The key to your new place in Rotterdam

A student service initiative by your friend for moving houses and everything else.

Welcome to the city of Rotterdam! We at Oranje Transport have done business with students and expats over the years which made us realise the trouble that internationals go through in finding the right housing. We just decided to help make you ‘happy’. So here goes…..STUDENT-HOUSING- TIPS!

Without Brokers

This approach definitely saves you money but does consume a lot more time – sometimes more time than you can afford. Click the name of facebook group or website to directly access it. Good luck!

Facebook Groups:

Have a few listings daily by students looking for new Find a room(mate) or house in Rotterdam apartment mates. Read the posting rules and comply.

  • Housing Rotterdam: Run by housinganywhere.com.
  • Housing Rotterdam RSM: another a good place to explore. Note: The group is not run by RSM as the name might suggest
  • ESN Housing Rotterdam: The page is run by the Erasmus Student Network (ESN). Many Erasmus University students post there.
  • Student Housing Rotterdam: Run by the Student Housing Rotterdam company.
  • Commodity market Rotterdam: This group is not specifically for houses/rooms. You can find many things it. yet people frequently post about vacant rooms and houses for rent.

Many posts are through the brokers and may involvement brokerage – check! Also, Sometimes, fake profiles scam international students on the Facebook pages. Beware!

Websites:

  • Kamernet: Allows house seekers to interact directly with landlords (Requires a membership fee).
  • Nestpick: Founded by an Erasmus student. Very popular service. Works like an AirBnB for student rentals.
  • Pararius: Probably the largest housing listing site in NL.
  • Funda: Similar to Pararius.

The Student Hotel Rotterdam: Student Hotels are situated in locations all over Europe. The one in Rotterdam is at Willem Ruyslaan 225, which is very close to Erasmus university and hoogschool Rotterdam (few minutes by tram or biking). This hotel has a booking system online basically like any other hotel (check in-out system) and user friendly interface. With the room, you get free internet, LCD TV, bicycle, gym, etc. Expensive but fantastic!

International Student Housing Rotterdam: Good student rooms. A decent option if you are 2-3 friendslooking for a room each in the same place.

TOP 5 APARTMENT RENTAL AGENCIES IN ROTTERDAM

Hereunder is a list of the top five rental agencies in Rotterdam. This ranking is based on the number of the vacant properties each agency offers for renting as of April 2017.

1 – Rotterdam Apartments

Price range: 360 – 3500 euro
Info: Rotterdam Apartments has around 90 properties available for rent in Rotterdam. They offer furnished, unfurnished rooms, studios, apartments, houses and villas with prices starting at 400 euros per month.

Website: www.rotterdamapartments.com

2 – Riva Rentals

Price range: 950 – 4500 euro
Info: If you wish to temporarily rent a furnished house or apartment in Rotterdam, around the Maasvlakte or Europoort (meaning the harbour area) Riva Rentals is specialized in helping you to find it and organizing everything around it.

Website: www.rivarentals.com

3 – BenHousing

Price range: 525 – 2150 euro
Info: BenHousing has 11 years of experience in renting the most beautiful and hip apartments in Rotterdam.

Website: www.benhousing.nl

4 – Dop & Dop Consultancy

Price range: 720 – 2950 euro
Info: Dop & Dop is a young and flexible organization. They only do property renting so they have their full attention for their clients.

Website: www.dop-dop.com

5- Principle Vastgoed

Price range: 850-7000 euro
Principle Vastgoed has been operating in the Randstad region for almost ten years. This company provides housing services with the help of a wide network of international companies, rental websites, and real estate brokers. Around 80% of their accommodations are rented by expats and internationals who are on a mission in the Netherlands.

Website: https://www.principlevastgoed.nl/

TOP 5 APARTMENT RENTAL AGENCIES IN AMSTERDAM

Hereunder is a list of the top five rental agencies in Amsterdam. This ranking is based on the number of the vacant properties each agency offers for renting as of April 2017.

