- 6 sep. 2021

Esset Tests Student Housing

Getting a residence in Stockholm as a student can sometimes seem impossible. Alas, after harrowing around as a lodger and on short-term second-hand contracts, the moment finally comes. When the queue days can be transformed into someplace that is entirely yours. What should you consider when choosing? With this article, the Esset editorial staff wants to highlight some of all the possibilities that exist when it comes to landlords and areas. And perhaps most important of all - what is it like to live there?

Freja, Täby (Andreas)

In Roslags Näsby in Täby, among the villas, lies the SSSB area Freja. It is a small and cute area, with five two-story houses and 60 apartments in total. In addition to the apartment buildings, there are some separate buildings with laundry rooms, association rooms, and storage. The area was built in 2004.

All apartments are studios of 22 m², with French balconies. If you live on the ground floor, you can remove the railing and arrange a small patio. The rent for 2021 is SEK 4,565. This includes water, heat, electricity, and broadband (100/10 Mbit/s).

Why did you move here?

I grew up in Täby, so when I first moved out, it felt perfect to still be close to home and friends. In addition, it is very conveniently located in relation to KTH.

How long is your travel time to school?

About 20 minutes. It takes about five minutes to walk to Roslags Näsby station, and from there 15 minutes to KTH with Roslagsbanan (light rail).

On a scale from 1-10:

How good is the communication there? 6. Roslagsbanan station is about five minutes away, and the nearest bus stop is about 10 minutes away. Neither of these means of transport has the same frequency as the subway, which lowers the rating a bit.
How safe does the area feel? 8. It is a very quiet environment. What you have to watch out for are thieves. For example, I have gotten my bike stolen when it was parked in the yard, and there have also been burglaries in the storage rooms in the past. Overall, it feels very safe as I said though.
Approximately how many other S-Chapter students live in the area? 3. Apart from myself, I only know of two other S-Chapter students who live here.
How is the neighborhood? 3. You greet each other when you meet on the stairs and in the yard, but not much more than that. The area association arranges some activities sometimes, but it is difficult right now due to Corona.
The standard of the apartment? 7. The age of the apartments is starting to become noticeable in a few areas, but overall it still feels fresh. Both the bathroom and the kitchen are tiled.
How noise-sensitive is your apartment? Do you hear the neighbors a lot? 8. The apartments feel as though they are well soundproofed. What can be heard the most are neighbors walking in the staircase. However, between the apartments, it is completely silent. The architecture of the houses means that you only share one wall with another apartment. Outside noise is also rare.
Proximity to service? 7. At Roslagsbanan station there is a small centre, with a grocery store, a convenience store, and a couple of restaurants. A station away by train you will find Täby centrum, a large shopping mall filled with stores for most of your needs, as well as some restaurants, a cinema, etc.

Frösunda, Solna (Kalle)

Tucked between the E4 and the commuter train tracks towards Uppsala lies Frösunda. The area was built in the 90s and consists mostly of apartment buildings with brick facades. SSSB has 94 studio apartments here with a kitchenette, 18–26 m² distributed over two tower blocks of six floors each. The rent is between SEK 3,000 and 5,600, depending on whether you live next to the common room or at the top with an associated roof terrace. Regardless, electricity, heating, and broadband are included. As icing on the cake, you get to live on Gustav III s boulevard, which feels royal, to say the least. Speaking of Gustav III, the apartments are located about 10 minutes from Hagaparken where there are fantastic walking paths for exercise. in the opposite direction, you’ll find The Mall of Scandinavia and a commuter train station about 5 minutes away.

Why did you move here?

I moved here because I wanted to live in an area with good connectivity to KTH without requiring too many queue points. I had about 700 days, which is admittedly below average for the area, but not at all difficult to get an apartment with.

How long is your travel time to school?

About 30 minutes, and I can choose between a commuter train and a bus to Odenplan. Alternatively, I can take a bus to Bergshamra (metro station).

