Accommodation

SDU generally guarantees accommodation to all international students* moving to Denmark to study. If you already live in Denmark when you apply, you are last in line for accommodation. The guarantee only applies to applicants who are applying to become students by 1 May / 1 November and who are applying for accommodation as well.

*An international student is a Degree Student coming to Denmark to study a degree offered in English or an exchange or guest student coming to Denmark to study.

How do I apply for accommodation?

Simply fill out the online form.

Application deadlines

• Autumn semester: 1 May
• Spring semester: 1 November

Applications received after deadline cannot be guaranteed accommodation.

Contact information

The Accommodation Office can be found at Niels Bohrs Vej 9, 6700 Esbjerg.

If you have questions regarding your accommodation or when you need to give notice, go to the Accommodation Office or send an email to boligesbjerg@sdu.dk.

Terms

Please note that we only find accommodation for you once. If you decide to extend your stay, you will either have to keep your accommodation or give it up and find something new on your own.

If you leave Denmark for a period of time (eg. sabbatical leave, internship or exchange stay) we cannot guarantee new accommodation for you when you return to Denmark. We will of course try to help you as best we can.

When do I receive information?

You receive an email with information on your accommodation from the Esbjerg Accommodation Office in July for the autumn semester and in late December/early January for the spring semester. This is true if you applied for accommodation by the application deadline.

All rooms are off campus

One student one room. It is not possible for two students to share one room. Danish students live in either private or rented flats, rented rooms, or in dormitories (kollegium). International students are offered a room in a dormitory or in private rooms. Note that all rooms are off campus. The rooms vary in size and are typically between 10-16 m2.

Furniture and equipment

All rooms have a bed, desk, drawer or wardrobe, and lighting. All rooms have access to laundry facilities. All kitchens have a refrigerator and stove. Master students receive a linen package with pillow, duvet, bed sheets, towels etc. Exchange students will be provided with a pillow and duvet.

Internet access

All accommodation has internet access.

When do I start paying for my accommodation?

You pay rent from the day your accommodation is available. It may be as early as 15 August / 15 January. If your room is available from 15 August, you pay rent from 15 August even if you do not arrive until e.g. 25 August or some other day after 15 August.

You are asked to pay:

• By way of a payment slip (girokort) enclosed with your tenancy agreement. You can pay the payment slip at the post office or the bank.
• By way of bank transfer. The information will be enclosed with your tenancy agreement.

If you would prefer to pay the deposit and the first month’s rent before you come to Denmark, you receive information on how to do so when you receive information on your accommodation.

If you plan to pay your rent with a credit card when you arrive, you should be aware that most credit cards have a max amount that you can withdraw per month and sometimes also per day.

Written notice

Generally, your accommodation is yours until you give written notice to the Accommodation Office of the SDU. A few students have a time limited tenancy agreement and do not have to give notice. The notice varies, but can be as much as 3 months. It is usually only possible to give notice the 1st or the 15th of the month. So if you have 3 months notice, the following applies:

If you wish to stay in your room until 1 July, you must give notice 15 April because you pay rent 14 days after you move out. The 14 days are needed to prepare the room for the next tenant. This is also true for Danish tenants.

Those of you renting from a private landlord or subletting have individual terms. The information on payment, notice, inspection and keys below does therefore not necessarily apply to you.

Inspection

Before you leave your accommodation, the janitor or landlord (portner/vicevært) has to inspect your room to check that nothing has been damaged or needs painting or cleaning. It is important that you clean the room carefully, as you will otherwise be charged for cleaning. You should expect to have to pay for the room to be painted after you leave. The expenses of preparing the room for the next tenant will be subtracted from your deposit.

If for some reason your accommodation is not satisfactory on arrival, you should make sure to report it to us, the Accommodation Office, or the janitor within a few days, so that you will not be charged for anything when you leave.

Keys

It is very important that you hand in the key to your room when you leave. If the keys have not been handed in, a new lock has to be put in at your expense - as you cannot have access to a room that is no longer yours.

'I wish to change my assigned accommodation!'

We can only give you one accommodation offer. If you decline or cancel your first offer, you will have to find something on your own. If you decide to move during your stay, we will have to know. Notice must be given within 3 months, but we cannot help you find a new room.

'I specifically wanted a room with private bath and kitchen, why did I not get this?'

There are very few rooms with private baths and kitchens available for students. We cannot provide all students with such rooms and we are obligated to give priority to students with special needs, if any.

'Why do I have to pay rent from August 15th?'

In order to secure the rooms for you, the lease begins as soon as the accommodation is ready, but not sooner than August 15th. When you applied for housing this was one of the conditions for the housing guarantee.

'I've transferred the rent. How can I know it's received?'