1 – Principle Vastgoed

Price range: 1300-7000 euro
Principle Vastgoed has been operating in the Randstad region for almost ten years. This company provides housing services with the help of a wide network of international companies, rental websites, and real estate brokers. Around 80% of their accommodations are rented by expats and internationals who are on a mission in the Netherlands.

Website: https://www.principlevastgoed.nl/

2 – Amsterdam Housing

Price range: 1350 – 6750 Euro (exclusive)
Amsterdam Housing offers a wide variety of properties, mainly in Amsterdam, Amstelveen, The Hague, Wassenaar, Haarlem. They have 15 years’ experience of helping expats and internationals finding suitable furnished or semi-furnished housing in the Netherlands. This agency does not ask for a registration fee and unless you find a suitable option no payment is required (No Cure No Pay).

Website: https://www.amsterdamhousing.com

3 – Parker & Williams Real Estate Services

Price range: 1500 – 5000 euro
Parker & Williams is a local Amsterdam Real Estate agency with over 10 years’ experience in the field. In their customer-friendly website they offer many properties (furnished and unfurnished) for buying and renting, mainly in Amsterdam.

Website: http://www.parkerwilliams.nl/

4 – Vesteda Property Management

Price range: 800 – 1725 euro
Vesteda is the largest investor in the Dutch real estate market with an investment portfolio of approximately 22,600 homes. The principal areas of Vesteda investments are the Randstad urban conurbation and the Noord Brabant province. Renting a property via Vesteda can be done by following a clear five-steps process starting from calculating your maximum rent to receiving the key of your new apartment.

Website: https://www.vesteda.com

5- Interhouse Amsterdam

Price range: 1,100- 3500 Euro
Interhouse has over 19 years of experience mediating between the supply and demand of rental properties. To find a suitable property via Interhouse, you can either check their listings online, or if you are too busy, you can ask for one of their professional estate agent to search the market for you and mediate on your behalf.

Website: http://amsterdam.interhouse.nl/en/home

Did you know this about Rotterdam?

  • 1340 Rotterdam Became a city!
  • 625,472 total residents of Rotterdam.
  • 49,1% of the residents in Rotterdam are internationals from over 170 different nationalities.
  • 53600 students live in Rotterdam.
info

TOP 5 APARTMENT RENTAL AGENCIES IN DEN HAAG

Hereunder is a list of the top five rental agencies in Den Haag. This ranking is based on the number of the vacant properties each agency offers for renting as of April 2017.

1 – The Hague Real Estate Services

Price range: 825-8500 euro
The service and offering of The Hague Real Estate Services combines exclusive and top-quality real estate with a personal and customer-focused sales strategy. They work with both professional parties and individuals and employ a universal approach to real estate. Their mode of operation is dynamic and are therefore accessible 24/7.

Website: http://www.thehaguerealestate.nl/nl

2 – Duinzigt Wonen B.V.

Price range: 245 – 3250 Euro
Registering with Duinzigt Wonen BV has many advantages. To name a few: Fast result, if needed within days. Viewings Monday to Saturday. No waiting queues, what you see as available is available! Short and long term rental! Fast, automatic, e-mail notification as soon as there’s a new house available. Very competitive pricing. All real estate available at Duinzigt Wonen BV is on an equal opportunity basis.

Website: http://www.duinzigt.nl/

3 – The Real Estate Company

Price range: 375 – 4000 euro
The Real Estate Company focuses on real estate rentals to expats in The Hague region. Whether you are looking for a studio, a family home or a villa, they will happily find the right home for you. They specialize in both furnished or unfurnished apartments, for short or long-term lease.

Website: http://www.trechousing.nl

4 – BizStay The Hague  Short Stay Apartments

Price range: 80 – 199 euro per night
BizStay The Hague has a complete range of short-stay accommodations and, moreover, can arrange everything that may be necessary during a short stay. The feeling of being at home, but then in The Hague. Their apartments can accommodate 1 to 8 persons and are a perfect place to stay for business, pleasure or family lodging.

