We needed it accommodation!
When we decided to move to Bratislava we already knew that we would have jobs so that part was solved. But we had other things that we had to take care. One in particular was topping the list : accommodation.
Bratislava is not a big city and everything is relatively close. After you lived here for a while you feel that you know everybody. And that everything is close. Also many people like to have houses/flats around Bratislava so they commute every day.
When a foreigner comes to Bratislava chances are he is looking for a place in the old town, known as Stare Mesto. We found out that the rent can vary from a 400 euro small one bedroom flat (one room with kitchen corner) to thousands of euros. It depends on how far from the center that is and how well furnished. Count on additional expenses -again that can vary-and also a deposit. After you start knowing the city a bit better you realize that Ruzinov is very nice, parts of Nove Mesto… many young Slovaks live in Petržalka and that there are other neighborhoods worth considering.
Accommodation research
Before moving to Bratislava we browsed a few Realtor sites and selected a few and then made appointments to see them. All in one day as not to loose time because we had to come from Brno. We ended up renting the first we saw. It was in Stare Mesto but close to the border with Ruzinov. The flat was partially furnished, but that was fine with us because we had some stuff back from Brno.
So in May 2011 together with our dog we started our new life as expats, this time FK (my husband) was an expat too. 🙂 We had accommodation!!!!:)
My tips for searching accommodation in Bratislava:
- Consider sharing a flat – If you do not count on a big budget try to share the flat with somebody at least at the beginning, at least for a while. It will save you good money! And that is not the only benefit! Your flatmate could prove to be very informative. And save you some headache while trying to settle in. Without mentioning that it might help you feel less lonely till you make new friends.
- Join a Bratislava expat group on facebook or other social media. There are quite a few, and you can address questions. Somebody hopefully will answer! They’ve been through the same so they can understand the best. I always thought that nobody understand an expat better than another expat.
- Count on spending some cash – You will probably, as a start, need the money for a month rent, deposit (which is usually one month rent) plus utilities (expenses between 50-150 euro). And if you rent via an agency you will need to pay the agency too, usually the amount of one rent. You could probably skip agency but you need to do a lot of research. You could also go with no. 1 at the beginning.
- Contact a real estate agency – If you are looking for a flat on your own and you want to avoid issues I would advise to go through an agency. There are quite a few and you can check their webpage first.
- Ask for help – If you do not know the language and most probably you dont’t then ask somebody from work or school to help you with some translation. Or to join you to see some flats if the agent doesn’t speak English. You can check before.
- Check with HR/University if they do not provide some assistance by getting you in touch with an agency or a person who can help you with your flat hunting.
- Get a contract – Most probably you will need it to get your residency permit so make sure that you have a sign contract that you can show to Foreign Police.
- Postpone- In case you can not find a flat as soon as you would like in the budget that you have, don’t hurry. It might result in renting something that you will end up hating. Instead, consider other option for an extra month by looking into hostels, or airbnb.
If you are prepared with knowledge you should be able to find a place to stay very fast!
Good luck with your search!
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