Job Discussion Forums

OzBurn · Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 199

Can anyone out there tell me what it would cost to rent a one-bedroom apartment in Amsterdam? I would prefer a reasonably attractive neighborhood, but it doesn't need to be in the center. I am thinking about grad school there and would like to draw up a budget. I don't necessarily trust the school's budget.

Thank you.

daily chai · Joined: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 150 Location: Brussels

You're looking at E400 per month in rent. But it would be extraordinarily difficult to locate housing. It simply is not readily available anywhere in the Netherlands. Accept any offer from the school for housing location. You don't know how many people in my Dutch grad school showed up without housing and went back home because they couldn't afford hotels. I was only able to stay because I lived illegally in a student room with my Dutch partner (now spouse). People wait on 2-year waiting lists for apartments in R'dam, which is smaller. Most Dutch people commute around the country because they can't find a combination of work + housing. I'm serious, this is not a pessimistic or naysayer's view.

iris · Joined: 10 Apr 2004 Posts: 9

I have to agree to what is said above. In my time as a student in the Netherlands I was only able to secure legal housing after having been registered with a student accommodation agency for 2 years. This student accommodation was based at the outskirts of A'dam. The easiest way to find a room in A'dam is to get one through contacts. You won't find adds in the paper here. There is a website called www.kamernet.nl, where you can find adds from the private sector. You should know when you respond to these adds, there will be another 30-40-50 students responding. The competition is huge. It usually concerns illegal subletting which means you have no rights. You can be put on the streets anytime, it has happened to me before. Crying or Very sad

After having lived abroad for many years, I came back to A'dam last year to do a Masters degree. I actually gave up on accommodation, and just stayed at my parents. I'm thinking of going abroad again, because to get an appartment in a nice location within A'dam I'll need to be on the waiting list for about 12 years, so I've got another few years to wait..... Rolling Eyes

daily chai · Joined: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 150 Location: Brussels

dagi · Joined: 01 Jan 2004 Posts: 425

all the other posters are right. Housing is extremely difficult to find. Even for the locals it means to either pay ridicoulous high rents or sign up with a housing corporation for some 10 year. For my first appartment I was signed up nearly 2 years and my second it took 6 years. The one now is 55 m2 one bedroom flat and costs 400Euros, all in (not furnished). That is considered cheap!

Luder · Joined: 10 Jul 2004 Posts: 74

Is there some sort of rent control in the Netherlands that keeps prices down and apartments off the rental market? 400 Euros a month for a 55 m2 apartment seems astonishingly cheap to me. In Paris, where I live, you'd pay more than double for that, but if you were willing and able to do so, you wouldn't have too much trouble finding that sort of place. Long live the free market!

Luder · Joined: 10 Jul 2004 Posts: 74

Is there some sort of rent control in the Netherlands that keeps prices down and apartments off the rental market? 400 Euros a month for a 55 m2 apartment seems astonishingly cheap to me. In Paris, where I live, you'd pay more than double for that, but if you were willing and able to do so, you wouldn't have too much trouble finding that sort of place. Long live the free market!

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

OOOh you are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO negative you lot ! This is terrible !

You must not say things like this becasue I am going to live in Holland !

And I know it is really easy to get a job there too.

(Note for those slow on the uptake : Scot47 is attempting to utilise irony here which is not suitable for all posters. Those with established irony-allergy should avert their eyes.)

poro · Joined: 04 Oct 2004 Posts: 274

dagi · Joined: 01 Jan 2004 Posts: 425

scotti, if you want to read some real negative I'd suggest you browse the discussion forum of expatica.com (the netherlands) Very Happy

Housing here, especially in the big cities is a nightmare but not impossible.
Prices are controlled by the government to keep them affordable. On one side that is good, the down side is that there are long waiting lists.