Student housing can mean many different things, and a good student home for you is not necessarily the best home for your fellow student. As a student, you also have the opportunity to choose between many different types of housing.

Dormitories

One of the cheapest ways to live is in one of Denmark’s many dormitories. Unfortunately, the waiting lists are often quite long, so make sure to sign up well in advance, preferably six months to a year before. Some dormitories have shared bathrooms, toilets and kitchens, while others offer most facilities privately. If you do not want to share a fridge and frying pan with your neighbour, remember to check what the dormitory offers.

Also keep an eye on digital and physical notice boards at your place of study, as dormitories sometimes post notices about available rooms.

Youth housing

Many housing associations and municipalities offer affordable youth housing and student housing. You can sign up for waiting lists long before you have been admitted to an education programme. It is often free to join waiting lists for student housing, but the waiting time can be long.

Please note that several municipalities offer a housing guarantee for new students. Read about the guarantee from the City of Copenhagen, Aarhus Municipality or Aalborg Municipality. New students in Odense are covered by the “Tag over hovedet” guarantee. Always check whether there is a guarantee in your specific study city.

Rent a room

There are plenty of opportunities to rent a room from private individuals who want to rent out part of their apartment. You will usually rent a single room and share the rest of the apartment with the owner. Make sure to check what is included in the price before signing the contract. It can quickly become expensive if you have to pay for TV, internet and other expenses on top of the rent.

You can also search on Facebook and join different Facebook groups.

Shared housing

If you would like to make sure there is always someone around when you come home after a long day of studying, you might be the type who should live in shared housing. At Bofællesskab.dk, you can see a list of many different shared housing communities. You can also search for shared housing on Facebook. For example, you can join Facebook groups or search for posts.

Rental housing

If a single room is not enough, you can also rent an entire apartment. You can possibly share it with a friend, so the rent becomes a little lower. When you move into rental housing, you should be aware of the initial cost. The landlord can typically require a deposit of up to three months’ rent as well as up to three months’ prepaid rent.

When you move out of the apartment, you should not expect to get your full deposit back, as this money will be used if the apartment needs painting or similar work.

Start with the free options for students. In addition to the options mentioned in the section on youth housing, you can also use Findbolig.nu, where it is free to create a profile and search for available homes. In addition, DBA, Facebook Marketplace and local housing groups may be worth checking, especially if you are looking for a room, sublet or housing with quick move-in.

You can also use the private rental housing portals, which often have many listings gathered in one place. However, be aware that private portals charge housing seekers. Many are free to search on, but require a paid subscription if you want to contact the landlord. Therefore, check the price, binding period, cancellation terms and whether the listings actually match your area before you pay.

You can find rental housing on Lejebolig.dk, BoligPortal.dk, Boligsurf, BoligButler, BoligHub, BoligZonen and many other portals.

Once you have found rental housing or a room with your own rental contract, you should check whether you can get housing benefits. This depends, among other things, on the home, the rent, your income and who is listed on the contract.

Extra tip: Choose the suburbs

The closer you get to the city centre, the higher the rent usually is. It can therefore be a good idea to settle a little outside the city centre if you want to save money on housing costs.

If you are studying in Copenhagen, Gladsaxe, Hvidovre or Rødovre may be an option. In Aarhus, you could, for example, settle in Hasle or Christiansbjerg. Odense has suburbs such as Bolbro, Dalum, Hjallese or Næsby. Finally, you can search for housing in Gug or Nørresundby if you are studying in Aalborg.

Extra tip: Watch out for scammers!

When the housing search becomes intense around the start of the semester, tempting housing listings can quickly appear in the wrong places. Be extra careful if a home seems unusually cheap, if the landlord pressures you to pay quickly, or if you are not allowed to see the home in person. Never pay a deposit, prepaid rent or rent before you have seen the home, received a signed rental contract and checked that the landlord actually has the right to rent out the home. Only transfer money through a bank account, so you have documentation. The Danish police have collected good advice on how to avoid rental and holiday home scams here.

Good luck with your housing search! 🤞