Room for rent? Severe lack of accommodation for international students
FAU and mayors from the three major cities in the region call on people in the region to consider renting out a room
The Nuremberg Metropolitan Region is growing, and the three cities of Nuremberg, Fürth and Erlangen are thriving – the region is an attractive location for students, young researchers and those entering the labor market. However, the lack of suitable accommodation can be a huge obstacle, particularly for international students. FAU President Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger, the mayor of Erlangen, Dr. Florian Janik, the mayor of Nuremberg, Marcus König, and the mayor of Fürth, Thomas Jung, have joined together to call on people living in the region. Their message is that you should rent out any spare rooms you have instead of leaving them to stand empty.
Anyone who would like to rent out a room can advertise on any of the relevant platforms or offer it directly via the Student Service’s accommodation service www.werkswelt.de/privatzimmervermittlung
The children have left home, and suddenly your house or your flat is too big. The self-contained apartment is no longer needed for the au-pair. The little house where your aunt used to live has been empty for a while. If any of these scenarios sound familiar, then this unusual appeal is directed at you. Please consider renting out your rooms.
Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger, President of FAU, has been facing a dramatic situation since the beginning of winter semester 2022/23: “The housing market in Erlangen, Nuremberg and Fürth has been under strain for a long time, but this year the situation is particularly dramatic. More than a third of our new students come from abroad. Without any contacts in the region, it is almost impossible for them to find somewhere to stay. We would appreciate any room you can offer.” The situation for students from outside the EU is particularly difficult. Many of them require a visa to enter Germany, but a prerequisite for receiving a visa is that they have already arranged accommodation. “As a university, we want to grow internationally, but to do so we need a functioning accommodation infrastructure for all the talents who are making their way to us.”
Dr. Florian Janik, mayor of the City of Erlangen, draws attention to the difficult situation regarding housing in the Nuremberg, Fürth and Erlangen region: “The housing market in the region is very strained. Many people were and are prepared to help. They rent rooms out to refugees or students. We hope that this willingness to help continues. Every apartment helps.”
His counterpart from Nuremberg, Marcus König, stresses the valuable opportunities intercultural exchange brings to the cities: “International students are very welcome here. They enrich our society, and their background means that they have valuable knowledge to share with our universities. We would ask you to consider renting out a room and welcoming a student from abroad.”
For Dr. Thomas Jung, mayor of the City of Fürth, the additional money earned from rent is also an argument for welcoming someone into your home. “In Fürth, it is often the case that valuable housing is being left empty. Choosing to rent out rooms is one way for you to generate additional income, at the same time as helping young students.”
The three mayors and the university are keen to stress that their appeal “Zimmer frei?” (room for rent?) is not intended to distract attention away from the situation regarding building new housing in the region. Instead, the appeal is intended to ease the situation in the short term. For König, Janik and Jung, building new, affordable housing is still the number one item on their agenda and one of the major challenges facing them in the coming years. However, building projects are currently taking longer than usual due to a lack of materials and experts. Joachim Hornegger: “Our students need a place to live now. In the coming semesters, we expect even more international students to come. We would really appreciate it if we could all work together to make the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region an attractive location for science.”
Do you have a spare room? Offer it for rent at www.werkswelt.de/privatzimmervermittlung
Further information:
FAU Press Office
+49 9131 85 70229
presse@fau.de