Where do Erasmus students stay in Valencia? Mainly in the districts of Ciutat Vella, Eixample and Algirós, and spinning fine lines, in El Carme and Russafa as well as in the university area, which includes neighborhoods such as Ciutat Jardí or L'Amistat. These are conclusions from the Erasmus Play accommodation platform, a startup based in Valencia that works from the Lanzadera incubator on housing solutions for international students.
After a specific search of 7,350 accommodations in Valencia, the platform justifies the results by "the daily atmosphere, its bars and restaurants", as well as its proximity to the main universities. Erasmus students who move to Valencia prefer to rent rooms in shared flats with other equals so that their experience in the city is "enjoyable" and they can live with people who are in the same situation. And they are not few: only at the Universitat Politècnica de València this year there are 1,542 Erasmus students studying.
In this choice, the Erasmus community prioritizes the location, but also the price. And although this varies depending on the size, location or specific conditions, in general, rental prices in Valencia can range from 300 euros for a single room to 1,000 euros per month for a two-bedroom apartment.
"In Russafa, the average price of a student room is 375 euros per month, while in El Carme it can be a little higher, around 400 euros per month," they explain from Erasmus Play. In Algirós, on the other hand, the offer of accommodation is much higher, as is the demand, and prices there range from 325 euros to 450 euros for a single equipped room.
In the middle of the debate on housing, and knowing the increase in rent that the city has experienced, the person in charge of the platform explains that things have also become difficult for students in Valencia. “We have noticed an increase in prices in recent years and this also has to do with the figure of digital nomads, who have increased prices, since they have a higher salary and here they have more money to spend. And in the face of a shortage of supply, prices go up”, explains David Casanova, CEO of the company that brings together a verified offer of bookable online.
Christian Iñamagua, from the Erasmus Vip Valencia agency, specialized in excursions for international students that also manages accommodation, agrees. They have nine houses that they rent on a shared room basis to various students. They started in 2013 with a first home on Campoamor street, next to Plaza del Cedro, and for it the property asked 550 euros per month. Now it's already 900 euros.
This increase also harms his other part of the business, since students have less purchasing power to travel a weekend to Cuenca, Benidorm or Teruel. “The student who comes from Italy, Romania or Latvia has seen the scholarship money disappear much earlier. Before we made a trip at Easter to Andalusia and another at the end of the year to Morocco, now they choose one or the other”.
A low supply of housing for students in the face of "a great increase in demand" is what they detect in Esmovia, a company specializing in accommodation for Erasmus FP students. María Ángeles Ruiz and Angelo D'Andrea, partners, explain that the rental conditions of the apartments are changing, such as renting them for longer periods to the owners, of 15 years, to have the offer for students guaranteed for a longer time.
"Although some months are empty, we prefer that to running out of supply," they argue. Both point out that both the tourist boom in Valencia and the diversion of European students who previously went to the United Kingdom and now come here because of Brexit allow us to understand the increase in prices and the shortage of flats for Erasmus students.
