Djogatovic: Apartments for students in Belgrade expensive and hard to find

Real estate consultant from Belgrade, Nikola Djogatovic, warns that finding affordable apartments for students is becoming increasingly difficult. Students mostly look for apartments close to their faculties, while price and the option of sharing apartments with roommates, as he told Kosovo Online, still play a key role in choosing accommodation.

“Anyone who hasn’t found an apartment by now, and we are already into early November, will have a hard time finding something affordable. The apartment-hunting season for students begins at the end of August, late August, and September. At that time, future freshmen or their parents start looking for apartments. Students who are already studying don’t usually give up their rented apartments, they stay in them,” Djogatovic explained.

He added that at this point, finding a good apartment at an affordable price is still very difficult.

“They might look for a more affordable option, but since seasonality is a big factor, those options are usually sought already in June or July. At this moment, finding a decent apartment for a reasonable amount of money is not easy at all,” he said.

When it comes to locations, Djogatovic emphasized that students pay the most attention to proximity to their faculty and the price of the apartment.

“These are the two most important factors, while quality comes third. People often look at two, three, or four apartments, and then a week later, when they decide on one, it’s already gone. If you’ve seen an apartment that fits your needs, act fast. Don’t let ‘perfect’ be the enemy of ‘good’,” Djogatovic advised.

He also explained students’ habits regarding shared housing.

“Everyone would like to live alone, but the price dictates otherwise. In the past two, three, four, even five years, students have been teaming up to share apartments with one or two roommates. Larger apartments come with higher utilities, but overall housing costs are cheaper that way. There’s no direct proportion where a 60-square-meter apartment is twice as expensive as a 30-square-meter one – it may be 40 or 50 percent more expensive. That’s why students join forces and share expenses,” Djogatovic said.

He pointed out a student housing trend that has long existed abroad and is slowly reaching Serbia.

“In recent years, we have started talking about what’s known as ‘student housing’, which was also discussed at the Real Estate Belgrade conference in June. It means private investors build small student dorms or repurpose old buildings – factories or commercial spaces – into student accommodation. You have rooms for one, two, or three students, and within the building there are study rooms, common areas, and spaces for socializing. This is a global trend that has existed in neighboring countries for 20 to 25 years, and it’s only now starting here,” Djogatovic explained.

Finally, he advised students and their parents on how to avoid unpleasant surprises when renting apartments.

“You can avoid unpleasant surprises by signing a lease agreement. Once you sign a contract, there are no surprises, but it’s up to you or your parents to pay the rent and additional costs. These additional costs include everything related to the apartment – electricity, utilities, internet, and building maintenance, including payment for the building manager and all associated expenses,” he said.