Website: https://www.bizstaythehague.com/

5- Immovita

Price range: 125 (per night) – 2100 Euro
Immovita is specialized in the finest areas of The Hague, like Zeeheldenkwartier, Regentessekwatier and Duinoord. With the right knowledge and experience and a lot of enthusiasm they will find the right place for you. Real Estate Immovita offers the right network for national and international businesses who are looking for spaces for their employees and expatriates.

Website: http://immovita.nl/
Reference: https://www.pararius.com/real-estate- agents/den-haag

TOP 5 APARTMENT RENTAL AGENCIES IN UTRECHT

Hereunder is a list of the top five rental agencies in Utrecht. This ranking is based on the number of the vacant properties each agency offers for renting as of April 2017.

1 – B&S Rental Service

Price range: 950-3250 euro
B&S Rental Service is specialized in leasing and letting real estate in and around Utrecht and has done so since 1990. They know Utrecht and its surroundings inside out. Their starting point is based on your own personal wish list. They will help you pinpoint what is important to you, such as number of rooms, child-friendly neighborhood or quick access to atrial roads. Once your wishes are clear they will meet them quickly and efficiently, including the lease contract and all additional agreements with the owner.

Website: http://www.bnsrentalservice.nl/

2 – VGW Housing

Price range: 75 (per night) – 5750 Euro
VGW (Safety, Health, Welfare) is an experienced real estate agent. Their core values are flexibility, fast service, preventing vacancy and finding suitable accommodation for their clients. VGW is specialized in exclusively and tasteful (furnished) houses, studio and apartments in several classes and locations.

Website: http://www.vgwhousing.nl/

3 – Domica Utrecht

Price range: 385 – 3000 euro
Domica is a national company with more than 20 offices in the Netherlands, yet they keep a personal relationship with all their landlords and tenants. In Utrecht they have professional brokers who know the regional market. And because they’re the biggest rental broker in the Netherlands they can help you to find a new house within 24 hours.

Website: https://www.domica.nl/

4 – Tweelwonen.nl Utrecht

Price range: 995 – 3200 euro
Tweelwonen has 13 years of experience and is now a nationwide company offering long stay, short stay and even hotels. Their website is very complete and offers many search options for all your requests. In 2016 they won the award Rental Broker of the year.

Website: https://www.tweelwonen.nl/

5- Altijd Wonen

Price range: 400 – 1850 Euro
Altijd Wonen (Always Living) is a competitive real estate company that tailors their services to the wishes of every customer, but stays professional. They work on a no cure, no pay basis and search also outside their own real estate for which they will not charge you if they find an apartment with another broker.

Website: http://www.altijdwonen.nl
Reference: https://www.pararius.com/real-estate-agents/utrecht

Tips for Expat Housing in Rotterdam & Amsterdam

If you are an expat living in the Netherlands, one thought-consuming topic, aside from how to stay dry when you cycle to work, has got to be housing. Apartment is a place where people generally spend considerable amount of their time.

In 2017 an average apartment in the Netherlands was valued over 260.000 euros and average rental price for one bedroom apartment is between 700-900 euros per month. The amount of money expats have to spend on housing are especially high in Randstad area where main three cities are Rotterdam, Amsterdam & Den Haag. Despite high housing costs working and living in Randstad area is an attractive option for people from all around the world.

But which location to scout for your living space? What are common problems encountered by expats looking for a house and how to approach them?

Registration

The first thing to know when you arrive in the Netherlands for a period that extends four months is that you are obliged to register at the municipality where you live. You need an address to do this. If you arrive through an employer, your employer could help you out with the relatively easy procedure of applying for the so-abbreviated ‘BSN’ (or citizen service number). This is necessarily if you live in the Netherlands.

Expat Housing In Rotterdam

One common problem encountered by expats living in foreign countries (often for study- or work-related motives) is a language barrier. However, if you are an expat living, or planning to live, in Rotterdam – you are not alone. Almost 50% of all residents in this city are internationals. Whether you are a local, an international or an expat; in Rotterdam you grow up and live together with about 175 nationalities.

