Erasmus Housing Guide: Finding Roommates Abroad

Your Erasmus semester is short and unrepeatable, and where you live — and with whom — shapes the whole experience. This guide walks through the timeline, the options, the scams, and how to make sure you land with people who make the months abroad better, not stressful.

Start with the timeline

Erasmus housing rewards the early. Demand spikes around the academic calendar, so the people who sort things in good time get both better rooms and better flatmates. A rough plan:

• As soon as your placement is confirmed: research neighbourhoods and typical rents in your host city.
• 2–3 months before: start matching with potential flatmates and shortlisting areas.
• 1–2 months before: lock in a room or a group to flat-hunt with on arrival.
• On arrival: view in person before signing anything long-term if you possibly can.

Your housing options

Student halls / university residences

Easiest and safest, and a fast way to meet people — but places are limited, fill early, and you don’t choose your flatmates. Apply the moment applications open.

Private shared flats

The classic Erasmus experience: more freedom, often better value, and you can choose who you live with — if you put in the work to find compatible people rather than grabbing the first room going.

Temporary first, then settle

A smart play: book a short stay (hostel, sublet, or a couple of weeks in a room) for arrival, then find your real flat once you can view in person and meet people. It costs a little more upfront and saves you from signing for a room you’ve never seen.

Avoiding Erasmus housing scams

International students are prime targets precisely because they’re booking remotely, under time pressure, in an unfamiliar city. The rules that keep you safe:

• Never pay a deposit before viewing in person or over live video — photos and floor plans aren’t proof.
• Be suspicious of prices well below the local norm; they’re bait.
• Insist on a written contract, even for a single semester.
• Don’t let manufactured urgency rush you into a wire transfer.
• Keep early conversations on platforms with real profiles and moderation.

Finding flatmates who make the semester

The best Erasmus memories almost always involve the people you lived with. The worst stories involve flatmates you clashed with for four months you couldn’t get back. With a stay this short, compatibility isn’t a luxury — it’s the whole game. Match on the essentials:

• Schedule — are they here to study hard, party hard, or both, and does that fit you?
• Cleanliness — agree how the flat gets kept before you’re living in it.
• Social style — do you want a tight flat-family or independent housemates?
• Budget — aligned spending avoids the most common source of tension.

How Roomdott helps Erasmus students

Roomdott was built for exactly this moment. You complete a short lifestyle quiz, get matched with other students arriving in your host city for the same semester, and only swap Instagram and WhatsApp on a mutual match — so you build your group before you land, safely. It’s free during beta, GDPR-compliant, and live across Europe’s biggest student hubs. Join the waitlist and we’ll tell you the moment it opens in your city.