This article only applies to Short Stay. Click here to find more information about the difference between Long Stay and Short Stay housing. For now, the concept Emergency Housing is only available in Proxima (Groningen).

What is emergency housing? 

During the summer holiday new international students arrive, while graduated students often have not yet left their rooms. This creates a ‘peak period’ and a shortage of rooms. At the start of the new academic year, SSH provides temporary accommodation for arriving international students with an approved SSH registration to help them search for permanent housing at Proxima in Groningen. 

Do you offer emergency housing in other cities too? 

No, emergency housing is exclusively available in Groningen at Proxima.  

Is Proxima only for emergency housing? 

It's partly reserved for emergency housing. This accommodation is offered to short stay students for a full year. At the start of the academic year these single rooms will temporarily become shared rooms from August until November at the latest. 

How does emergency housing work?

Emergency housing at Proxima works by temporarily converting single rooms into shared rooms. Just before the start of the academic year, we release the availability of these additional beds, known as emergency housing beds (bed B). Students who have not secured accommodation yet can book these B beds to meet their housing needs temporarily. Once the B-beds are booked, we will schedule an appointment with the student who booked the bed A (if the bed A student already has arrived) to unfold the second bed in the room. 

What’s the difference between A-bed and B-bed? 

The key difference lies in the booking process and duration of stay:

• A-bed: reserved for students with a short-stay contract covering the entire academic year. These students live alone in their rooms for most of their stay and are considered short-stay tenants.
• B-bed: used as emergency housing during peak periods. Students booking a B-bed always share the room with a roommate for the duration of their temporary stay.

Both A-bed and B-bed tenants have short stay contracts. This means that both type of tenants cannot extend their stay with another short stay agreement after their rental period ends. In particular, once the emergency housing period ends, B-bed tenants must find accommodation elsewhere.

How much is the rent for A-bed and B-bed students?

The student who books the A-bed will pay the full advertised rental price. If the B-bed is also booked, the A-bed student will receive a nearly 50% discount for the duration they have a roommate, with the discount refunded after the emergency housing period. The B-bed student will  pay half of the original rental price. If you're an A-bed student you can read more about the discount on this page.

How can I apply for emergency housing in Groningen?

We will publish the emergency housing rooms in July 2025, close to the start of the academic year. To apply for emergency housing in Groningen, simply follow the registration and booking process outlined on our Short Stay page. You can find more information and start your application by visiting this page. You can by the way recognize emergency housing rooms by the banner in the room's advertisement.  

How much will I pay to book an emergency room (B-bed)?

When booking an emergency housing room (B-bed), you need to pay all costs in advance to finalize your booking, which includes the reservation fee (€95,-), all months of rent, and tax fee (9% of the total to be paid rent). Students who book the A-bed do not have to pay all months in advance. Please see this page for more information regarding the first booking payment.

Is the price all-inclusive? 

Yes, the price is all-inclusive. This includes service charges such as inventory, internet, local taxes, heating, water, and electricity. 

All emergency rooms have been booked. Is there a waiting list?

We do not keep a waiting list if all the rooms have been booked. Instead, you can subscribe to new offers. Simply log in My SSH and click on "Subscribe to receive notification when new offers are available for your registrations". If you match the preferred housing period for that kind of rental offer, you'll automatically receive an email.  Please note, everyone who has subscribed will receive the notification and will be offered on a first-come-first-service basis. It could be that when you check the offer page, that someone else already has booked the available room.  

Is the room shared with someone of the same gender? 

Yes, you will share the room with someone of the same gender. However, please note that other shared facilities, such as the kitchen, will be mixed.

What’s included in the room?

We offer a fully furnished room, which includes the basic necessities: a bed, desk and wardrobe. To see a full overview of the inventory, you can refer to the advertisement and download the inventory list.