Renting in Groningen from abroad? Send a verified viewer to the viewing.

What a Groningen room costs in 2026

Kamernet's rent report for the first quarter of 2026 put the median private room in Groningen at €580 a month, 12.6% more than a year earlier. Only Maastricht rose faster, though Groningen stayed below the national median of €660.

The asking price is often not the legal price. When the Argos radio programme checked 119 Groningen rooms on Kamernet in July and August 2026, 53% were above the legal maximum, by €76 a month on average; one 13 m² room on Van Hamelstraat was advertised at €630 where the points allowed €480. The municipality told Argos it does not actively search for overpriced rooms, so the check is left to you.

SSH Student Housing, the non-profit provider both institutions reserve rooms with, lets furnished rooms and studios for up to a year at €700 to €900 a month all-in, according to the University of Groningen. Hanze says only about a quarter of its incoming students get to reserve one.

The September crunch, and Proxima

The University of Groningen tells new students that around 10,000 people look for a room in Groningen and Leeuwarden at the same time. It advises starting in April, and strongly advises anyone without a room by 1 August not to come.

Since summer 2024 there has been a buffer. Proxima, an SSH building on the Zernike Campus, puts two students in each room for the first three months of the academic year, housing up to 802 at once until they move on or keep the room to themselves. In early September 2026 the housing alderman said acute shortage at the start of the year was largely in the past, with 143 Proxima places still free.

Calmer isn't easy, though. A shared campus room is a fallback, and the private market you move on to is where about half the rooms Argos checked were overpriced.

Where Groningen rooms are advertised

• SSH Student Housing

  Furnished international student houses with a residence assistant in each and contracts of up to 12 months. The University of Groningen says reservations are fully booked within a few days.

• Room.nl, RoomMatch and Groningen Huurt

  Housing corporation Lefier lists its rooms on Room.nl and RoomMatch. Studios and flats from Lefier, Nijestee and De Huismeesters are on Groningen Huurt.

• Hospiteren

  Many rooms in student houses go through a hospiteeravond, where the housemates meet several candidates and choose who moves in.

• Private landlords, agencies and social media

  Private rooms are advertised on Kamernet, by agencies and in Facebook groups. At Home in Groningen, the city's housing information site, says most scams come through social networks.

• Hospi Housing

  At Home in Groningen lists this platform of verified hosts and guest families. Searching is free; finding a room costs 50% of the first month's rent.

What to check at a Groningen viewing

• The rent and the points sheet

  By national law, landlords must give a points (WWS) calculation with every new contract. Our viewer asks whether the rent is within the legal limit; add the room size, the number of housemates and the shared facilities to your questions and they'll be recorded for the Huurcommissie's huurprijscheck.

• Room-rental permits

  A house let room by room to several tenants needs a conversion permit (omzettingsvergunning) for the building and a landlord licence (verhuurvergunning). The municipality publishes the list of buildings with a conversion permit; check the address, and add the question to your viewer's list.

• Can you register there?

  Studying here for more than four months means registering with the municipality, which issues your BSN at the appointment; you need it for a bank account and health insurance. Our viewer asks whether you can register; if the answer is no, don't sign.

• Is the advert real?

  In August 2026 At Home in Groningen warned about fake TikTok room adverts asking €100 or €150 to arrange a viewing. Someone standing at the address can confirm the room is there and that whoever shows it has the keys.

• Bikes

  Students get about by bike, so where yours lives matters. Bicycle storage is one of the 24 checks.

Getting around: where Groningen students live

At Home in Groningen puts it simply: the whole city is the campus, with student houses in and around the centre and people travelling by bike or bus. Hanze reckons you can cycle from one end of the city to the other in about 25 minutes.

On-campus housing is limited and provided only by SSH. The University of Groningen tells students to be prepared to look outside the city, and to count the extra travel time and cost. If your viewing is outside Groningen, give us the address when you book so we can confirm a viewer can reach it.

How a SpotView viewing works in Groningen

You book the slot with the landlord, tell them someone is attending for you (we give you the wording), and send us the listing, the time and your questions. The viewer checks in at the door with GPS and a photo, and every photo and video is timestamped.

You get photos, a video walkthrough, the 24 scored checks, the landlord's answers and a verdict, then 24 hours for follow-up questions. Payment is held until the report arrives: no completed viewing, full refund, and refused at the door means 50% back plus a neighbourhood tour and a legitimacy check.

See a real report first

We haven't done a Groningen viewing yet. Our first was a pilot near Delft, and its report is public with identifying details masked.

Groningen viewings: questions

• Can SpotView get me an SSH room or a bed in Proxima?

  No. SSH rooms, including Proxima's temporary places, are booked directly with SSH. We don't allocate housing; we attend viewings you've arranged.

• Is it still impossible to find a room in Groningen in September?

  Less so than it was: in September 2026 the housing alderman said the start-of-year shortage was largely solved. The University of Groningen still advises securing a room before 1 August.

• Can the viewer tell me whether a Groningen room is overpriced?

  Not with certainty, because the legal maximum depends on exact measurements. Add the room size, housemates and shared facilities to your questions and the viewer records them, along with the service costs, so you can run the huurprijscheck. Once you've moved in, Steunpunt Huren Groningen will measure your room for free.

• Can a viewer get to an address outside the centre?

  Give us the address when you book and we'll confirm a viewer can reach it.