How to Find a Room in Rome
Finding a room in Rome can be a bit of a struggle, especially when you are moving here to study and don't know where to start. Since the school season has started again, I have been seeing lots of posts on Instagram from people looking for a room in Rome, and it reminded me of my own experience finding a place here.
Getting a room in Rome for a decent price is a combination of doing a good search and getting a little bit lucky. I have lived in three different apartments in Rome, so in this guide, I want to share everything I learned along the way, from where to look for a room and how much you can expect to pay to what to look out for and how I found my own rooms.
I hope that with this article, you will get one step closer to finding your new home in Rome!
Before you start looking for a room in Rome
Before you start looking for a room in Rome, it is important to think about your own situation first. What is your budget, for example? How many roommates are you comfortable living with? As someone who used to live with six people, I can tell you that six might be a few too many.
While you might not want to be too picky when looking for a room, it is also important to keep the location in mind. Where is your university? If you go to Roma Tre, you might want to look for a room in Ostiense, while you might prefer to live in San Lorenzo if you go to Sapienza.
In general, my rule of thumb is that if you are close to a metro station, you are usually in a good spot when it comes to convenience. Rome is big, and you will thank yourself later for not spending hours commuting to university every day.
How much does a room in Rome cost?
When it comes to the price of rooms, I can only go off what I personally paid and what I have heard from my friends. There is a lot of range in Rome, and I have heard of prices from €300 all the way up to around €900 for a room. Depending on the area, the number of roommates, and the size and quality of the room, you can find rooms anywhere within this range.
To be transparent and hopefully a little helpful, I used to pay €400 including bills when I was living in Pigneto with five other people. Later, I paid €480 including bills for a much better, although smaller, room in the Monti Tiburtini area of Rome, with only three other people in the apartment.
The best neighborhoods to live in Rome
If you are not yet familiar with Rome and its different neighborhoods, I have written several neighborhood guides, as well as an article about the best areas to live in Rome as a student.
That article can be especially helpful if you are currently looking for a room, so I recommend giving it a read after this one if you are interested. I go into more detail about different areas of Rome and what it is like to live there.
Where to look for a room in Rome
Now comes the obviously important part: how do you actually find a room in Rome? There are a couple of really good and useful websites where you can find loads of rooms at different price points. These websites are:
Idealista
Immobiliare.it
HousingAnywhere
Spotahome
Several of my friends have used these websites, and they are very popular in Italy. When using these, you know that you are at least looking on established platforms, but you should of course always stay alert and be careful when contacting people or sending money.
Another option is Facebook groups. When I first started looking for a room, I joined several groups. You can search for things like “rooms in Rome,” for example, and multiple groups will show up. While there are loads of groups out there, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend using Facebook groups to find a room, simply because the amount of scammers on there can be quite high.
Last but not least, you can use your community to help you find a room. Maybe you are thinking, “I don’t have a community yet, how can they help me?” But a good place to start would be your university, for example. Often, there is already a group chat happening on WhatsApp where you can ask around. Word of mouth is a very important tool for finding a room in Rome, and this way, you might just get lucky!
How I found my rooms in Rome using Airbnb
Now, while these are all great tools for finding a room in Rome, in my experience, I have never actually used any of them. I will let you in on my little secret about how I found my rooms in Rome: Airbnb.
What I did was search for rooms on Airbnb within my budget for, let’s say, several months. Then, I contacted the owner of the Airbnb directly to ask if they would be open to having a student stay there long term.
In both cases, I found my room this way! Of course, you will get some no’s, but maybe you will also get a yes. And honestly, you never know until you ask!
What to look out for when renting a Room
Last but not least, I wanted to talk about what to look out for when renting a room in Rome. I know that when you are desperate to find a place, you might be more willing to overlook certain things, and unfortunately, this can make you more vulnerable to scammers and other negative experiences.
Make sure you know what you are paying for
Before agreeing to a room, make sure you know exactly what is included in the price. Does the rent include electricity, gas, water, internet, and heating? Or will you have to pay these separately?
A room that costs €450 might sound like a great deal, but if you then have to pay another €150 every month in bills, it suddenly looks very different. I always recommend asking about the average monthly bills before agreeing to anything, so there are no surprises later.
Ask About the Rental Contract
One thing you might come across in Rome is a landlord who does not want to give you a rental contract. This does happen, but it is important to think about whether this is something you are comfortable with and what you personally need the contract for.
For example, you might need a rental contract for certain administrative reasons, so make sure you know what you need before agreeing to a room without one. If someone is being very vague about the contract or refuses to give you any information about the terms of your stay, I would definitely see that as a reason to be cautious.
Be Careful With the Deposit
Always check how much the deposit is before agreeing to a room. A deposit of one, two, or three months is quite common, but if someone is asking for a much larger amount, I would definitely be careful and do some extra research before sending any money.
Also make sure you know when and how the deposit will be returned to you when you leave. It might not be the most exciting thing to ask about, but future you will be very happy that you did!
Never Send Money Before Seeing the Room
This one is especially important if you are looking for a room from abroad. Never feel pressured into sending money just because someone tells you that there are other people interested in the room.
Ideally, you should see the room and apartment yourself before paying anything. If you are not in Rome yet, you could ask a friend or someone you trust to go and see it for you. Even having a video call with the person and getting a virtual tour is better than sending money to someone you have never met. If someone refuses to show you the room or keeps making excuses about why you cannot see it, I would be very careful.
Trust your gut
And finally, trust your gut. If something feels too good to be true, it probably is. I know it is stressful finding a room, but it is much better to take a little longer to find a place where you feel comfortable than to rush into something you already have doubts about.
Conclusion
I hope this article could help you with finding a room in Rome! I know it can be super stressful, but Rome is a big city, and I am sure there will be a room for you.
Personally, I have never heard of anyone else using my Airbnb trick to find a room, so maybe you will get lucky with it too, just like me!
If you have any more questions about finding a room in Rome, feel free to contact me, and we will see if I can help you out!
Much love,
Juliette
