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Originally Posted by The Porn Nerd
I just moved to Amsterdam and it took me four months and thousands of US dollars to find an apartment. The competition for housing is so insane here that when a property becomes available it is normal to have 50-200 applicants apply for a viewing.
I have been to open houses where there was a 100 person line around the block to view a 50m one bedroom flat on the top floor of an old Dutch building. Asking rent: $2000 euros not including utilities. It actually rented for $2700 which means there was a bidding war.
In Holland they are housing students (the ones least likely to have the resources to rent a normal flat) in these giant plastic boxes near the Schipol airport, like fucking hamsters. Many places for rent will specify "no students" or "not for sharing" (no roommates). Completely crazy! Then you have to worry about the expat services who will charge you one month's rent on top of the landlord's security and sometimes large fees, too. Many are dishonest and the ones who are legit make you (the expat) jump through fifty hoops in terms of documentation before they will even represent you. Fun times!!
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Hilversum might be easier, 20 minutes by train to Amsterdam. There are no universities in Hilversum. So less students want to rent there. Also The Hague has no big universities. I was looking to buy to rent out in Hilversum. Good location and relatively better priced.
My sister lived in a container-flat in Amsterdam. Was fine and best space you can have as student cause price set by government and it is a complete studio. Till the government decided to use 50% for refugees and problem cases. Good for integration they said.... And after study you must move out and won't be able to find a house so many return to cities they came from.
When i was 19 i already had an apartment with social rent cause i worked. And than went to study for 5 years
So i had a whole apartment for myself while other students searching for an (expensive) room. Can forget that now, and it wasn't near Amsterdam. Amsterdam and Utrecht are most crazy regarding houses.