How do I apply for a placement in a student residence?

Preferably via an online-application. For those wishing to apply by mail please download the application form here, available either as a Word document or PFD file. Please fill in the form, sign it and return it to the Studentenwerk Münster, Postfach 76 29, 48041 Münster or send it by fax: 0251 / 837 95 97.

When can I apply?

Apartments, rooms and flats can be applied for and rented throughout the year. An application is free of charge and not binding. An obligation occurs only when you sign a lease agreement. For administrative reasons your personal data will be stored and processed electronically. The data will be used for this purpose only and will not be forwarded to a third party.

Can I apply as a first-year student?

An application can be made without submitting any university entrance admission slip or registration certificate. However, when you sign the lease agreement you will be asked to present a copy of either the registration certificate/semester enrolment slip or the university or college admission slip.

Can I rent a room as a non-student?

First preference is given to students who are officially registered at the University of Münster. However, we also rent out accommodation units to visiting professors, visiting students or others who may be involved in a university project, research study or traineeship/internship (e.g. interns from the University of Applied Sciences) and who submit an application to us on this basis.

In the case of lease agreements made with candidates who are not associated in any of the above named forms with any of the universities and who, should the situation arise, stay with us for less than six months we are obliged to charge 19% VAT additional to the rent.

For more details please contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it via e-mail, or by phone: 0251/ 837 9646.

What are my chances of obtaining a place?

You will have the best chance if you are flexible both as to which student residence you are allocated to and as to the date you move in. The greatest demand for accommodation is, of course, at the beginning of the semester. It therefore makes sense to submit your application as early as possible. In particular, if you are going to start your studies in the winter semester you should aim to finalise a lease agreement with us for the requested accommodation no later than August/September.

How will I be notified?

When a vacancy occurs in the requested student residence you will receive a written offer via e-mail or letter. Please inform us immediately of any change of address, e-mail address or other contact details. An offer of a place in a student residence is only valid for a limited time. Therefore please check your letters and e-mails regularly.

What types of accommodation are there?

At our student residences we offer several different types of accommodation: furnished and unfurnished single rooms, furnished units as well as unfurnished units with multiple rooms. A typical furnished room costs between about € 180.00 and € 235.00, an apartment from € 205.00, a flat for families or couples from € 360.00.

What is a single room?

A single lockable room, (fitted with a wash basin), within a large accommodation unit with a shared kitchen and bathroom. Furnished single rooms are generally equipped with a bed, a wardrobe, a bookshelf, a desk and a chair.

Please bring your own kitchen utensils.

What is meant by an apartment?

It is a self-contained unit consisting of one room with kitchen or kitchenette (two hotplates and a refrigerator), bath/shower and toilet. Furnished apartments are equipped with a bed with storage box or sofa-bed/foldable bed, a wardrobe/cupboard, a bookshelf, a desk and a chair. Kitchen utensils are not provided.

What is included in the rent?

By offering student accommodation at reasonable prices, Student Support Services serves to regulate the pricing of the student rental market in Münster. Our monthly rent prices, which include heating costs, are consistently about € 100 lower than those on the market, which do not include heating costs.

The monthly rents are all-inclusive prices and cover the monthly running expenses (such as heating, water, TV cable connection fee, use of shared facilities, etc.) except for the following two student residences: Busso-Peuss-Straße 12-14 and Rudolf-Harbig-Weg 6-8. Here your electricity consumption cost charged by the external supplier will be forwarded to you. At the student residence of Rudolf-Harbig-Weg 39-51 the rent includes the electricity costs, and only the heating and water costs will be forwarded to you in the form of a separate bill for the additional costs.

Extra charges will arise only if you apply for or use the telephone / internet connection. If you have a radio, television or other “new type” of radio receiver that is in use you will have to pay for a radio/TV licence to the GEZ. If you wish to be exempted from this charge you should make a request directly to the GEZhere.

How can I get a telephone / internet connection?

Each accommodation unit is fitted with a telephone connection. In principle you are free to choose your telephone / internet provider.

