Finding student housing abroad, and how to avoid rental scams

Where to start, country by country

• Germany: the Studierendenwerke run more than 1,700 halls with about 196,000 places, allocated by social need rather than credit checks.Source: studierendenwerke.de, checked 26 September 2026
• France: CROUS residences are allocated on social criteria after a Dossier Social Étudiant, roughly January to May; most international students apply in the later round or through their school.Source: etudiant.gouv.fr, checked 26 September 2026
• Netherlands: start early, never sign without seeing the room, and do not pay brokerage fees.Source: studyinnl.org, checked 26 September 2026
• Italy: regional DSU bodies allocate places through a yearly call based on income and merit.Source: dsu.toscana.it, checked 26 September 2026
• United Kingdom: in England, landlords must check every adult tenant’s right to rent; student accommodation is exempt.Source: gov.uk, 11 December 2024
• United Kingdom: the government guide to private renting explains tenancies, deposits and your rights.Source: gov.uk, 25 September 2026
• Austria: OeAD student housing has more than 12,000 places in six cities.Source: oead.at, checked 26 September 2026
• Czechia: university dorms are the main route, applied for through the university.Source: studyin.cz, 1 March 2023
• Hungary: dorms are cheapest; your university’s international coordinator is the place to ask.Source: studyinhungary.hu, checked 26 September 2026
• Canada: furnished on-campus residence, often with a meal plan, or off-campus rooms and apartments. View before signing a lease.Source: educanada.ca, checked 26 September 2026
• United States: most international students live in campus residence halls.Source: educationusa.state.gov, 15 January 2025
• Australia: temporary stays, rentals (the bond is usually four weeks’ rent), managed student accommodation, university housing, colleges and homestay.Source: studyaustralia.gov.au, checked 26 September 2026
• New Zealand: halls of residence, homestay or flatting; use Tenancy Services and view in person.Source: immigration.govt.nz, checked 26 September 2026
• Japan: most international students rent privately, which usually needs a guarantor or a paid guarantee company.Source: studyinjapan.go.jp, checked 26 September 2026
• South Korea: university dorms, homestay, or private rental on a lump-sum deposit (jeonse) or monthly rent (wolse). Visit before signing.Source: studyinkorea.go.kr, checked 26 September 2026

The warning signs of a rental scam

• Ireland’s consumer agency lists: no viewing in person, pressure to pay fast, rent well below normal, a listing only on social media, contact only by message, and payment asked for before a lease is signed.Source: ccpc.ie, checked 26 September 2026
• UK police (Action Fraud) warn students about very low prices, money asked for before a viewing, a landlord who will not meet, and requests to pay by money transfer. Check the landlord and your university’s approved list.Source: actionfraud.police.uk, checked 26 September 2026
• The US Federal Trade Commission adds: an owner who is “abroad” and cannot show the place, payment by wire, gift card or crypto, and the same address listed under different contacts.Source: consumer.ftc.gov, 1 June 2026
• Canada’s Competition Bureau: a deposit asked for with no lease, money sent abroad, and photos that do not match the place.Source: canada.ca, 16 August 2018