1. Housing

Dormitories

All relevant information can be found on the dormitories website.

There are two different dormitory blocks for exchange students – Eislerova Dormitory (former Jarov III. F) and Thalerova Dormitory (former Jarov III. G). They are located in Prague 3 – Žižkov, about 15 minutes away from the university by a direct tram line 9, stop Chmelnice. Both blocks are about 25 minutes far from the city center by tram.

Single-bed rooms (or double-bed room with only one bed occupied) are available, too.

Fees

If you have applied for the dormitory accommodation via the ISKAM information system, a place is reserved for you. Nevertheless, a deposit must be paid in advance otherwise the place will not be guaranteed. More information can be found here.

The rent is to be paid AT ONCE at the beginning of the first week of classes. Please note that the payment can be done either in the cash point of the dormitory office (at the reception/dormitory manager´s office of each block) or at a bank located at the university.  It is necessary to keep all receipts as a proof of payment.

The Accommodation Agreement can be found here.

All payments (including deposit), can be checked via a dormitory database called ISKAM. Use the same log-in details as for university information system (InSIS). For more details about ISKAM and your deposit, refer to this website.

Arrival

Dormitory reservation starts as published on the website of the dormitory. Students will be charged accommodation fee from the earliest move-in date even if they move in later. Students can move in every day, even during weekends, but they are obliged to visit the dormitory manager as soon as possible after the arrival to arrange all necessary formalities (signing the Accommodation Agreement, picking up the dormitory ID card – a passport photo needed!). Please, note that the dormitory manager is only available during his/her office hours (see below)! For more information see dormitories’ website.

The earliest move-in date for the Fall Semester 2024 is September 4, 2024. For the reservation dates etc. please refer here.

Early Arrival / Late Departure

There is a possibility to move in before the earliest move-in date for Exchange students or move out after the day stated in your Accommodation Agreement. Those who applied for dormitories can arrive five days prior to the Orientation Week. However, IN URGENT CASES, there is a possibility to arrive earlier. Please, bear in mind that it is just for urgent cases, because dormitories are also having hotel guests, so they wouldn’t be able to provide a place for too many students coming earlier. For those who need to use the dormitories before/after the official dates, please follow these instructions:

Students moving in before the move-in date

If you are coming during summer holidays, let the Central Accommodation Office (ubytovani@vse.cz) know at least 7 days in advance. You may not receive the room you will be living during the semester, so you might have to move in to another.

Students moving out after the day stated in the Accommodation Agreement

You need to let the Central Accommodation Office (ubytovani@vse.cz) know by email by the end of November (for Fall Semester) OR April (for Spring Semester). It might happen that you wouldn’t receive the same room as during the semester and thus you would have to move in to another one.

Prolongation of Accommodation Agreement

Those, who are staying for the whole Academic year and are intended to prolong their stay in dormitories for the Spring Semester, have to follow the following instructions:

1. 1. Sign a new Accommodation Agreement and visit your Dormitory Manager within the Office Hours (contacts below) during January.
   2. If you are not in the Czech Republic during allocated times, arrange a meeting with the Dormitory Manager before your departure.

Additional information

• • If you have any questions regarding the details of deposit payment or assigning the rooms, please contact Central Accommodation Office directly at ubytovani@vse.cz.
  • International Student Support SUZ VSE is dedicated to support all non-Czech students across VSE campuses. The support includes all issues related to the student accommodation. One-to-one appointments are offered as well as detailed advice by email (dormitorycoordinator@vse.cz) or by phone.
  • Please note that Czech is the official language while seeing the Dormitory Manager within her Office Hours. It is highly recommended to bring your Buddy or ask Housing Coordinators to help you with interpreting.
  • Dormitory Facebook page International students SUZ VSE.
  • Contacts

Private Accommodation

Rents are paid monthly and vary dependent on the size, location in the city and the equipment already present in the apartment. You may pay anything from 500 – 650 EUR/570 – 740 USD for a 1+1 flat in the suburbs, or a 650 – 800 EUR/740 – 910 USD for the same flat in the more centre adjacent areas.

The size is usually indicated by numbers which can be a little bit confusing. Here is a short vocabulary of the Czech real estate kingdom:

• • Garsoniéra/garsonka/studio – one room that includes a kitchen.
  • 1+1 – one room with a separate kitchen or a kitchen corner, normally including an entrance hall.
  • 1+1kk – “kk” means kitchenette, and the kitchen is a part of one room. So it is an apartment with one separate room, one room that includes a kitchenette and an entrance hall.

For offers directly from the owners, you may look at Bezrealitky (in the Czech language only) or Expats.

source: Study in Prague

Housing Scams

Even though Prague is generally safe, housing scams occur. If you opt for private accommodation, here are some tips:

1. 1. Always visit the apartment before renting it
   2. Do not trust offers on social media
   3. The requirement to pay by cash is suspicious
   4. Do not pay before the contract is signed
   5. Do not fall for time pressure
   6. Avoid sub-lease agreements (You can find out whether the person you are negotiating the lease with is the owner of the flat using Mapy.cz – follow instructions HERE.)
   7. choose a reputable and well-known agency

sources of information: expats.cz, relocare