At this time of year, newly admitted students are usually searching for accommodation around Stockholm for August. The application for housing through KTH opens this Sunday, the 1st of May, so check out the KTH Accommodation page to apply or find out more about this. You can also check out some previous blogs to get an insight into about studios or shared apartments around KTH.
Not everyone lives in on-campus accommodation though. To show another option, I’m going to tell you a bit about how I got private accommodation when I came to Stockholm first – and what I learned from it!
The most common place to start looking for accommodation is at SSSB. This works on a queue system, where you earn points the longer you are registered. So be sure to sign up as soon as possible! Myself, I looked through the usual rental sites; SSSB, Akademisk Kvart, Blocket, etc.. What worked for me was actually a post on a “Stockholm Student Accommodation” Facebook page. I wrote a little piece about myself and got a few messages and offers from people renting out rooms. One was from a guy living near Telefonplan in the south of the city. We did a video call and became friends immediately. He showed me around the apartment and soon I was sure this was the place to be.
Facebook pages can sometimes be unsafe, so always be careful and remember never to pay anything in advance. Students paying in advance, only to arrive and realise it was a scam, happens far too often. You may need to take a hotel or Airbnb for a few nights to have a chance to go see an apartment, but this is definitely worth it.
My friends all had similar methods of finding accommodation, trying different sources and websites until something came up. It might take some time but it usually works out. Others also find short term accommodation to sublet for a few months so that they can get to know Stockholm before deciding on something more permanent.
I was lucky and loved my first rented apartment. I had a great roommate and a great area around the house. After a year of living there though, I decided to move to get closer to the university. By this time I had earned enough queue-days to easily get a corridor room with SSSB and was happy to move to a new area full of fellow students. This was also much cheaper, which was a great bonus.
There is a lot more info about finding accommodation on the New at KTH page. Best of luck!
~ Declan