Utrecht Travel Forum

Hello, my husband will start a Master's Program in Wageningen University in September. We want to travel together with our babies (2 small dogs and a cat). We are now quite dissapointed to hear the university can't help us find a home. Is it really so hard to find an appartment? I will appreciate any advice. Thank you.

It IS very very hard (trust me, I've been there...)
But it's not completely impossible, depending on your budget (of course...), and/or how picky you are.

It's almost impossible to find something on your own and directly with an owner, the best is to call agencies (personally I found something via the agency called Rotsvast, check their website)

You should know that housing in Holland, and especially in this part of Holland (the triangle Amsterdam - Utrecht - Den Haag) is VERY expensive.
The best way (and almost only way if you're on a tight budget) is to share a house with other people.
It's what I did, and it turns out to be a really nice experience, you meet some other foreigners or young dutch people and it's really worth it compared to the hassle of finding a place for yourself (with takes in average 3 to 6 months..)

Good luck, cheers
/Anne
(french girl, ex-living in holland)

When you're try get a home at utrecht just forgot it ore you have to get real money. It's extremly hard to find a house. I by myself are looking for something already for years even outside big city's in the south of Holland for a house, but it's terrible.
What you should do try at Ede of Wageningen self ore south of it of north of it!
Try via the internet ore search in supermarkets for small letters ore in newspapers! Trust me it is very very hard!

I agree with the others, looking for a place to live in Utrecht is difficult and very expencive. Tou have to ask around, and maby the university will help you finding places where you can shop around.
Good luck

It is really very easy. There are dozens of organizations devoted to exchanging of homes, or apartments. On many of them you can look at the listings without any prepaid annual membership fee, which runs anywhere from $20 to $50 a year. We have exchanged with very positive results.

Another option is to place an add in thelocal paper. It worked for me and i even found a place for a friend that way. But granted we are both dutch so that probably helped. Even using an agency, Utrecht is very very difficult. Better try places around Utrecht like Houten, Nieuwegein and and so on.. If you can't find anything there, try finding a place a bit further to the east. Bigger cities like Arnhem, Nijmegen, Amersfoort and Den Bosch aren't easy either. But the smaller ones should..

It's funny how things work. I was looking to help you with your question (no luck! sorry) and found that an acquaintance has been appointed mayor of Wageningen on August 25th!
Isn''t that called serendipity?!

harold up there says it's very easy (unlike the rest of us), well sure it's easy IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A PLACE in Holland and wish to exchange.
Obviously this kind of exchange is very common, and it made me freak out more than once when I was looking for a place... more than half of the adds are just about EXCHANGING places.. nothing, or almost, for people who do not own any place in Holland (which kind of gives a huge disadvantage for the non-dutch people, huh?)

Trust me, the absolute best way to get results is to share a house with other people. Place adds wherever you can, especially around the university, and look in all the newspapers...
Good luck!
/Anne

darus, best to give a bit more info. You'll rent of course, so what's the budget?
With your pets I guess you'll have a hard time sharing a house.
Nearby places are Rhenen, Ede.
Train connects easily to Utrecht and Arnhem (both larger cities) so commuting can be an option.

Find an e-mail address on the Town Council website of Wageningen at www.wageningen.nl and ask them to send you a list of housing cooperations and estate agents.

Hello everybody! I'm amazed to have so many answers. Thank you for all of your advice. We have decided it's better for my husband to go by himself a few months until he finds something. Do you think we could find rooms/appartments for rent in the countryside, maybe a farm, even if it's far (even 1 hour) from Wageningen Uni? (we are used to traveling long distances in Mexico City) Is that very expensive also? I guess we could pay up to 600 euros a month. Is that too little you think? Thank you again for all of your help.

Hi
€600 is not much. There is nothing for rent in a circle of 15 kms around Wageningen.

Check http://www.funda.nl/makelaars/resultaat.asp?sfSortering=willekeurig&sfPage=1&sfIndDesc=0

for a list of local real estate agents.
You can write them in English.

Try to start some research yourself with the advice given here.

Yep 600 EUR is really not so much..
But if you accept to live really in the countryside like you say, and if you can live in a place that is pretty small, you could find something.

But for a 2 rooms appartment, better put up your limit to at least 800 EUR...
But then again, sometimes people get really lucky, and find the perfect place :)
Good luck!
/Anne