Young people abroad--what do you do for housing?

I moved from the US to the Netherlands last year. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit before I came and select an apartment. What you’ll do is obviously dependent on your income and the duration of your stay.

My best advice is to hook up with a local ex-pat community to help you navigate this precise sort of situation. I know you speak the language, but there will be a lot of things that come up where you’ll probably want some help.

I highly recommend Expatica as a reference for moving and housing-related questions, as well as tax and immigration status issues. If you have any particular questions, feel free to message me. And good luck!

I’d get a place in a hostel first (if you’re moving to London then I can suggest several that are pretty good). They are cheap, safe and comfortable and a good way to make some friends. From their it will be much easier to find the sort of place you’re looking for.

Gumtree is a good site for finding available flats to rent and share but you might want to stay in some kind of hostel or B&B for a week or so while you check places out.

@flutherother I’m actually going to be looking for another place to rent soon too; thanks for the tip!

I’d agree with others on finding a temporary place for the first few weeks; companies like Premier Inn and Travelodge offer a decent enough service, and cheap rooms (~$30 a night I think) if you book far enough in advance.

Both Premier Inn and Travelodge can be pretty pricey in the UK, particulalry in London, if not booked well in advance. For example most of the Travelodges in London will set you back about £100 a night while some Premier Inn’s go up to £160 or more (madness I know). A night in a hostel will set you back about £20 for a private room or £5 if you don’t mind sharing in a dorm. The accomadation won’t be as nice admittedly but for a short stay it will certainly be adequate and will leave more money to spend on other stuff.