A real room, in a real home, at a price that actually works.
The Dutch student room market is brutal right now — years-long waiting lists, listings that vanish the moment you show interest, and prices that don't add up. Buurkamer is a different kind of room: a spare bedroom in an older person's own home, rented out below market rate, from a host who is exactly who they say they are.
- Fair and affordable rent
- Every host is identity-checked
- Open to Dutch & international students
- You always view the room first before paying anything
No agency fees. No landlord-style income requirements. Just a good match, both ways.
“I pay less than what my friends pay for a room the size of a shoebox. And honestly, I like living with Marijke.”
Sanne, 22, student in UtrechtYou've probably already lived some of this.
Whether your university housing runs out on a fixed date or you're competing on the open market from day one, the Dutch student room hunt in 2026 is genuinely rough — and it isn't just you. Here's what the numbers actually say.
None of this is meant to add to the stress. It's the reason Buurkamer exists: a supply of rooms the usual platforms don't reach, and a process built around the exact fears this market has taught you to have.
Up to 26,500 rooms short
The Netherlands has a structural shortage of an estimated 21,500–26,500 student rooms — and it's growing every year as private landlords sell off rental stock, not because demand alone is rising. (IamExpat, Dutch News)
2–4 year waiting lists
Official student housing (SSH, DUWO) is genuinely good — if you can wait. In Amsterdam and Utrecht, lists routinely stretch two to four years, which isn't a realistic option if you need a room this year. (Study Abroad NL guide)
Scams are exploding
Fake listings copied from real platforms are flooding TikTok and Facebook, asking for a deposit before any viewing — Fraudehelpdesk reports jumped from 21 to 175 in six months, and around 70% of international students say they've encountered a scam during their search. (Dutch News, IamExpat survey)
“No internationals” ads
75% of international students report seeing “no internationals” or “Dutch only” listings, on top of guarantor and income requirements many students — Dutch or international — simply can't meet. (IamExpat survey)
A great price, in exchange for being a good neighbor. That's the whole deal.
This isn't a landlord-run investment property, and it isn't student housing built by a corporation. It's a spare room in the actual home of a real older person — someone who has lived there for years, still runs their own household, and simply has one room going unused.
Because there's no landlord margin and no agency markup, the rent is meaningfully below typical private-market prices for a comparable room in the same city. In return, your host isn't asking for free labor — they're asking for a decent housemate.
What's genuinely asked of you
- Say hello, share a coffee sometimes, be a normal, friendly presence in the house.
- Help out if the wifi drops or a phone acts up — the kind of thing you'd do for any housemate.
- Be the kind of person who'd simply notice if something felt off, and mention it.
- Respect house rules that you and your host agree on together, not rules handed down to you.
What this is never about
- No caregiving job, no medical or physical care, ever.
- No fixed chore list or "chores-for-rent" arrangement.
- No rota, no shifts, no being on call.
- No house rules imposed on you without a conversation first.
Four steps. You're in control of every one.
No agency queue, no blind applications, no money changing hands before you've even seen the room. Here's exactly what happens.
- 1
Search and filter
Browse real rooms by city, price, private or shared bathroom, and how long you need to stay. Every listing is a real address with a real host — there's no such thing as a fake Buurkamer listing, because every host is a verified homeowner renting out part of their own house.
- 2
Get in touch
Send a short message and ask about a viewing. All messaging happens inside Buurkamer, so there's always a paper trail — nobody will ever ask you to move the conversation to WhatsApp or pay anything before you've spoken to your host directly.
- 3
Meet and view, together
Arrange a time and see the room in person (or by video call first, if you're still abroad). You always meet your host and see the actual room before agreeing to anything — no deposit, no payment, no signature required just to get a viewing.
- 4
Make it official
If it feels right on both sides, you agree on the details together — rent, house rules, move-in date — and sign a straightforward rental contract. Then you move in, at your pace.
Not sure where to start?
Call +31 (0) 6 23 84 24 95 and our support team will talk you through available rooms and the whole process, step by step. Also available on WhatsApp.
Built for a market where trust is the actual problem
Scams, fake photos, and "no internationals" filters have taught you to be suspicious of every listing — for good reason. Here's exactly what makes a Buurkamer room different, mechanically, not just in tone.
Every host is a real, checked person
Hosts are identity-verified homeowners renting out a room in the house they actually live in. There is no such thing as a fake address or a landlord who "can't do a viewing right now" — because there's no landlord, just your future housemate.
Manually reviewed before it goes live
Our team checks every listing before it's published. Photos are of the actual room, prices are what you'll actually pay, and nothing gets posted that we haven't looked at ourselves first.
You always view before you commit
No deposit, reservation fee, or "key money" is ever requested before a viewing. You see the room and meet your host — in person or by video call — before agreeing to anything or sending a single euro.
Messaging stays on Buurkamer
All contact happens inside the platform, so there's a paper trail from the first message onward. If anyone ever tries to move you off-platform or asks for payment early, that's the clearest possible red flag — and not how Buurkamer works.
Open to everyone, matched on fit
Dutch and international students are matched the same way: on personality and practical fit with a host, never on nationality, passport, or where you're from. "No internationals" isn't a filter that exists here.
Straight answers, no fine print.
If your question isn't here, our support team is happy to answer it directly — by phone or message, before you commit to anything.
“I moved from Poland with no Dutch and no idea how any of this worked. My host showed me around the neighborhood the first week. It's the first place here that's actually felt like home, not just a room I'm renting.”
Stop refreshing the same three apps. Find a real room instead.
Signing up is free and takes just a few minutes. Browse real rooms, message real hosts, and see a place in person before you decide anything.