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Moving to a new city it is always not easy. Moving to a new country and start your studies in another language is even harder. That is why your accommodation should give you zero headache.
When choosing your accommodation in Vilnius for your Erasmus there are important things to look out for and others to avoid completely. You will also have to take some personal decision based on your preferences.
Scams and deposit frauds
Sadly frauds are pretty common when trying to rent a room or flat online. Scammers especially target Erasmus students in Vilnius. Usually they will offer a beautiful flat for a very cheap price with amazing location and amenities.
To avoid being scammed:
- If possible come to Vilnius to visit the apartment in person or send a friend. All our flats can be visited in advance.
- Never pay a full deposit and first month rent in advance. Reservation deposit should always be less than 1 month deposit. Scammers try to get as much money as possible from you. A reputable service would never ask the full amount before you arrive
- Don’t pay deposit on bank accounts which are not located in Lithuania. IBAN Bank accounts in Lithuania starts with the letters “LT”
- Avoid people referring you to websites like sites.google.com/scammersite
- Ask for references from other students who rented the flat before or they are renting at the moment of your request
- Avoid flat offers referring to “Metro, subway, trains, tram”. There is not a metro in Vilnius
- If contacted by Facebook check the Facebook profile. Scammers profiles are usually very new. Made in the last year.
- Prices must be in € Euros. If you see another currency like USD, Pound… it is a scam.
Sub-renting
A majority of the flat/rooms offered to Erasmus students are sub-rented. This means somebody rented an entire flat or a room and he/she is sub-renting it to you. This is legal only if the original contract between the owner of the apartment and the person renting it to you allows it.
This is a risky situation because you are not dealing with the owner. You don’t know the details of the contract between the real owner and the person sub-renting it to you. The landlord can void the contract at any time and you will lose the room and probably the deposit.
We own all the flats you see on our websites. There is no middleman.
Unregistered rental flats
To legally rent an apartment in Lithuania the owner has to register his flat as a rental and acquire the necessary rental license. A contract for an unregistered flat is not valid.
All our flats are registered with the state and we have the necessary rental license.
Unfurnished flats or flats missing basic living tools or appliances
Always check if the flat has all the necessary furniture and tools you need for the day to day living. Like for example:
- Iron
- Iron board
- Vacuum cleaner
- Kitchen cutlery
- Mattress
- Washing machine
All our flats contains the necessary furniture, appliances and tools.
Flat or dormitory
Your university normally have dormitory accommodation available. Some don’t, like ISM. These are normally located close to your university and they are a cheaper solution than renting a room or an apartment.
But there are not for everyone. You will share a little room of around 10 m2 with at least another person. In some cases other 2 people. Most dormitory in Vilnius have not been renovated so the room will not be up to modern standard.
Bathroom is shared between 30 to 40 people.
Kitchen is common for the entire floor so you will have to share it between 30 to 40 people depending on the dormitory.
Cleaning is offered but day to day cleaning is up to students and it is extremely common to have dirty facilities.
Rental agencies
There are many agencies in Vilnius which will search a flat for you. The quality of the services varies a lot based on the agency you will contact.
The main cons of renting from an agency are the fees. You will have to pay 1 month of rent as commission to the agent. So if your rent is 350 euros you will have to pay a 350 euros commission to the agency.
We do not ask any commission for renting our apartments or rooms. You are dealing directly with the owner. No middleman.
Commuting from and to university
If you are studying in an university far from city center like VGTU you will have to decide if you would like to commute from the center to the university or live near it.
This a personal preference which you will have to take based on the following points:
- Vilnius clubs, bars and in general entertainment is located in Senamiestis (City center).
- The city is pretty desolated outside of the center. You will live in pure residential zones without any entertainment locations.
Living outside of the center but close to university
Public transport is very limited after 23:00 so you will have to relay on taxi services which will be costly if you like to party often.
An example using the VGTU dormitory as your living location:
A taxi ride from the center to VGTU dormitory for example will costs you between 7 to 9 euros if ordered by a taxi app. Fares if you stop a taxi in the street are way higher. So if you are going to the center for party only 2 times a week and you take the taxi only to come back to the dormitory you will spend 72 euros a month only for taxi.
Living in the center when your university is outside of it
There is only one issue of living in the center which is the commute from your flat to the university.
Cost it is not an issue because public transport works well during the day and the monthly membership for student is very cheap.
