Finding Student Housing in Europe Without Being Scammed

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Every year, students who search for a room from another country lose money to fake listings. The pattern is always the same, and so are the precautions. This guide gives the checklist first and then the country-specific rules that protect you.

Start with the official channels

In order of safety:

1. Public student residences: the Studierendenwerk in Germany, the Crous in France, regional right-to-study agencies in Italy, university social services in Portugal, university dormitories in Czechia, student housing foundations in Switzerland, colegios mayores and university residences in Spain. Cheap, legitimate, and often full, so apply early.
2. Your university's housing office or housing board. Offers are checked or come from members of the university.
3. Established private student residences, which you can book with a contract from abroad.
4. The open market: rental websites and social media groups. This is where most rooms are, and all the scams.

How to recognise a fake listing

• The rent is clearly below the local level for a room that looks perfect.
• The owner is abroad and cannot show the flat, but will send the keys by post or through a booking platform after payment.
• You are asked to pay a deposit or the first rent before any viewing or contract, often by money transfer service, cryptocurrency or to an account in a third country.
• The conversation moves quickly off the rental website to private email.
• You are pressed to decide today because other people are interested.
• You are asked for a copy of your passport before anything else. It may be used to deceive the next victim.

One of these is a reason for caution. Two are a reason to stop.

What to do instead

• See the room, in person, through a friend or a fellow student, or on a live video call in which the landlord walks through the flat and shows the view from the window and the name on the doorbell.
• Check the person. Ask for the contract in advance. In several countries you can verify ownership in a public register, and universities' housing offices will look at a suspicious offer for you.
• Pay only after signing, by bank transfer to an account in the country, in the name of the landlord or agency on the contract.
• Book something temporary for the first two or three weeks and search on the spot. This costs a little more and removes almost all the risk.

What the contract should say

• the names of the landlord and tenant, and the exact address and room
• the rent, what it includes, and the advance payments for utilities
• the deposit and the conditions for its return
• the start date, the duration and the notice period
• an inventory and the condition of the room, with photos taken on the day you move in

Deposit limits by country

• Germany: up to three months' basic rent, payable in three instalments. Germany.
• France: one month for unfurnished, two for furnished homes. France.
• Spain: one month's legal deposit for a home, plus any additional guarantee agreed. Spain.
• Italy: up to three months' rent. Italy.
• Czechia: up to three months' rent. Czechia.
• Switzerland: up to three months' rent, held in a blocked bank account in your name. Switzerland.
• Portugal: commonly one or two months. Portugal.

A request far above these limits is a warning sign in itself.

Make sure you can register the address

In every country we cover, proof of address unlocks the rest: the residence permit for non-EU students, the bank account, health cover, sometimes housing benefit. Before you commit, ask the landlord directly whether the contract allows you to register at the address and whether they will sign the confirmation the authorities require. Rooms offered without registration are cheaper for a reason.

Guarantors and proof of income

Landlords may ask for a guarantor resident in the country. Solutions for foreign students: the free public Visale guarantee in France, a letter from the university or the scholarship provider, proof of the blocked account in Germany, or a larger deposit within the legal limit. Commercial guarantee services exist too. Compare their fee with the cost of a residence where no guarantor is needed.

Insurance

Tenant's liability insurance is compulsory in France and expected in Switzerland and Germany. It is inexpensive and covers the damage you might cause to the flat or to others.

Timing

Start three to four months before the semester for residences and six to eight weeks before for private rooms. The worst weeks to search are those just before classes begin. See also our overview of student visa rules, since the visa file usually needs an address.

Official sources

• Your Europe: consumer rights and unfair practices
• European Consumer Centres Network

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.