Living & studying in Amsterdam
The Dutch capital is a very popular city to live and study in and finding a place to live in Amsterdam is very difficult due to housing shortage and the high rates. As a student you are responsible for arranging your own housing. Therefore, we recommend that you start looking for suitable accommodation as soon as possible and to consider not starting your studies if you have not found a room before the start of the academic year.
You can register with ROOM, even if you are not a student yet but expect to start studying in Amsterdam. On this page, we would like to give you more information and tips on how to find accommodation.
Jan Pietersz House Foundation
Especially for music students
The Amsterdam University of the Arts does not have its own student houses, but students of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CvA) can benefit from the offer of the Jan Pieterszoon Huis Foundation, which aims to create suitable living and working spaces for music students (fitted with sound insulation) in collaboration with the CvA. All bachelor and master students of the CvA may apply for inclusion on the waiting list of Jan Pieterszoon Huis (JPH).
JPH has a portfolio of about 350 houses. Most of the houses are specifically fitted out for music students to study at home. If you have registered with JPH, you will be put on the waiting list and receive regular emails with available rooms. Keep in mind that the average waiting time can be up to two to three years.
Are you interested in a JPH flat? You can register via the web-app on the JPH website, but consider the following:
- you can only register with an AHK email address. You will receive this email address at the beginning of the academic year;
- there is a waiting list of approximately two to three years;
- costs for a spot on the waiting list are € 26.50 per calendar year;
- tenancy is for a minimum of one year, which means exchange students cannot register;
- subletting (via Airbnb for example) is strictly prohibited;
- after graduation you have to leave the residence;
- housing is unfurnished unless otherwise indicated;
- more information and conditions can be found on the website of JPH.
Do you have any questions or want more information? Then please contact cva-housing@ahk.nl.
Accommodation in Amsterdam
In Amsterdam and the surrounding areas, you can find a room via housing corporations, special institutions or private individuals. While searching for a place to live consider the following:
- Start searching as soon as possible. You want to make sure you have a place to live before the beginning of the academic year.
- Most official institutions work with a waiting list. Rooms in popular areas are in high demand.
- Try to broaden your search area. Look for rooms outside Amsterdam too.
- Let people within your network know you are looking for a room.
- Be critical about the reliability of room offers from private individuals. Unfortunately, there are scammers at work.
More tips and information about the way housing in the Netherlands works, can be found on Study in NL.
- At ROOM, you can find student rooms in Amsterdam, Delft, The Hague, Deventer, Leiden, Haarlem or Wageningen. You can register if you are 16 years or older.
- The Social Hub (TSH) has more than 700 rooms that can be let to both Dutch and international students. The length of stay can vary from 1 week to 12 months. Permanent accommodation is not possible. Check out: Amsterdam City or Amsterdam West.
- StudentenWoningWeb – Housing corporations De Key and Ymere with rooms and flats for students publish their offers on this website. You pay a one-off registration fee of €22,50. Rooms are assigned based on the registration time and priority arrangements. Please note; soon this platform will disappear. More information about this announcement can be found here. (Information on the website is only available in Dutch)
- Student Experience offers self-contained studios with a private bathroom and kitchen.
- The municipality of Amsterdam has produced a housing guide for students. This guide explains how to find accommodation in Amsterdam, but also provides information on what to look for. (The guide is only available in Dutch)
- ASVA is the student union in Amsterdam. They provide several services for their members such as mediation between landlords and students. They also give tips on how to find a room in Amsterdam.
Do you need advice about renting in Amsterdam? You can reach out to WOON!. This is an independent non-profit foundation, partly subsidised by the municipality, that gives residents information and advice on renting and buying, among other things.
You can rent a room from a private landlord – for example through a letting agency (Dutch website), in a student house or with a family. This is called ‘house sharing’ and is subject to strict rules in Amsterdam. A landlord must have a permit for this.
There are two important legal rules to bear in mind when it comes to ‘house sharing’:
- each resident must have their own rental contract with the landlord;
- you must be permitted to register your room address with the municipality. Not permitted? Then the landlord is probably letting the room illegally.
For more information about all of your housing rights, please take a look this article at Iamsterdam.com.
Students going on an exchange or an internship abroad who want to sublet their room or rent a room themselves can do so via the website HousingAnywhere.com. Read more about this initiative.
Warning
Unfortunately, there are illegal landlords active. Do not pay ‘key money’ (sleutelgeld): a payment demanded before you can enter the house. It is not permitted by law to ask for key money. It is however customary and legally permitted to ask a deposit from a new tenant; you will get this money back if you leave the house in good order at the end of your tenancy. More information about additional costs a landlord is permitted to ask, can be found at Rijksoverheid.nl (information only available in Dutch).
There are also other safety matters to keep in mind when searching for a place to live, so please read the information on the website of WOON! and I Am Expat on how to avoid housing scams. If you are unsure about an offer or you have other questions about rental housing, you can contact WOON!.
Rent benefit
Rent benefit is an allowance for rental costs that is paid out by the national government. When you meet the conditions, rent benefit can help you to afford the house you are renting.
Whether you are eligible for rent benefit depends on your age, rent, income, nationality and whether the rented accomodation counts as an independent accomodation. On the Tax Administration website you will find an overview of the conditions for receiving rent benefit and how to apply for it.
For the application you can use the test calculator on the Tax Administration website (only available in Dutch). This calculator helps estimate how much rent benefit you can expect. After you have done the test calculation, you can submit your application via the Tax Administration’s website, using “Mijn toeslagen” (only available in Dutch). You will then receive a message from the Tax Administration whether you are entitled to rent benefit and how much you will receive.
You can also receive rent benefit retrospectively. This means that you can still apply for rent benefit for the year(s) you were entitled to it but did not receive it.
If you need help with your application while located in the Netherlands, you can call the Tax Information Line.