On a scale from 1-10:

How good is the communication there? 8. The apartment is 5 minutes from Solna station which takes one to Odenplan in 3 minutes. In addition, there are buses right outside the door that can take you all the way to Södermalm.
How safe does the area feel? 7. The area itself is very quiet with a lot of families with children, albeit empty in the evening. Surrounding areas have a little more going on but there is nothing noticeable.
Approximately how many other S-Chapter students live in the area? 1. I do not know any S-Chapter students who live or have lived here. Many who live here study at Karolinska, which is relatively close.
How is the neighborhood? 2. If you are lucky, the neighbors will return your hello, but you can not expect more than that. The area association organizes events from time to time, but participation is scarce.
The standard of the apartment? 6. The apartment is from 1999 and still feels fresh even though the constant rental leaves traces in the form of various holes and annoying patches. One of the biggest disadvantages of the apartment is the kitchenette, there is no oven which some tenants solve by putting in their own which you can apparently get. The kitchen fan uses a carbon filter which feels subpar. About half of the apartments have a balcony of about 5 m² which is very nice in the summer, the trade-off is a smaller living space and a rather limiting floor plan that may require a little finesse to manage.
How noise-sensitive is your apartment? Do you hear the neighbors a lot? 8. There is very little noise between neighboring apartments. However, when voices are raised, they can be heard from the overhead apartments and the corridors. In one of the houses, there is a common room that can sometimes generate a lot of noise when there is a party.
Proximity to service? 10. The apartment is located about 5 minutes from the Mall of Scandinavia where most things that may be needed are located. There are two large grocery stores, a gym, restaurants, a cinema, shopping, and a national arena.

Gubbängen, Enskede (Regina)

Between Skogskykården and Farsta centre we find Gubbängen, a quiet residential area home to both students and larger families. It is a bit further out, but it is easy to get to both school and the more central parts of Stockholm using the subway which has a station straight across the road. This student apartment area consists of three buildings that were all built in different stages. I live in a 29 m² studio apartment which is located on the 7th floor with a nice view of the Gubbängsfältet. I have turned my studio into a sleeping alcove effectively splitting one room in two. The apartments found in this area vary in size and with this, of course, the rent also varies. The rent I pay is currently SEK 6300, which includes broadband and water.

Why did you move here?

I moved here because it seemed to be a quiet and safe area with a good connection to Stockholm city center and the KTH campus. The apartment itself is brand new and I am the first to move in, so everything is very fresh and new. I used to live in Solna and paid almost the same rent for a 20 m² apartment on the second floor, so I feel like I get more value for the money here.

How long is your travel time to school?

Depending on how well the subway schedule matches (you have to change from green to red line at Slussen), it takes between 25-30 minutes to go to school.

On a scale from 1-10:

How good is the communication there? 8. As previously mentioned, just walking straight across the street from my apartment to get to the subway takes about 2-3 minutes. The subway runs frequently, but there can be problems when it is canceled due to different issues. In this case, there is a bus to take instead. However, then you have to walk about 10 minutes to Hökarängen to hop on, plus the buses mainly run between the southern suburbs, so there will be a detour if you need to go to school.
How safe does the area feel? 9. Very safe. Mainly students and families with children live here, so there is usually no unrest in the evenings.
Approximately how many other S-Chapter students live in the area? 7. Some S-Chapter students live in these apartments, I know some who live in two of the buildings around. So far I have not come across anyone who reads the same program as me in my particular building.
How is the neighborhood? 5. I have been lucky enough to find many neighbors in my building that I hang out with, otherwise, I would probably not say that the community is the best, unfortunately. This can, of course, be due to Corona but we have not had any group events or such.
The standard of the apartment? 10. Completely newly built apartment with a fresh interior.
How noise-sensitive is your apartment? Do you hear the neighbors a lot? 7. It Is very well soundproofed because the apartments are so new, so not much is heard from outside or my neighbors. It has happened at some point but is generally quite calm.
Proximity to service? 8. Next door to my building is a gym. Only 5 minutes away is the center of Gubbängen where we have a pub, a pharmacy, another gym, some restaurants, and a grocery store. Two stations away by subway is Farsta centrum where many shops and restaurants are located. Otherwise, there is not much in Gubbängen, however, it is very easy to get to Södermalm, where there is much more to do. So that weighs it up!

