Many students have to find housing through the private market because the student welfare organization aren't able to fulfill the need of all students in Trondheim. There are four basic steps in searching for a place to live and together with our collaborative partners we hope to guide you through these steps:

1.Look for a place to live

2.Look at the apartment

3.Sign tenancy agreement

4. Move in

There are usually two different ways to find private housing. You can either look for "apartment for rent"-ads, or you can publish your own "apartment wanted"-ad. Often it can be a good idea to do both.

"Apartment for rent"-ads can be found several places. In co-operation with SiT we have gathered some ads from private lessors here. These lessors have all signed a personal statement form stating that everything is in order with the apartment.

Other places to look for adds:

• Finn.no
• iBolig.no
• Hybel.no

As you might have discovered, nearly all of the adds are in Norwegian. However- with a little fantasy and some help, you should be able to understand some of the information. To get a clue, please check out our short dictionary for typical terms in housing ads.

You can place your own "Housing wanted"-ad on hybel.no, this is free of charge and the registration forms are in English. Simply click the British flag in the upper-right corner. Most Norwegian lessors are comfortable with reading English. The lessors will then be able to contact you for an offer.

Once you have found a place you would like to live it is important that you or someone you trust look at the apartment to make sure everything is in order, and in the way you envisioned it reading the ad. Sometimes apartment ads can be misleading. It is important that you get in touch with the lessor - preferably by phone, so that he or she gets an impression of who you are. You can then make an appointment to see the apartment. Some lessors hold open house showings where everyone who is interested are invited to look at the apartment, while others host showings based on appointments.

If you are unable to attend the showing yourself you can get in touch with us for help. If you make the arrangements with the lessor for Housing assistance for students to come look at the apartment for you, we can attend the showing on you behalf and give you our feed-back. Things to look for, think about, and ask for when you are attending an apartment showing:

• Fire safety
• Standard and appearance
• Location (distance to closest bus stop/tram stop is important)
• Rent
• Any special requirements in the contract

Trondheim Municipality has a web page with information about technical/physical things to look for (in Norwegian), such as fire safety and access to daylight. When you look at an apartment it may be smart to have a list of things to look for. Here are two suggestions for such lists: