Moving to another country can be stressful. As a person having gone through this path, I’d like to share my tips with you to make your big move easier and smoother.
Before starting, it’s worth mentioning that Budapest is divided into 23 different districts. When you search an apartment, you should know which district your university or work place is situated in. It’s much more convenient to rent a flat from the area which is easily accessible to your uni or company – Google Map or just Google search engine will help you with this. In general, more central downtown districts are V, VI, VII and parts of districts VIII, IX, and XIII in Pest side, and parts of districts I, II, and III in Buda side of the city.
Main searching platforms
1. Ingatlan: covers at least 90% of the market.
Hungarian version: https://ingatlan.com/
English version: https://realestatehungary.hu/
You can filter apartments by districts, prices, floor areas and number of rooms.
https://ingatlan.jofogas.hu/: The website is in Hungarian but you can translate it using Google Chrome and filter your search according to your needs.
2. Alberlet
Similar to Ingatlan, you can filter your search by many factors and moreover, you can specifically look for rooms for rent.
3. Otthontérkép
This website is only in Hungarian but if you translate, it can come in handy.
4. Apartments of Budapest
5. Erasmusu
6. Bdhotel
This is a private dorm located in the 11th district. The apartments consist of two rooms, each with two beds, a kitchen and a bathroom. The price for one place is 55.000 HUF per month, including tax, electricity, water and Internet connection.
7. CEU dormitory
It’s a student dormitory of Central European University, which is also open to all university students in Budapest from 2020.
Prices are for Academic Year 2020/2021:
Contract for 5 months
Shared room: 260,-EUR/month
Single room: 335,-EUR/month
Contract for 10 months:
Shared room: 247,-EUR/month
Single room: 325,-EUR/month
* Costs are per person per month.
Rates include all utilities, free WI-Fi, cleaning fee and the free use of recreation and sport facilities. Minimum rental period is 3 months.
Facebook groups
The most significant ones are 10k+ groups.
Rent a flat / room in Budapest: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1469125483396981/
Budapest, Hungary Apartment Rentals: https://www.facebook.com/groups/budapestrentals
BUDAPEST ALBÉRLET: https://www.facebook.com/groups/budapest.flat/
BUDAPEST FLATS/APARTMENTS for RENT :: in-house: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1621259858185948/
Budapest flats for rent: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1344492778899554/
Rent a FLAT / ROOM in Budapest for Semmelweis, ELTE, CEU, Erasmus etc: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1575211776107966/
Budapest Sale & Rent Apartments: https://www.facebook.com/groups/893495310715872/
Budapest/Semmelweis flat rental & shared flats group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/budaflat/
Budapest Flats Apartments Rent & Sale: https://www.facebook.com/groups/211951815515241/
Flats FOR RENT • Budapest apartments: https://www.facebook.com/groups/flats.for.sale.budapest/
CITY BUDAPEST flats for rent and sale: https://www.facebook.com/groups/682965795197701/
BUDAPEST Hungary apartment rentals: https://www.facebook.com/groups/181624665655062/
Flats, flatmate, rooms, roommate in Budapest: https://www.facebook.com/groups/809935399138630/
You can browse more groups on Facebook by typing key words in a search field, such as “Budapest rent”.
Room types
“Szoba” means “room”.
Studio: with 1 bedroom which is also a living room.
1+1/2 rooms (2+ szoba): living room and bedroom separately
2+1 room (3+szoba): living room, a small and a big bedroom
1+2/3 rooms (3+ szoba): living room and 2 big bedrooms
“Külön nyíló” indicates that there is a separate entrance for each bedroom.
Useful tips
Prefer fees offered in HUF
The rental apartment fees in Budapest are offered both in EUR and HUF. Note that you will get your scholarship/salary here in HUF only – in case of EUR payment, you will have to convert your amount to forint. As the exchange rate fluctuates, it is not recommended to opt for EUR payment.
Check exact location and street names in VIII districts
Some of the areas in the VIII district are notorious. I have read that it is not recommended to rent an apartment around Kalvaria ter, Prater street, Orczy ter, Hős street, Muzsikus cigányok parkja, whereas flats around József körút are all right.
Keep your eyes open
If the price for rent is unrealistically low and pictures of the flat are nice, it’s probably fake.
Ask for title deed
It is a property document ("tulajdoni lap” in Hungarian) which proves the ownership of the property. Make sure that the person renting an apartment is either an owner or a person having a power of attorney. Always ask for this document before signing the agreement.
Sign a tenancy agreement
It is a must to sign an agreement and there should be no exceptions. You should make sure that your name is mentioned on the rental contract.
Watch your money
To be on the safe side, do not give any money before signing the lease agreement. You can do it at the time of signing the agreement but should not do it before it.
Clarify what is included into rental fee
In general, rental fees you see in ads only indicate the price for rent and do not include common costs or utility costs which differ from a flat to flat. Always ask the landlord to provide you with utility bills of recent summer and winter months so that you have an idea how many extra costs you should have to cover.
Deposit
Usually landlords ask for a two-month rent deposit alongside the first month’s rental fee – it is quite common and normal. Do not forget to ask for the amount of this deposit beforehand.
Check appliances
Always check whether the room is furnished and clarify if all the appliances (heating, electrical gadgets, gas stove, fridge, washing machine, etc.) work properly. Ask for an inventory of all the stuff existing in the apartment and their current condition from the landlord beforehand so that you do not face any problems when you leave the flat.
Be aware of pets
It is quite common here to keep pets at home. While choosing your roommate, make sure to check if he/she has a pet in case it is not your preference.
I hope it helps. 😊 Let me know if you find it useful so that I can be motivated to share more useful info with you.
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