Hey friends!
Today, I’m going to walk you through how to find housing in Lund, Sweden—especially if you’re coming here as a student. I’ll be honest, it’s not always easy. It can be a bit of a struggle, but don’t worry—I’ve got you covered with some helpful tips and resources.
🎯 First off, for non-European students:
If you’re coming from outside the EU/EEA, I highly recommend applying for housing through LU Accommodation.
Why? Because LU Accommodation guarantees housing for non-European students, which makes the process much smoother and less stressful. The apartments are usually quite central or close to campus, so they’re pretty convenient. Guess this is one of those occasions when there is a benefit to paying that expensive tuition.😞
Here’s a link to LU accommodation
🇪🇺 Now, for European students:
Things are a bit different. You’re not guaranteed housing, so I suggest signing up with AF Bostäder.
This is a student housing organization, and although it’s based on a queue/lottery system, it’s one of the best ways to eventually get student housing in Lund.
As a freshman, you get the benefit of ‘novisch priority’. How to sign up is shown here
<Lottery system>
Students applying for accommodation are given random queue times by the AF Bostäder lottery system, which determines their precedence when choosing available apartments. This indicates that students’ queue times are entirely determined by chance and are not impacted by the order in which they register for the lottery.
This is how it operates:
1. Registration: During a predetermined time frame, students register for the lottery.
2. Lottery: AF Bostäder randomly assigns a queue time to each candidate once registration closes.
3. Queue Time: When making a housing booking, this queue time shows the applicant’s priority.
4. Booking: After housing alternatives are displayed, students can book available apartments according to priority and see their wait time next to each property
5. Binding Bookings: When bookings are finalized, the first applicant in line at the end of the booking period for a specific property receives a contract.
<Queue system>
After the lottery, the length of time an applicant has been in line determines their queue time; this is adjusted based on their preferences and the demand for particular housing types. Process details and sign-up instructions are available here.
Remember to be a member in studentlund!(You probably have received an email regarding this from Lund University)
🏡 What if those options don’t work?
If LU Accommodation or AF Bostäder doesn’t work out, you can always try private housing.
There are a few popular ways to find private rentals:
Facebook groups – Facebook is huge in Sweden for finding housing. Here are some facebook groups that can help you.
Housing in Lund Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/458545794323070/?locale=sv_SE
Housing in Malmö Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/929183370465509/?locale=sv_SE
Blocket.se – It’s a second-hand marketplace, and they also list apartments and rooms for rent. Here is the link.
⚠️ A quick warning:
Be very careful when dealing with private landlords. Unfortunately, housing scams do exist.
Always try to inspect the place in person (or get a verified video tour), and make sure to verify the landlord’s identity before sending any money. Better safe than sorry!
That’s it for now!
I hope this helps you feel more prepared and confident as you start your housing search in Lund. Wishing you the best of luck—and don’t forget to check out my blog for more tips!
Bye for now! 👋