay, you’re only charged once you make a booking, i.e. you actually find something. For Exchange Rooms, you’re only charged a 10 euro fee once you want to start contacting a student offering a room you like -after that, contacting other students is free. The third advantage is specialization: all rooms on each of the platforms are offered specifically for short-term rent and for students. That’s exactly who you are.

These three advantages are exactly the areas where housing from Facebook or from general housing websites falls short. Facebook and other social media are the most dangerous places to find housing. Not only do you never know if the listed place actually exists, you also don’t know in what state you’ll find it once you receive the keys -if you’ll receive those at all. The trust simply isn’t there.

While big general rental platforms might have trust on their side, they lack in affordability and specialization. For one, they charge subscription-based fees -often either 20 euros for a month or 40 euros for three months. Erasmusu and Erasmusplay only charge you once you found something, while Exchange Rooms boasts unlimited chat access for a low one-time fee. Lastly, the big platforms aren’t made specifically for students, or at least not for exchange students. Short-term rent is very scarce on those platforms and you probably only realize that once you already paid a large fee.

So, what to do next?

Make an account on the platform that suits your needs most, or honestly -all three. Making an account is free anyway. Making use of exchange housing platforms is a secure, targeted way to find a room during your study abroad period. You’ll either only pay a small one-time fee, or pay a larger fee but only once you actually book a place.

Additionally, explore even more options. Contact your home and host university, ask for tips on how to find exchange housing. You could try and reach out to students who previously went to your exchange destination and ask them how they managed finding housing.

In the end, you’ll likely be all right. Finding a place to stay is stressful -especially with the current housing crisis in many places- but with the right information and the right tools, you’ll find the room you need. Good luck searching!