© Domingos Oliveira - rtl.lu
As students prepare to begin the new academic year, many are still searching for accommodation while Luxembourg continues to grapple with a severe housing crisis – leaving students among those most affected.
The University of Luxembourg enrolls nearly 8,000 students, around 60% of whom come from abroad. This makes students a significant share of those searching for housing, at a time when demand in the country has been steadily increasing for a number of years.
This autumn, another 1,500 newcomers are entering the search for accommodation. To ease the pressure, the University of Luxembourg (uni.lu) provides student housing and studios at comparatively reasonable rates.
According to Dr. Simone P. Niclou, Vice Director for Research, these rooms are allocated based on a set of criteria:
"We prioritise students who are newcomers including Erasmus+ students doing their year abroad."
With the University of Luxembourg offering around 1,000 student rooms, only 16% of the demand for housing is currently met. New projects and renovations, including a residential building that will accommodate an additional 72 students, are scheduled for completion in 2027. Even so, this will still not be enough.
About a year ago, two students, Clémentine Offner and Ivo Silva, noticed the problem and decided to find a solution. This led to the creation of the startup We Connect. The platform connects young people seeking housing with private hosts who have spare rooms available for students.
Ivo Silva explains the conditions for using the platform:
"We're not so strict when it comes to defining 'student' on our platform. Largely, it also includes young people who come to Luxembourg seeking new opportunities."
Rooms are rented at 30 to 40% below market rates, giving students an authentic experience of living in the Grand Duchy. Hosts have an additional source of income while helping a young person settle in to a new country. We Connect handles all administrative tasks and contracts, making communication with the university key.
"The university sends a lot of stuidents our way because they have to turn away so many applicants seeking accommodation. What we do helps keep students enrolled, as students often have to decline offers if they cannot find housing.”
This was the case for Smiljan Münzenmayer, a 23 year old student from Chile, who found housing through We Connect.
"I’m very happy being here, in Chile I’m a man of family. I don’t like living alone. Being here has helped me a lot doing more activities. Actually, I live in a separate house, so I don’t see her [his host] very often during the week. For me it has been a great experience, doing activities with her together, and not feeling completely alone."
Smiljan's host, Ms. Lucchini, currently has three students living with her, who all used We Connect to find housing. Lucchini only has positive experiences being on the platform: "It was always a dream of mine to provide student housing. I have always wanted to help people, especially young people."
Not only has We Connect become a means of finding shared affordable housing, but it also serves provides opportunities for intergenerational and intercultural living.
