Finding Accommodation in Erasmus Mundus

Once you have processed your visa and received your passport, the next step is to find a home at your study abroad destination. Frankly, there was no help in this process from the program coordinator. However, I found people on Facebook who got accepted to the same program, and I decided to become roommates and rent a house with one of them.

In Portugal, I heard that you can search for rooms on websites such as idealista and BQuarto, but when I contacted several listings, there were hardly any property owners that responded to my inquiries. At this point, it did not seem easy to find a room. 

Then, I was looking for more properties on Facebook groups, etc. In the end, my roommate wanted to use Airbnb. Although it would be more expensive than renting normally, we decided to look for Airbnb in the end because it was a short-term stay for only one semester after all, and the rent was not so high in the city of Evora where I was staying. After choosing a house that we liked, we used the message function on the app to contact the owner. In the end, we came to an agreement on our own outside of Airbnb.

However, there was no contract for this property and no deposit was required. We had no choice but to go to Evora, trusting that the owner would keep the house for us as promised. After arriving safely, we found our house as promised. Clearly, I was relieved. The second floor of a house on a quiet street, a 5-minute walk from the university, had been renovated as an apartment.

The rent was 900 euros a month for our two-bed apartment (the living room was in a separate room and the sofa was a foldable bed, so 3 beds were also possible.) I split the rent with my roommate and paid 450 euros per person. The design of the house was very cute and comfortable, and my friends from school often came to visit for the comfort of our house.

Although it was very comfortable, it was a little difficult to pay that amount considering that I was receiving a scholarship of 1000 euros a month. 450 euros was 45% of my income. After that, if I cook at home and traveled about once a month, I wouldn't have much money left, so it was difficult to save up for larger trip opportunities.

Most of the people in the same program found properties on Facebook and made a contract individually for an apartment or a room in a house and shared kitchens, baths, etc. with others. Most of their properties have 4 to 5 rooms, and in some cases, they rent an 8-bedroom property and share a common space with 7 other people. Others rented a larger room and shared it with another person, paying just under €200 each. Since we are students who don't have much money to spare, house-sharing is quite common in European cities.

I'd been sharing a house for the past 9 years with others, and I decided it was about time I get my own apartment. Thanks to that decision, I did have a very comfortable life in Evora, in exchange for the relatively expensive rent. Some of the people who shared and rented rooms said that their roommates were noisy, and they came into contact with them when they were sick with Coronavirus. I also heard stories of insects infesting the kitchen, water overflowing and flooding the house, and other troubles like that. Many of Evora's houses are old, so this kind of problem often comes up.

Based on my past experiences, here are some points to check when renting a house:

When renting a room, can the owner issue a proper contract, monthly payment receipt, and deposit receipt? Also, don't pay a deposit before you arrive, because it will increase the chance to get involved in fraud.

1. Negotiate the rent. Some property owners take advantage of the fact that we are international students. There are even businesses targeting Erasmus Mundus students because they tend to pay more than local students. It is always good to check with the local average, and if it is higher than average, it does not hurt to negotiate.
2. Is the location good? Properties that can be reached on foot to school greatly reduce the time spent commuting to school. In Portugal, it's fairly common for a class to be canceled without notice, so it's more convenient to be closer. Some people commuted for nearly an hour only to find out the class got canceled. If you can't go on foot, it would be nice if both the train station and the bus stop are near your house, so you can go by train even if the bus doesn't work due to a strike. If you don't have a car—which most likely you don’t in Erasmus programs—whether there is a supermarket near your home is also important if you cook at home often.
3. Is the property equipped and furnished? For short-term study abroad, it is important to choose a property with furniture and cooking utensils so that you do not need to purchase furniture and other items. You will leave in a semester or so, and most likely you will not take any items you brought for the house. My house was ready to move in, equipped with everything from cleaning supplies to clothespins.
4. Do they have a washing machine? If they don't have it, you have to go to the laundromat with heavy laundry and wait several hours until the laundry is finished, which is quite a waste of time and effort. Also, unlike in the United States, Europe does not use dryers as often, and clothes are hung-dry outside, so it is also important to check whether there is a balcony.
5. Do you have air conditioning? Some of the European homes are old and made of stone, so it can get freezing cold in the winter. Even my classmates who came from -40°C weather suffered from the home lack of a heating system and sometimes came to study in my warm home.
6. Are there any fees other than the rent? Depending on the property, there may be a separate charge for utilities. An apartment management fee may be required. Electricity bills are quite high in Portugal, you may want to rent a property with utilities included if you want to use a heater in the winter or AC in the summer.

Benefits of booking with Airbnb include:

1. Safety. Pages such as Facebook may contain scams, so be careful.
2. Simple procedure. It saves you the trouble of submitting your ID, and you don't need to make a Portuguese ID.
3. No deposit is required. When renting normally, at least one month's rent is taken as a deposit, but in the case of Airbnb, it is not necessary. Instead, you will be charged a non-refundable cleaning fee, handling fee, etc.
4. Guarantee of quality. If you happen to receive a room that doesn't match the photos or description, or if there's a problem and you don't like it, you can contact Airbnb directly to fix the problem or get a refund.

Happy house hunting!