You will not get a confirmation from neither us nor the housing company. Assume the payment has gone through. You can make a screen dump of your transfer as documentation.

'I've just arrived and something is broken in my room. What should I do?'

Take pictures of the items and email them together with a description to your housing company with a cc to us. In this way you will not be held responsible of these damages at the end of your renting period.

'Can my spouse stay with me in my room or do I need to find another accommodation for him/her?'

We have very few double rooms. Please contact us as soon as possible.

'I arrive on the 15th. Can I just clarify, before I arrive if I have to pay both the monthly rent and deposit?'

You have to pay the deposit and ½ month's rent.

'When paying by an international bank transfer, must I pay more than the amount stated to cover fees, or will these just be charged fees on top of my transfer amount?'

If you make an international transfer in foreign currency, it is your responsibility to make sure that you cover all fees and that your payment will cover the amount in Danish Kroner (DKK). The fees for changing currency varies from bank to bank. If you stay here for more than a semester you could consider opening a Danish bank account.

'Will I receive a slip in my mailbox every month or will I pay directly through bank transfer?'

With some housing companies you will receive a paper bill in your mailbox every month, with others you just transfer the monthly rent. You can transfer rent even though you receive a paper bill.

Please contact the housing companies' caretakers directly regarding rent payment, keys, inspection, etc.

Sct. Georgs Kollegiet, Spangsbjerg Kirkevej 109

Housing company: Ungdomsbo
Office hours: Monday-Friday 8:00-9:00 and Thursdays 15:00-16:00
Address: Spangsbjerg Møllevej 62, 6700 Esbjerg
Phone: +45 7777 4400
Email: afd45@ungdomsbo.dk

Hedelundvej

Housing company: Ungdomsbo
Office hours: Monday-Friday 9:00-10:00
Address: Stengårdsvej 319, 6705 Esbjerg
Phone: +45 7514 5456
Email: afd8@ungdomsbo.dk

Stormgade 69

Housing company: HHJRPK A/S
Email: stormgade69@jill-joy.dk with the subject CARETAKER

Skolebakken 124-126

Housing company: Jesper Hille
Email: jesper@kahns-hille.dk

We at the Accommodation Office as well as your landlord are extremely keen on promoting a pleasant and secure environment in our accommodations and we therefore ask you to note and observe the following rules:

• Keep noise levels down — especially between 22:00 and 7:00.
• Tell your neighbours if you’re going to have a party. Remember that you’re always responsible for your guests.
• Look after your room and keep it clean. Don’t shake mats and don’t throw out cigarette ends or other debris from balconies and windows.
• Entrances, staircases, corridors, and balconies may not be used for storage of furniture, refuse, or other items. They can obstruct emergency services, fire exit routes, and cleaning.
• Household animals are not permitted.
• Respect the smoking bans that apply in all common areas such as stairwells, lifts, kitchens, cellars, and laundry rooms.
• Remember also that smoking on balconies, galleries, and near entrances can disturb the local environment.
• Always report problems or faults in your residence and common spaces directly to your caretaker/landlord.
• Always park bicycles and vehicles in the places intended for them.
• Follow the laundry care instructions and opening times. Hanging up wet clothes on a radiator or clothes horse in your room is not allowed. Remember to daily air out the room and let in fresh air.
• Show consideration for your environment and avoid having barbeques on balconies or near residential buildings. Please use barbeque facilities where they are provided.
• It is not permitted to put waste materials outside apartment doors, in stairwells, corridors, or in galleries. All waste should be placed in containers at the dedicated refuse or environmental facilities (containers).

These house rules are standard house rules — local and more specific rules can apply at your accommodation.

Checklist for weekly cleaning

This is a checklist for you and your corridor to help in planning the common cleaning of your kitchen and other common spaces.

Daily

• Clean worktops, sink, tables, cooker top, and oven
• Empty dish rack as necessary
• Take out rubbish — to appropriate containers
• Air out the room and common spaces to avoid moisture in the room

Weekly

Common kitchen:

• Clean oven/cooker top (see cleaning tips), microwave (see cleaning tips), fan
• Remove stains from fridge and freezer doors, tiles, and cabinets
• Clean space under the sink where rubbish is placed
• Clean sofa, tables, chairs, and light fittings
• Dust window frames, TV, and stereo
• Empty sorted wastes
• Sweep, mop the floor, and clean skirting boards

Common corridor:

• Sweep, mop the floor and clean skirting boards
• Empty corridor of things that should not be there

Common balcony:

• Sweep and empty cigarette ends

Common shower space:

• Clean floor, floor drain, and walls (see cleaning tips)
• Clean tap and shower (see cleaning tips)
• Polish mirror

Checklist for main/end-of-semester cleaning

This is a checklist for you and your flat mates to help in planning the common cleaning of your kitchen and other common spaces. A thorough main cleaning at the end of each semester is important for hygienic reasons and to minimize wear of furnishings and fittings.

