Private Rented Sector

Description

This option holds places offered by students, landlords or other entities. A good 80% of these places are in double rooms; finding a single room is extremely difficult. This difficulty are risen through the fact that many students and landlords demand a contract of 12 months, while the stay of an Erasmus students barely exceeds 10 months. He who only has a grant of three to four months will have extreme difficulty in finding a place in private apartments.

The apartments usually have one or more bedrooms, one or two bathrooms, kitchen and living room; there are usually equipped with the necessary (dishes, bed covers, desk, etc.) and it is sufficient to bring only sheets and sometimes a pillow. Only a small number of apartments are equipped with washing machines, telephones and etc. Most places offered are situated outside the historic centre, especially in zones like Arcella, Guizza, Forcellini, Sacra Famiglia, etc. The ratio between inhabitants (about 210,000) and students (65,000 of which 40,000 non resident) is such that most students find themselves obliged to search for accommodation outside the city centre, for reasons of space (the historic centre is limited by its medieval walls) and economy (the limited number of rooms in the centre and the high demand keep the prices very high).

Contrary to option 1 and 2, it is NOT possible to reserve a place. SASSA, in fact, puts students on arrival in contact with the people offering places and the keys are handed over directly from the landlords. On the moment of arrival in Padua (never before) an address is given (it is advised to arrive from a Monday to Wednesday as the office SASSA is closed in the weekend and as most students who offer a place leave town Friday afternoon to Monday morning), an appointment is fixed to visit the apartment. If come to an agreement one can move in a couple of days maximum, otherwise another appointment will be fixed.

SASSA provides a free accommodation-finding service to students taking part in the international exchange programmes. The SASSA service undertakes to provide addresses of landlords with whom a trustworthy relationship has been established through previous experience. It also aims to check the quality of the accommodation offered and the fairness of prices in relation to facilities provided. However, economic and legal matters are to be agreed between the student and the institution or landlord providing accommodation. This means that the SASSA service disclaims all responsibility for problems arising when contracts are drawn up between students and landlords, or for any controversy that may arise from the inappropriate conduct of either of the two parties.. Furthermore, the ESU of Padua provides information for the drawing up of a contract in compliance with the signed agreement of the 7^th November 2001 for the implementation of the law 431/98.

Those who arrive without having sent the accommodation form or sent it late are asked to find advertisements that are found on notice boards of the departments in university, canteens, lecture theatres etc. or in the “Portobello”, a newspaper with local advertisements. In this case it is sufficient to come to the office and one of our staff will make the necessary phone calls.

In general the rule ‘the first to accept takes the place’ stands, waiting to decide or making to many visits can therefore result in loosing the first opportunities. It is also wise to remember that in general most places are available in the beginning of the month and especially in September and October (first term), in February and March (second term); during the other months it is much harder to find a place. The massive flux of arrivals (400 students) at the start of the academic year (around 15 September – 10 October) makes it so that in this period the search for accommodation takes longer. The average time in the year 2002 has been a working day (for those who sent the accommodation form on time) and two to three days for those who arrived without having sent the accommodation form or sent it after the deadline. It is obvious that in case of particular demands (single room at all costs, place in centre, etc.) the search can take much longer, likewise those who stay for limited or particular periods (for example, for three months or until the end of April or May) will have a very limited choice.

The costs (water, electricity, gas, etc.) are usually not included in the monthly rent; they are however included when the stay is short. The costs approximately go from 25 € to 90 €, while the rent depends on their location, what they provide for, etc.: a place in a double room varies from 180 to 280 €, a single room from 230 to 400 € (prices with costs included). When accepting a place a payment as deposit will be required, which is usually equal to two months rent (between 400 and 700 €) directly payable to the landlord. In most cases the apartments will be visited by a personal of SASSA, however this is not always possible. There are other types of apartments, called “mini apartments”, consisting of one bedroom, a bathroom and living room-kitchen. Most of these are available through an estate agent and an annual or at least ten months contract will have to be signed. The price is around 450 to 600 €.

Other options for accommodation are various private colleges and boarding houses usually run by religious orders. It is possible to contact them personally before arrival in Padua to verify prices and conditions.