Accommodations for Staff
This page provides information about finding accommodation for incoming researchers, doctoral students and staff. Gothenburg is Sweden’s second largest city and is hugely popular not only with students, but also companies. Many people are moving to study and work in Gothenburg, causing a housing shortage. For this reason, we encourage you to begin looking for accommodation as soon as possible.
University guest housing
The University of Gothenburg has a wide variety of guest apartments at convenient addresses in and around the city. These function as temporary accommodations for internationally recruited faculty and staff, as well as international researchers, professors, teachers, and lecturers from other universities or organizations abroad. The apartments vary in size and some of the larger ones can accommodate as many as six people. There are also single rooms available for shorter stays. Please note that our guest housing services are not intended for conference delegates
All bookings and reservations are to be made by your host department.
Pickup service
Tenants who will be staying in one of the University’s guest accommodations are offered a personal welcome and pickup upon their arrival, free of charge. Transport can be arranged either to the booked accommodation or to the host department. The host is also informed once the pickup has been confirmed.
We offer this service upon first arrival.
Housing hotels
Housing hotels offer fully furnished apartments that can be rented during shorter and longer periods. The University of Gothenburg has three procurement contracts for areas based on proximity to the university’s institutions and faculties.
Home Finding Service via a relocation company
Home finding service means that a relocation company searches for second-hand housing that matches the wishes of the client. The University of Gothenburg has no procured agreement with a relocation company regarding home finding service, so any company can be contacted for this service. Contact welcomeservices@gu.se for more information.
Hotell Longstay via avropa.se
The University of Gothenburg uses state agreements procured by the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency (Kammarkollegiet).
In the category Longstay, there are hotels that offers stays for a week or more, and the services include furnished rooms/apartments including some cooking facilities.
For more information, visit avropa.se.
All bookings and reservations of housing hotels, relocation companies and longstay hotels are to be made by the host department.
SGS Student Housing for doctoral students
If you are a doctoral student, you can apply for accommodation through SGS, a foundation managing Gothenburg’s largest range of student housing. Even though the waiting time is normally about one and a half years, it is not impossible to be offered an accommodation through SGS's Direct and Last Minute. Start by creating an account on https://sgs.se
On the marketplaces "Direct" and "Last Minute", it can be easier to get an accommodation
Direkten
Homes that are published on "Direkten" are usually immediately available. Direct housing can come in randomly at any time 9 am – 4 pm, Monday - Friday. They are then published on our website on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1 pm.
How it works:
1. Log in to "My pages". Go to "Vacant objects". Choose marketplace "Direct" and click "Search".
2. If we have something, you can register your interest in the object.
3. When 5 people have registered their interest, the object disappears from the website and an offer goes out immediately to the first 5.
4. Of these 5 who have received an offer, it is the queuing time that determines who gets the contract.
5. Once you have made an expression of interest, you will receive an offer immediately. There you should answer yes or no within
publication time (yes-answer is binding). The one with the longest queue time of those who has accepted, receives the rental agreement.
if there are no payment remarks. The other four are notified by e-mail that they have not received the housing contract.
NOTE! If you are already living with SGS and applying for an accommodation via "Direkten", you risk getting double rent.
Be aware that it can be difficult to get a direct apartment because there are many applicants.
Last minute
Accommodation published on the marketplace "Last Minute" are immediately available. Queue time does not apply here, it is "first come, first served".
Last minute can come randomly at any time 9 am-4 pm, Monday - Friday.
These accommodations can be published any day, Monday - Friday and at any time, 9 am-4pm.
Last minute accommodation are usually single rooms with shared group kitchens.
How it works:
1. Log in to "My pages". Go to "available objects". Select marketplace "Last minute" and click "Search".
2. Most often it will say "No results", which means that we have nothing published right now.
3. If there is an accommodation published, you can call SGS Kundservice, 031-333 63 00 and register your interest.
You cannot register your interest on the website.
4. 4. If you are the first to call in and are entitled to apply for the home, you will receive the contract if there are no payment remarks.
Be aware that it can be very difficult to get a last minute as many people are looking for these accommodations.
Avoid scams
Just like everywhere else, there are fictive landlords trying to trick you. You should be careful about “too good to be true” offers.
Also, make sure that you
-
never transfer a deposit to the landlord until you or a friend has actually seen the lease and place;
- insist on having a written leasing contract when you agree with a landlord to let or sublet a room/flat;
- use an authorized leasing contract.
- Form a picture of the situation, not the person.
- Check with the property owner that the person is the occupier of the flat.
- Require identification of the landlord and a tenancy agreement.
- Never pay deposit or rent in advance before you have visited the accommodation and a contract is signed.
- Be wary if the landlord is abroad or cannot meet you.
- Do not pay money via anonymous payment services.
- Bring a friend or family member when you visit the accommodation. Four eyes can easier reveal fraud. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
- If you have been the victim of fraud, it is important that you report this to the police.