Common kitchen:

• Thoroughly clean oven fan, cooker top, and oven (see cleaning tips)
• Empty and clean the tiles, all kitchen cabinets, and shelves inside and out
• Clean space under the sink where rubbish is placed
• Clean sofa (wash sofa cover if necessary) table, chairs, and light fittings
• Polish windows inside and out
• Clean curtains if necessary
• Sweep and mop behind and under furniture and appliances
• Defrost fridge/freezer and clean interior and exterior (see cleaning tips)
• Clean down radiators and valves
• Clean stains on doors, walls, ceilings, and dust tops
• Anything to be scrapped?

Common corridor:

• Sweep and mop floor and clean skirting boards
• Clean light fittings
• Remove dirt and stains from walls and doors
• Empty corridor of things that should not be there

Common balcony:

• Sweep and empty cigarette ends
• Tidy up garbage
• Any furnishings to be scrapped?

Common shower rooms:

• Clean and remove lime scale from shower walls and floor (see cleaning tips)
• Clean floor and floor drain thoroughly (see cleaning tips)
• Remove stains from other surfaces and clean valves and light fittings
• Polish mirror

Fridge/freezer

This is what you need:

• Multi‐purpose cleaner
• Damp cloth
• Dry cloth
• Soft cleaning sponge (definitely not the coarse side!)
• Hot water in a saucepan for the freezer
• Old newspapers for wrapping frozen food
• Empty container for the freezer

Cleaning the fridge:

1. Clean with the multi‐purpose cleaner and the damp cloth. Don't forget the edge strips!
2. Dry off with the dry cloth
3. Never clean the outside with a cleaning sponge, since it is easily scratched

Cleaning the freezer:

1. Turn the freezer off
2. Wrap frozen food in newspapers and place in the kitchen sink or outdoors during winter/li>
3. Put the saucepan full of hot water in the freezer
4. Place the container under the freezer's draining pipe (at the bottom front of the freezer). Empty the container when it starts to get full
5. Once all the ice has melted clean and dry the freezer. If necessary, use a little cleaning agent to remove any dirt
6. Turn the freezer on again

Cooker/oven

This is what you need:

• Oven cleaning agent
• Non‐scratching cleaning sponge
• Cloth
• Ceramic hob scraper (only for ceramic hobs)
• Ceramic cleaning agent (only for ceramic hobs)

Cleaning the oven:

1. Spray oven cleaner on the greasy parts of the oven. Follow the instructions on the oven cleaner package
2. Leave it for about 15 minutes – if necessary, use the non‐scratching sponge
3. Now dry off
4. Turn the oven on to 225 degrees C for 30 minutes to remove any remains and odours

Cleaning hob with hotplates:

1. Spray oven cleaner around the hotplates. (Not on them!) Follow the instructions on the oven cleaner package
2. Leave for about 15 minutes
3. Dry off with a damp doth

Cleaning hob with ceramic top:

1. Carefully scrape off dirt from the hob with the scraper
2. Spread out the ceramic cleaning agent with a non‐scratching sponge. Follow the cleaner package instructions on the oven
3. Dry carefully with kitchen paper or a clean dry doth

Microwave

This is what you should do:

1. Place a small bowl with water in the microwave and run at full power until the water boils. Use a bowl that withstands microwaves
2. The water evaporates and moisture loosens dirt and food splashes
3. Dry with kitchen paper or a clean dry cloth

Tip: Always use a cover inside the microwave. This reduces food splashes! Oven trays and grilles should be cleaned according to points 1‐4 of “Cleaning the oven”.

Shower

This is what you need:

• Lime scale remover
• Scrubbing brush
• Rubber scraper
• Cloth

Cleaning the shower:

1. Spray lime scale remover on the shower walls and floor
2. Wait for a few minutes. Follow the instructions for the lime scale remover
3. Rinse thoroughly with cold water
4. Remove excess water with the rubber scraper
5. Dry with a dry cloth

Hand basin

This is what you need:

• Lime scale remover
• Non‐scratching cleaning sponge
• Dry cloth

1. Spray lime scale remover onto the hand basin and mixer tap (don't forget the underside of the hand basin)
2. Wait for a few minutes. Follow the instructions for the lime scale remover
3. Clean with a non‐scratching sponge
4. Rinse with cold water
5. Dry to a shining finish with a dry cloth

More tips

Cleaning the toilet:

• Use lime scale remover. Follow the instructions for the product.

Floor drain:

• Remove hair strands. Use washing‐up liquid to clean and rinse off with cold water.