As a newly minted ESSEC Global Bachelor of Business Administration (GBBA) student, searching for a place to stay can be daunting, especially if students don’t know where even to start, landlords feel unapproachable, or if you simply can’t find a place they’d like to rent.

Here are some ways they can get started.

1 | Use Property Portals or Social Media Groups

Students need help finding homes for rent. The simplest way to start is by hopping onto a property portal, like PropertyGuru or 99.co, which aggregates rental listings for people to search through easily.

They’re free to use and straightforward, too—just use the filters to narrow the search according to location. Students can even enter a budget into the search filter to help them find places that fit within their plans.

As GBBA student Jiayin Cai has found, using social media like Facebook groups can yield great results.

“There are exclusive Facebook groups for ESSEC students. In these groups, seniors leaving Singapore sometimes recommend their place or hand it over to the next batch of students,” she says.

2 | Engage a Property Agent to Do Your Negotiating

Other challenges students may face include arranging viewings or negotiating with the landlord. In this case, students can work with a property agent to avoid the hassle of negotiating the terms or arranging to view the units themselves.

Besides helping one find a place, hiring an agent will also alleviate the stress of ensuring everything is in order before you sign any contracts.

Students can even ask if the agent would be willing to represent them for unit maintenance issues. Undoubtedly, all these things come with an agent fee—but the peace of mind one will receive is arguably priceless.

3 | Consider Other Housing Options

If students can’t find an HDB or condo that fits their criteria, it’s time to consider other housing options.

For example, if budget is a problem, hostels and dorms are another alternative for cheaper accommodation.

They’ll need to live with many different people, but it’s a great way to meet more people and network with international students from other schools.

Somewhere in the middle of the price continuum are co-living arrangements, where one shares a house and its communal areas with others but has their own private room.

Like hostels and dorms, co-living spaces are a way to widen one’s network and build one’s community, but with far more privacy. As a perk, co-living spaces are usually well-furnished and come with housekeeping services.

Finally, students can do what Jiayin did and rally some classmates to share a flat.

“Staying with friends is a different vibe, and part of it is you figuring things out with them along the way. It’s a different experience,” Jiayin shares. For her, there are no regrets!