Lappis (Per)

Lappkärrsberget, often called Lappis, is Stockholm's largest student housing area with over 2,000 homes consisting of everything from corridor rooms to four-room apartments. Here, Swedish students and exchange students live in harmony (usually) in a district built solely for students. In Lappis you will find an Ica that is so-so, a sushi restaurant, and a debatable neighborhood restaurant/pizzeria. The special thing about Lappis, in particular, is that the majority of the apartments consist of corridor rooms, which extend between 16–23 m² and with rents between SEK 3570–4640. This price includes everything: electricity, heating, broadband, and the cry of anxiety at 10 PM on Thursdays.

Why did you move here?

Relatively few queue-points in return for good proximity to the school. If you come from outside Stockholm, it can be difficult to get accommodation, and then the corridor accommodation at Lappis is a really good alternative.

How long is your travel time to school?

About 15 minutes! If the bus is late then longer, but when it is not negative 10 degrees outside, it is no problem to walk and take the subway from Universitetet.

On a scale from 1-10:

How good is the communication there? 8. Only 15 minutes to campus so it's great! The bus service is a bit infrequent at times though, then you have to walk a full 900 m from the subway! Tragedy!
How safe does the area feel? 8. I feel safe at Lappis! Minus points for snowball-throwing exchange students. It's absolutely life-threatening, to put it bluntly.
Approximately how many other S-Chapter students live in the area? 5. some students from S-Chapter live in the area that you sometimes come across when you’re out and about!
How is the neighborhood? 6. In my hallway, it's okay! Minus the fact that sometimes you have to speak in a language which I have not mastered (English).
The standard of the apartment? 7. My bathroom is fresh! Otherwise decent I must say. It is student accommodation in Sweden's largest city, after all, so you have to be content with having a roof over your head and having your own accommodation minus the shared kitchen!
How noise-sensitive is your apartment? Do you hear the neighbors a lot? 7. I hear more from snowball fights in the yard than my neighbors! A little music sometimes but that's just part of it!
Proximity to service? 6. Ica is visible from my window which is great! It's a little further to other necessities, but those can always be found around campus.

Aurora, Nacka (Saga)

In Ektorp in Nacka, we find ByggVesta's area Aurora. The area is newly built (in 2018) with a total of 207 studio, two and three-room apartments specifically for students and young adults. The buildings are located on the outskirts of Ektorp, a nice area in Nacka next to the sea and a fantastic nature reserve. My apartment, a three-room apartment, is 44 m² and comes equipped with a combined washer and dryer and a balcony. I also had a dishwasher installed, which was the best gift I gave myself. The rent is about 8600 kronor, which is excluding heating, water, electricity, and broadband. This means that the monthly cost usually ends up at around SEK 9,000–9,300 / month depending on the season.

Why did you move here?

At first, I moved to Ektorp because my then-partner and I needed a bigger home, and by chance, Ektorp showed up. As there were many apartments and the area wasn't well known, the queue days that were needed were lower, and since it was cheaper than the apartment we had then (30 square meters for SEK 10,000 / month), it felt natural to make the switch.

How long is your travel time to school?

The downside to the accommodation is that it is unfortunately far from the city centre. Door-to-door it takes about 45 minutes to get to school.

On a scale from 1-10:

How good is the communication there? 4. It takes about ten minutes from the apartment to the bus stop, where buses run frequently (!). They take you directly to Slussen and also run around the clock.
How safe does the area feel? 9. Very safe! Never felt unsafe when I went home at 2 AM, or to work at 4 AM.
Approximately how many other S-Chapter students live in the area? 2. Unfortunately very few S-Chapter students, I know of only 1-2 people.
How is the neighborhood? 8. There is a large Facebook group for everyone in the houses, and there is a lot of activity there. Even though I am not active there, I have seen that people have found training buddies, wine evenings have been arranged and many have received help with various tools that needed to be borrowed.
The standard of the apartment? 9. Super fresh and new. Good quality of everything, minus points just because it gets cold in the winter.
How noise-sensitive is your apartment? Do you hear the neighbors a lot? 9. Incredibly good sound insulation, the only time I hear my neighbors is when they decide to drill in the concrete walls.
Proximity to service? 6. About seven minutes walk from the area there are two grocery stores, a gym, a few restaurants, and about 15 realtor offices. In other words, Everything you need, that is! Minus points because it is uphill all the way home.