There are a few things that you need to think about when you are moving here, for example where you want to live. We will do our best to help you on your way to find a home that you feel comfortable in.
ImageMalin Grönborg
The university have a number of apartments that you as an international guest can apply for.
What we offer
We can assist international researchers and postdoctoral fellows, visiting lecturers, and similar with temporary accommodation for a maximum rental period of two years.
We offer a wide range of apartments and student rooms according to a queuing system. All our apartments have a standard according to Swedish rental laws and have been renovated more or less within the last decade. We only sublet furnished apartments. Cutlery and kitchen utensils are not included.
The prices are set in accordance with rental laws. Tenants are to pay a reasonable rent for their housing. When you make register your interest, you will see what the rent is for that apartment. Tenants are responsible for paying their own utility costs and services such as internet and electricity.
Decision on new fees for housing
The university Director decided on new fees for the housing coordination with effect from 1 January 2024.
The rent for the housing sublet by Umeå University consist of three elements:
The part of the rent that concerns the administrative cost will be raised from 1 January 2025 due to increased costs.
How do I search for an apartment?
Your department will make a request to the Accommodation Service, informing us that you are in search of somewhere to live. When the request has been filed, you will receive an email with a link to the site Ponduspro. There you are asked to fill in the compulsory information. You will now be able to find apartments matching your criteria and register interest.
Under available now, apartments will be published approximately three months before access/move-in date. You can choose to add subscription to receive an email for available apartments which match your criteria. You can register interest for as many apartments as you wish.
Sign a contract
When you are first in queue for an object, you will receive an email. Log in to My Pages/Ponduspro and accept or decline the offer. If you accept, a contract will be signed electronically by both parties, and with this your accommodation has been secured. If you decline the offer, you will not lose your queue points. However, you may run the risk of not being offered another apartment in time for your arrival.
When the Accommodation Service releases available apartments, the move-in date is noted. If you register interest and sign a tenancy agreement with a move-in date many months before your arrival in Umeå, you will also have to pay rent for the time you are not here. Hence, be aware of the move-in date before you accept an offer.
After your tenancy agreement expires, you need to move out and find another accommodation if you are to continue your stay in Umeå. If you find a new home earlier and want to move out before the end date of your tenancy agreement, there is a notice period of three months (in accordance with Swedish rental law). This means that from the date you cancel your tenancy agreement, you will have to pay rent for three more calendar months.
Have you signed a tenancy agreement for housing through the Accommodation Service?
Welcome to your accommodation.
Here, we list other housing companies and private landlords where you can join a housing queue, or contact them directly. Note that for some of the housing companies you will need to have a Swedish personal identity number to apply for a vacant apartment.
Housing companies we recommend
Here is a list of all private landlords in Umeå.
Social media and other sites
A lot of people find their first contract using Facebook. There are different groups you can join to start looking and to make your own ad, the biggest one is “Lägenheter i Umeå”. You can also use Marketplace on Facebook and filter to “property for rent” to get rental ads.
Another tip is to go to the Swedish website Blocket and under “Bostad” search for Umeå to get ads for rent. Like everything on the internet, be careful and aware of scams. Go to the Blocket search.
Write your own ad and tell others that you are in search of a home. Spread the word in different channels: online, on local billboards and as a newspaper ad in the local paper Västerbottens-Kuriren.
Finding housing in a town that you have never visited before can be difficult. You may not know where the apartments that you are looking for are situated. Therefore, we have listed the housing areas both in and around Umeå.
In Sweden, there are different ways to have a home. You can, for example, rent or buy a flat, or you can rent or buy a house. It is also common with lodging and subletting.