On Friday, I left a Dutch transport company in Tilburg feeling fantastic. I had found a truck driving job that matched almost everything I wanted. After a wonderful weekend, I was full of energy and ready for the next step: finding accommodation in the Netherlands. On Monday morning, I thought the hardest part was behind me. I had no idea what was coming.
I’ve Got a Job. Now I Just Need Somewhere to Live!
As I wrote in my previous article, I had received a job offer in Tilburg. I liked the city too, so I decided this was where I wanted to live. My plan was simple: find a room, studio, or small apartment, preferably close to the company. I would be coming home daily, so I wanted a short commute.
I switched on my computer and started searching, just as I had done with job vacancies: systematically, website by website, offer by offer. With so many Dutch housing websites, surely I would find something. I didn’t need anything luxurious, just a normal room where I could officially register at the address. I opened one of the main websites, filtered the results for Tilburg, and started checking the listings. At first, everything looked quite promising. Some rooms even looked suitable. Rather than wait for replies online, I decided to start calling.
Dozens of Phone Calls and My First Doubts
I called the first estate agency and asked about a room they had advertised. Everything was taken. Fine, I thought, I’ll try another one. I called the second agency and got the same answer. The third? Exactly the same.
Something in the back of my mind told me this might be harder than expected.
But I wasn’t giving up. I had only just started! I kept calling, opening more websites, checking more listings, and contacting more agencies. Unfortunately, the answers became painfully familiar: reserved, occupied, unavailable, nothing free. Hours passed, and my morning excitement slowly disappeared. What surprised me most was that so many listings were still online, even though the properties were no longer available. The websites suggested plenty of choice, but calling the agencies revealed a different reality. I began to realise that the Dutch rental market worked differently from what I was used to in Slovakia. Just because a listing is online doesn’t mean the accommodation is actually available.
Where to Find Accommodation in the Netherlands
During my search for accommodation in the Netherlands, I put together a list of websites where people can look for rooms, studios, apartments, or entire houses. Since I know other people might face the same situation, I decided to share it here. Whether you’re looking for a room to rent in Tilburg or an apartment somewhere else in the Netherlands, these websites are a useful place to start.
| Website | What Can You Find? |
|---|---|
| Kamernet.nl | Mainly rooms and shared accommodation. |
| Kamer.nl | Rooms and studios, including information about address registration. |
| Huurwoningen.nl | Rooms, studios, apartments, and houses. |
| Pararius.com | Mainly rental apartments and studios. |
| Funda.nl | Apartments and houses for rent. |
| HousingAnywhere.com | Furnished rooms and apartments, also for people moving from abroad. |
| Rentola.nl | Rental listings from different sources. |
| Marktplaats.nl | Classified advertisements, including private rental offers. |
| Huizenvinder.nl | Rental properties and housing listings. |
| Huurportaal.nl | Rental listings and accommodation searches. |
| Rent.nl | Rental listings collected from multiple websites. |
One important thing I learned is that finding a room in the Netherlands is not just about the monthly rent. If you’re planning to live and work here long-term, you should also check whether you can officially register at the address, known in Dutch as inschrijving. Some websites also require a paid subscription to contact landlords, so it’s worth checking the conditions before paying anything.
And most importantly, don’t assume that a room or apartment is actually available just because you can still see the listing online. My experience in Tilburg showed me that the reality can be very different.
Monday’s Reality Check
I won’t lie, I felt pretty defeated. After hours of calls and checking listings, I realised I’d run into an unexpected problem. I also looked up information and statistics on the Dutch housing market, and it became clear that the housing shortage was a serious issue. A few more phone calls probably wouldn’t solve it.
The biggest irony was that I could easily find a job on my own, but not a place to live.🤷♂️
I had job opportunities in Tilburg, Eindhoven, and Rotterdam. Companies were interested and willing to talk to me. Yet when I looked at the results of my accommodation search at the end of Monday, I came up with one beautiful number: ZERO. Not a single available option that I could realistically take and move into. Then I understood the vicious circle. When I was looking for work, companies asked whether I already had accommodation in the Netherlands. But I couldn’t reasonably start looking for somewhere to live before knowing where I would work, because I wanted to live as close to the company as possible. And now that I had job opportunities, I couldn’t find anywhere to live.
I knew some recruitment agencies arranged both jobs and accommodation. But at that moment, I wasn’t considering that option at all. From the start, I wanted to work directly for a transport company and arrange everything myself, because I knew I could do it. By Monday evening, I was reflecting on the day. That morning, I had believed there was just one small thing left to sort out. By the evening, I understood that this “small thing” might be the biggest obstacle to my whole plan.
For the first time, I seriously started questioning whether my plan to work and live in the Netherlands was realistic without having accommodation arranged. On Friday, I left the company excited about finding a job. Just three days later, after dozens of phone calls and not a single available room / studio / apartment, I realised how serious the housing shortage in the Netherlands really was. Finding work had been surprisingly easy, but finding somewhere to live was a completely different story.