Moving into a room is a big deal. There are lots of things you need to take into account, and you’ve got to take care of yourself for the first time in your life. We’ll give you some tips so that moving into a room is something you can do.
Finding a room
SSH& makes things easy for you. After all, we operate more than 7,000 housing units. You get a chance to win a room or house every week through our lottery system. Register for free, make a profile, and then the search can start. Every Wednesday afternoon, the available housing in Arnhem and Nijmegen is refreshed, and you can respond to one of these rooms immediately.
Set your budget
Once you start living on your own as a student, there’s more to think about than just paying rent every month. It’s good to think about this before you take the plunge. When you start living on your own, you don’t have any furniture. SSH& provides unfurnished rooms, so you have to bear in mind that you still need to buy furniture.
There are also other monthly costs to look out for. Examples are:
- Groceries
- House insurance
You’ll want to enjoy student life to the fullest too, of course, so you need to consider what you’ll spend in your free time. Remember to keep a rainy day fund for unexpected expenses too, like if your washing machine breaks down.
Sometimes you’ve got to undergo a flatmate assessment
You may have to undergo a flatmate assessment in several student houses. As soon as a room becomes available in a student house, residents schedule a flatmate assessment evening. During such an evening you get to see the house, are asked questions and you potentially meet your new flatmates. These evenings sound stressful, but you can prepare for them. Think of answers to questions in advance, like ‘why should we choose you? What are your hobbies?’ These evenings are important for you too - do you actually fit into the student house? Can you see yourself living there? The most important tip we can give you is this: be yourself.
Get designing!
You’ve found a room. Congratulations! But how should you furnish a student room so it’s as functional as possible? A bed, wardrobe and a place to study are important, but also think about what other elements you definitely want to have in your room. One tip we can give you: Choose furniture with lots of storage space. Rooms will feel much smaller when they’re full of clutter, so store as much of it away as possible. Think of a bed with drawers underneath or a bench with storage.