Can I apply for a room in a flat with shared facilities?

The flats with shared facilities can only be rented by a share group. The group must consist of two, three or up to six people, corresponding to the number of rooms available, for example, a four-bedroom flat for four students. The vacated rooms in a shared flat (two- to six-room flats) are not offered directly by the Student Support Services. Therefore, please check our own classified advertisements kostenfreien Kleinanzeigenmarkt which is free of charge.

If you are looking for a room in a share group but have not yet found anything, please don’t hesitate to have a look at the online housing market in our local newspapers, such as www.westfaelische-nachrichten.de oor student newsletters, magazines and online media, such as nadann, the nanu-die wochenschau or Münster's magazine Ultimo.

Can I have a look at my room before signing a lease agreement/before moving in?

As the rooms are generally rented out up to the last day before the new tenant moves in, a viewing is unfortunately not possible. However, you are free to have a walk through the residential buildings on your own; possibly the tenant of the room you are going to rent has no objection to an informal visit.

How long can I stay in a student residence run by Student Support Services?

The total rental period is eight semesters. If you move into another student residence the term of the previous lease is deducted from the maximum rental period. On request the lease agreement may be extended beyond the total rental period.

Do I have to pay a deposit?

One week before taking up tenancy the tenant must pay a deposit in the amount of € 230.00 into the account of the Student Support Services (see Rental Agreement). According to §551, section 3 BGB, the deposit does not attract bank interest.

Can I terminate the lease agreement?

The lease agreement can be terminated at any time with the usual legal requirement of three months' notice (according to §573c, BGB).

At the completion of studies, the three months' notice is reduced to one month, if proof of the completion of studies can be shown in form of a certificate, diploma, or other certification of study completion issued by the tertiary institution. More details can be found in your lease agreement, or otherwise please contact the administrative person responsible for your student residence.

Where do I get the key to my room?

The key to your room will be handed over to you not before the 1^stweekday (except Saturday) of the month during office hours by the building manager in charge. For more details about the name of the building manager in charge of your student residence and the opening hours please look at the information you were given together with the lease agreement. If you are not able to come during opening hours please get in touch with the building manager by phone or e-mail to make an appointment with him.

Please bring along your valid lease agreement as well as the receipt of your deposit payment (for example, a copy of your relevant account statement).

Is it possible to do my washing in the residence building?

In each student residence building there are washing machines and tumble dryers at your disposal for a fee of € 0.50 or € 1.00.

Is parking available?

20 of our 22 student residences have free car parking facilities dedicated to the building at your disposal. The two exceptions are the student residences Coerdehof and Hansa Haus.

Do you offer any assistance with moving?

We don’t provide any removal assistance. However, at our own non-profit transport company, rentfair-drive.de you can hire a modern van suitable for removals at reasonable prices.

What about the shopping facilities?

At four central sites, all conveniently located to many of our student residences, we offer 'Studis' which is a system of stores run by Student Services offering more than 800 everyday consumer items at very low prices. When you are expecting a large number of visitors or in case of illness we offer a reasonably priced delivery service.

Are there student initiatives in the student residences that organise sports and leisure activities?

In eight of 22 student residence buildings there is a student co-administration or a central self-appointed student initiative. There are three student initiatives that maintain their own websites. The student residence Heekweg is also independently co-administrated on a co-operative basis by a self-appointed student initiative that maintains its own website. At  http://www.studentenforum-heekweg-ev.de or http://www.boeselburg.deyou can find out all about life in the student residences.

Who lives at the student residences and what is it like living together there with other students?

Students from more than 100 different countries live at our student residences and the social atmosphere is excellent. About 25% of applicants are international students – where many people of varying mentalities exist together conflict cannot always be completely avoided. For this reason our building managers work closely with the student self-administration bodies and the counselling services of the universities as well as with the international organisation "Die Brücke" and a team of international student tutors, the team "Brücke vor Ort" on a continuing basis to maintain the positive social atmosphere in our student residences.

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