Housing for Help

What is “Housing for Help”?

Wohnen für Hilfe

“Housing for Help” is a housing arrangement where accommodation is exchanged for support in everyday life.

Students or trainees live in a room in a private household – often with older people or families – and provide help with daily tasks in return.

Typical types of support may include:

  • Help with household tasks
  • Grocery shopping or small errands
  • Gardening
  • Accompanying someone to appointments or on walks
  • Providing company
  • Help with computers or smartphones

Personal care or nursing services are not part of the agreement.

This model benefits both sides:
People with available living space receive support and companionship, while students gain access to affordable housing.

Housing for Help - Quick Guide

  1. Prepare the room
    Decide which room you would like to offer and what kind of support you would appreciate in everyday life.
  2. Publish your offer
    List your room through the Studiwerk Private Room booking site.
    Please indicate in the “Notes” section that this is an offer within the “Housing for Help” programme.
  3. Meet interested students
    Arrange a meeting with interested students to get to know each other and discuss expectations.
  4. Agree on the details
    Together, clarify:
    1. Type of support (care services are excluded)
    2. Amount of help (e.g. the guideline of 1 hour per m² per month)
    3. Utility costs
    4. House rules
  5. Start the arrangement
    Begin the housing partnership. A trial period can be helpful to see if the arrangement works well for both sides.

Where can I publish my offer?

If you would like to offer a room as part of the “Housing for Help” programme, you can publish your offer through the Studiwerk Private Room Booking site.  

Please indicate that the offer is part of “Housing for Help” in the “Notes” section of the listing. This helps interested students easily identify such offers.

What aspects should be agreed upon before forming a housing partnership?

For housing partnerships within the framework of Housing for Help, we recommend agreeing on certain things in advance. These include, for example:

  • Size of the room
  • Agreed additional costs
  • Type of assistance provided
  • Scope of assistance
  • Notice periods
  • Possible trial period

We can provide you with a sample contract upon request.

Since neither the university nor the student services organization are contractual partners, the housing partners can also make other agreements at their own discretion. For correct handling in individual cases, we therefore recommend seeking expert advice in case of doubt. The university or the student services organization cannot provide legal advice.

How much help can I ask for?

In many “Housing for Help” programmes, the following guideline is commonly used:

1 square metre of living space = 1 hour of help per month

Example:
A 20 m² room corresponds to about 20 hours of help per month.

The exact number of hours and the type of support should be agreed individually between both parties.

Please note:

  • The agreement should be realistic for both sides.
  • The type of support should be clearly defined.
  • Nursing or personal care tasks should not be required.

Do students pay rent?

In many cases, no rent or only a small rent is charged.

Typically, the resident only contributes to utility costs, for example:

  • Electricity
  • Water
  • Heating
  • Internet

The exact arrangements are agreed individually between both parties.

Tips for a successful housing partnership

To ensure that “Housing for Help” works well for everyone involved, we recommend:

  • agreeing on expectations clearly from the beginning
  • meeting in person before signing an agreement
  • arranging a trial period (e.g. 1–2 months)
  • communicating regularly about expectations and needs

Good communication is the key to a successful living arrangement.