Nederlands Is there a housing shortage in Maastricht?
The student housing market in Maastricht gets busier and busier every year. In August and September the stock of available rooms will be very, very limited and you will risk the chance of being homeless. So, please start your housing search as soon as possible!
Make sure to arrange your housing BEFORE you come to Maastricht or you will almost certainly get in trouble in finding housing after arrival. This will severely affect your studies as well. You don’t want that to happen.
You can consider renting a room one month before arrival, just to be sure you won’t be homeless after arrival. Although this may seem like an expensive solution, it’s much better than ending up in Maastricht without a place to stay and hopping from one expensive hotel to another.
In April and May it is much easier to find a room compared to July, August and September. If you start looking later then be prepared to sub-rent or stay in a ho(s)tel for a few weeks. There is a crossover period from the beginning of the introductory week INKOM until halfway through September. This is when the old students haven’t left their housing yet and all the new students start arriving. The housing market is very busy at this time, and it can be almost impossible for a new student to find a place to live. We recommend looking for a room earlier or booking a room in a ho(s)tel until places become available later on in September.
To clarify the university’s position in student housing, students should know that by Dutch law universities have only very limited possibilities in the development of student housing. Universities in the Netherlands are mainly dependent on municipalities for the creation of student housing. Municipalities on their part are dependent on contractors, developers and implementors and any delays in construction can contribute to a temporary shortage in supply.
Useful tips and warnings:
1. Fraud/Scams:
Every year the Maastricht Police Department receives reports about housing related scams and fraudulent activities. Scammers offer (often through Social Media, mostly Facebook) rooms that either don’t exist, are not theirs, or are already rented out to another student. These scams can be very costly.
To prevent being scammed, please see these tips:
Tips on avoiding housing scams | !WOON (wooninfo.nl)
2. Couch surfing:
If you couldn’t find a place to stay in time, you can check on the Facebook page Sharing is Caring to look for couch surfing opportunities.
3. myMaastricht:
This website offers detailed information on everything you have to arrange before and after coming to Maastricht as a student, including tips for your housing search. The housing section can be found here: Housing | mymaastricht.nl https://mymaastricht.nl/housing/
4. Rental contract and red flags:
Dutch rental contracts are subject to Dutch law. Overall they provide a good protection for students. However, Dutch law is complicated and foreign students are sometimes easy subjects to cheat on with all kinds of illegal additional costs like mediation or administration fees.
To learn more about red flags with rental contract please visit:
Rental contract (red flags) | mymaastricht.nl https://mymaastricht.nl/housing/basics/rental-contract-red-flags/
The Rental Team South Limburg offers a free service to check your contract before signing: Huurteam Zuid-Limburg (huurteam-zuidlimburg.nl) https://huurteam-zuidlimburg.nl.
They can also help you out - free of charge - with other legal issues with your landlord.
What’s the average rent price in Maastricht?
A room will cost you roughly €400,- per month. A bedsit/studio will cost you roughly €600,- and €900,- and an apartment €900,- or more.
Are there waiting lists?
Maastricht operates a 'first come - first serve' policy for both the UM Guesthouse and the housing corporations (Woonpunt, Maasvallei and Servatius).
The housing spaces offered on the private market are freely accessible. These living spaces can be viewed without restriction and each owner is allowed to determine their own selection process.