Like most universities in the Netherlands, TU/e is motivated to broaden its appeal and attract ever-increasing numbers of international students to its campus each year. As the world shrinks and students flow across borders in hopes of furthering their academic careers abroad, more and more students are flowing into places like Eindhoven. How do these students find a place to live? And what’s the process like for the average international student looking for a room to call their own?

For international students (and local students, too, actually), finding housing comes down to striking a balance between quality, cost and, of course, availability. The first stop in their search is generally the options offered by the university itself through their arrangement with housing corporation Friendly Housing of Vestide. These spots are generally economical and fall within the budget of the average student.

However, international students quickly realize that finding a room is competitive, the wait can be long, and that they may already be far behind their Dutch peers. Kevin Steijn (18), from the Computer Science and Engineering Department is Dutch but grew up in Switzerland and says most internationals are already behind in the housing race when they get accepted to TU/e. “Someone in Holland could say two years ahead, ‘Oh I want to go to Eindhoven’ and then they put their name on the waiting list. They know about it, but international students don’t. They have an advantage.” Ian van Eenennaam (28), came to Eindhoven from Curacao six years ago and recently finished a master’s degree in the Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences. He found his first room through a friend. “I was in luck because I knew a girl here already and she had a friend who was moving out of his room. If you don’t have a contact like I did then it can be very difficult for a foreigner to find a room. Once you’re here, there are a lot of websites where you can search and then it becomes easier. But when you’re abroad it’s harder to know what to trust and what to use.”

“A lot of people freak out when they arrive”

International students may also find that the quality of their first place in Holland is not what they expected. Mexican master’s student Amado Garza (27), of the Computer Science and Engineering Department opted to find private housing but says many of his friends got their places through the public (and thus cheaper) housing options and were shocked by their new digs. “That’s why a lot of people freak out when they arrive. They get to their new house and find that there are eight rooms, one big kitchen, and only one toilet for all of these people to share.” Albanian Deni Vangeli (25), a recent graduate from the Computer Science and Engineering Department, would like to see vast improvements in the housing situation. “Many TU/e international students are living in sub-standard conditions. Many students say that they live in extremely small rooms because they can’t afford a better one. The real question is: should a 6m square room, transformed into a bedroom from a bathroom, be allowed to be rented? I mean are there any minimal requirements for a room to be considered habitable here? Sometimes money-making greed reaches some core areas of the student life that it really shouldn’t.”

Instemming: Internationals need not apply?

One of the biggest hurdles to acquiring affordable housing for international students is the Dutch tradition of instemming or ‘voting someone in’. It’s customary in the Netherlands that only one student in a house has a contract with the home’s owner. The landlord, then, is not involved in selecting additional housemates but rather leaves this process to the people already living in the house.

It goes something like this: a room opens up in a house with, for example, five students already living there. These students then advertise their open room by posting flyers around campus or on a website such as kamernet.nl (a common way for students to find housing in NL) and invite all interested parties to apply. Because affordable, attractive housing is scarce, anywhere from five to 40 (or more!) potential housemates might reply in hopes of nabbing the spot. An initial selection is made and the lucky ones are invited to view the room and meet the other housemates. In the end, the original housemates will ‘vote in’ the person they think will be the best fit. It can be a competitive and daunting experience and one that international students often get locked out of, explains Amado Garza, “It’s very difficult to get through. I sent a lot of messages to these houses. About 60% didn’t even answer me. Some answered and said ‘We’re not interested in international people. We want a Dutch person to live here.’

Deni Vangeli agrees that this Dutch custom is one of the most frustrating for international students. “Is it justified the fact that a bunch of random college students, who do not own the house where they live, decide on another student’s life with such important decisions? Or should a more formal regulation take place in a more structured way, involving, for example, the landlord or some other trusted entity?”

Going the private route

Some international students skip the long waits for public housing and search for accommodations through the many private housing companies. They get faster service and generally fresher, cleaner and more update facilities but it all comes at a cost, explains Garza. “I didn’t use the university services to find my housing when I first arrived. We- a friend and I - did our own research with regular agencies that don’t have an association with the university. But usually those come with this hefty fee. You have to pay the deposit, first month and the charge for the agency itself which is also one month’s rent. It’s really expensive. And then there are things you don’t expect with some of these houses like ‘Wait, I have to pay for the floor or you’ll take it with you? What?!”

Kevin Steijn has put a lot of thought into his housing situation and is considering more daring options. “It’s a lot more interesting to think about buying something here right now. Interest rates are low and if you have the capital, then you can buy a house. The math comes down to that, if you buy, you can live for the same price you would pay if you rented a place. The hope is that you’d break even after living in the house for a few years and then hopefully the market would go up and you can sell.”

The university hopes to make things easier for international students in the near future by offering housing options right on campus. Plans have been made for the construction of a student housing tower between Potentiaal and the sports center. Work will commence in early 2015 and should be completed by mid-2016. The new tower will contain approximately 300 living spaces.

Also, the seventeen-story TU/e building Potentiaal will be transformed into a residential tower with three hundred housing units. Construction work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2016.

TU/e and construction group Dura Vermeer have entered into a fifty-year agreement. The contract states that the construction company will realize and exploit housing for people associated with TU/e Science Park, both students and young, foreign researchers.

For international students, finding housing in Eindhoven can be a complicated process but Ian van Eenennaam advises those searching for that ideal spot to jump in and not worry too much about the process. “I think as a foreigner you shouldn’t be afraid to come to the Netherlands and find out that you want something else. Don’t be afraid to grab the first thing. If you don’t like it, you can change. You’ll never get the real impression of what life here will be like from behind your computer.”

Home hunting help

Need some help finding those perfect digs? Here are some tips:

- Start with your social network. Tell friends, acquaintances, professors, Facebook, and pretty much anyone who will listen that you need a room. Just like with the rest of life, getting things done is often about who you know.

- Explore the many websites offering housing including:

o   www.kamernet.nl

o   www.eindhoven2stay.com

o   www.vestide.nl

o   www.friendlyhousing.nl

o   www.pararius.com

o   www.funda.nl

o   www.marktplaats.nl

- Consider non-traditional options such as renting a room in a private family home. You might even be able to get an extra cheap rent in exchange for a few hours of childcare.

- Check the notice boards on campus and in local supermarkets.

- Explore the ads in local newspapers for free rooms and/or rentals. Don’t forget to look in the tiny local papers in surrounding villages if you’re willing to live a bit further afield.