Information related to real estate market in the Netherlands is often in Dutch. However, with a help of Google Translate its not hard to understand the most important information. Furthermore, English is widely spoken among Rotterdamers so the language barrier shouldn’t be a key issue in Rotterdam (or in other Dutch cities).

Thankfully, there are TOP 5 APARTMENT RENTAL AGENCIES IN ROTTERDAM which provide information in English and they might help with housing in Rotterdam.

Locations

Rotterdam is a patchwork city. The municipality consists of 14 boroughs each with its own vibe. The river that divides the city roughly into two parts (North and South) does not seem nearly as big of a separator as it was twenty years ago. The first sign which changed north- south dynamics was perhaps the establishment of the Erasmus bridge. The north is usually seen as better developed (and more expensive) part of the city. However, most districts in the South (or as Rotterdam locals say: ‘op Zuid’) have undergone some transformation. For example, the district Katendrecht, a used-to- be-unattractive mostly industrial harbor area, has developed into a fresh and vibrant neighborhood including young households, stores, bars and ‘room to play’. The municipality has also installed a safety program, through which bi-annual measurements of different aspects affecting the city’s safe environment are taken.

Over the past decade, overall safety has improved in the city. Charlois and Feijenoord (the South) areas used to be considered less safe. General focus on development in combination with various artist programs has positively affected these areas and made them attractive for people to visit and live. Consequently, there is an increasing number of housing opportunities for expats.

However, if you are working in another Randstad city, commuting from Rotterdam is more convenient from the northern part of the city – as it easily takes an extra 20 minutes of traveling from the South to the central station.

Expat Housing In Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the most well-known city in the Netherlands and the city with the highest number of expats. Attractiveness of Amsterdam lead to steady rise of housing prices. There is a shortage of available apartments while the demand is huge. Prices of apartments for sale in the capital generally lies above the Dutch average of € 260.000.

If you are a first-timer stepping into the world of real estate as a buyer, you want to feel comfortable knowing what you can bring to the table. There are many helpful websites with useful information, including online mortgage calculators, for example, hypotheker.nl. Unfortunately, a lot of information is in Dutch which can take additional time to translate it.

If you prefer to stick to renting though, be prepared to compete with people coming to Amsterdam from all around the world. For many people it is hard to find a reasonable apartment for an affordable price.

For students it might be easier to find an accommodation since universities might provide needed assistance. However, many expats have to rely on their own. Thankfully, there is no shortage of TOP 5 APARTMENT RENTAL AGENCIES IN AMSTERDAM which can help internationals to find an apartment.

Commuting in The Netherlands

An interesting option and investment to consider in terms of commuting between work and the location of your new house, is to purchase a (proper) bike! Bicycle lanes in the Netherlands are notoriously well developed. But make sure you are aware of some basic cyclist etiquette, though, for your own increased safety!

Public transport system is also well developed. It is relatively easy and fast to commute between Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Den Haag. Train connection will help you to travel between these three cities in less than one hour. Furthermore, there are plans to establish a fast train connection between Rotterdam and London which would reduce train travel time to 3 hours.

Last But Not Least: Relocation And Furniture Transport

There are many ways in which an independent-minded person can handle moving to a new home. But they all deal with the same issue: moving personal belongings and lifting weights. For this you need two main things: space and muscle strength. You need to rent a car, possibly a truck depending on the volume of your possessions. It can be challenging to find the right way to tackle your moving – do you count on friends and family to help you out or do you hire Prices? Either of these can be a good option. But the question is what are you looking for?

Specialized moving agencies might give you just that extra sense of comfort and guarantee that the moving will happen without extra worry or responsibility from your side. Imagine: you move to a new house worry-free! Renting a truck and two strong hands can make this dream come true. And spending a little over € 100,- is a small price to pay to make sure that your heavy couch is handled with care. Professional movers can take care of transporting all sorts of belongings, including an antique wardrobe or a piano.