For David Auckland, a mathematics student at the University of Copenhagen, trying to find student housing in Copenhagen has so far been a nightmare.
To the University Post he says that he has tried everything, yet nothing has worked.
Like many others, he can retell a story of waiting lists, staying on friends' sofas, and housing frustration.
See an in-depth article on Copenhagen's continuing housing crisis here.
Told first to wait, then told to look for himself
When he was offered admission to the University of Copenhagen in the spring of 2012, finding a flat early on was the least of his worries.
»I was told to expect a housing offer from the international office until as late as two weeks before the semester start,« he bemoans.
Months passed by, but the housing offer never came. Then in mid-August he was told that he had to look for housing by himself.
See how students are staying in youth hostels here.
Friend came to the rescue
Luckily he knew a friend who was renting out her flat from 1 September. She would be away, but just for one month. Now As September draws to a close, David ponders if he will ever get another flat.
The last potential landlord he spoke to showed him a flat to be sublet and promised to tell him his decision within days. Failing to hear from the man, who also happens to be a professor at UCPH, David called him back to inquire about his decision. The would-be-landlord’s response: It's taken. Sorry I forgot to say no. He has since apologised to David in a comment thread on the University Post.
David now lives off cash he brought with him from Barcelona. He has not been able to get a bank account, or even a yellow card, as he has no permanent address. In times of emergency, he withdraws money from his Spanish credit card but »I am losing money in commission every time I run out of money« he says.
Almost fell for scam
After exhausting all his options, he turned to what seemed to be a decent housing offer on Craigslist.
»The landlord replied quickly to my emails, but in the end we suspected that it was a scam when he said he wasn’t in Denmark. Luckily we didn't give him any money, but that was on August 30,« he says.
»When packing up my stuff to leave for Copenhagen, I had no idea where I was going to stay. Although I was warned about the housing problem, I didn’t think it would be of this magnitude.«
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