Finding your perfect housing match

Around the spring of last year, my classmates and I were desperately searching for housing. Throughout the day, even during lectures, we were frantically switching between housing tabs, looking and praying for a reply. I remember hearing the sighs of exhaustion as they helplessly weighed their options and realized that they might have to stretch their budgets to improve their chances of finding a place to live for the upcoming academic year.

This process felt like a kind of collective dating frenzy. Scrolling through housing websites in search of the “perfect match” closely resembled swiping through dating apps, hoping someone would respond. Every listing felt competitive and uncertain, with all of us anxiously trying to stand out just for the chance of a viewing.

I failed to find a place in time for the summer. As I did not see much of my family during the year, it was already arranged that I would leave Utrecht in June. This meant I needed to find a temporary place to stay for the first couple of months of the following academic year. Thanks to a friend, I was able to stay for a while in a room in a shared house with several girls in western Utrecht. Soon after, however, I had to register at my aunt's house in Amsterdam, as I could not stay there long-term. This process kept me registered, but commuting from Amsterdam to my university in Utrecht was not ideal. I desperately needed to find a place closer to campus. 

The turning point came in late fall. I was heading back from break, sitting on the train with my mother and scrolling through Kamernet, when we stumbled upon a listing for a miniature summer house located in a woman’s backyard. I’ll never forget the awe in my mother's eyes as I showed her the photos. The description read: “Looking for an international student who likes animals”. It felt like the perfect fit. I sent a reply, hoping for the best, though I knew the odds were incredibly low. Much to my surprise, the landlord reached out to ask me about my availability, and with a stroke of immense luck, I secured the house after the viewing. 

Halfway through the academic year, I packed up my belongings and moved into this mini garden house, which would become my home for the next seven months. Wanting to welcome me, my landlord kindly invited me to a few social gatherings with her friends. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with people living in the Netherlands and outside of the typical university bubble.

My landlady had made her own incredible journey, moving from South Africa to the Netherlands a decade ago. She has developed a lovely, tight-knit community of both Dutch and South African friends. This was a completely different environment from my first year of university, when I lived among international students. Before, I was exposed to the perspectives of other transient students. This year, however, I got to experience life through the eyes of individuals who have been rooted in the country much longer and were at different stages of their lives. 

Although the process of finding housing was stressful, exhausting, and filled with uncertainty, it ultimately introduced me to a side of Dutch life I would never have discovered otherwise. What started as a frantic scramble for stability evolved into a new experience that connected me with a diverse community spanning generations and offering perspectives far beyond Utrecht University. Looking back, the precariousness of the housing market not only shaped where I lived, but also how I experienced my second year in Utrecht. I have found my housing match.

On Students' Viewpoint, UU students share their views with the rest of the university community. Mary Ellen, a student of Philosophy, Politics & Economics, is one of the columnists invited for this space. You can also read the perspectives of staff members on Staff's Viewpoint and click here to check out the columns by students and staff in Dutch.