While student (and other) initiatives attempt to provide students with a helping hand in their search, getting into a house is still a very stressful process.

When I first moved to Eindhoven, I never really grasped the severity of the issue and surely it was a far less pressing issue than it is today. With an influx of more students and young professionals and the impact of COVID on working and living patterns, the situation has been greatly amplified.

By October 2021, I had been searching for a place to stay for months prior to my temporary move in a house with friends (which I needed to move out of by December 1st.) I had started my search back in August and with so much uncertainty and price discrepancies, the task loomed over myself of safety for what seemed like forever.

December 1st came, and I still haven’t found a place to be. I was and continue to be very lucky to have kind and caring people in my life who extended their help, offering their couches, extra beds, and even their time to help me continue looking. So, I’ve made it…barely, by a hair. Finally I found a place for myself.

And now that I’m somewhat on the other side of this, it’s scary. I’ve done everything I could and been to as many viewings as made possible to me, but it was always something. From landlords asking insane rent prices for 9 sq metres to extremely slow processing times, finding a room was by far one of the most stressful experiences I’ve ever had to go through.

So, it’s not about just building more housing, it’s also about the process, the prices, and the people…