Pet-friendly homes and washing machines: Top priorities for tenants moving abroad

Rotterdam, 16 December 2024 - HousingAnywhere, a European mid-term rental platform, analyzed the preferences of students and young professionals looking for accommodation abroad in 2024. The results show that the most frequently used filters were accommodation type (apartment, room, studio) and maximum monthly rent, confirming that affordability remains the top priority when searching for a new home.

When it comes to facilities and amenities, the findings reveal some interesting trends in tenants’ preferences:

On HousingAnywhere, tenants can choose from apartments, studios, and rooms, with private bathrooms and kitchens being among the most sought-after features for those renting the latter. Beyond these essentials, tenants relocating abroad prioritize the following:

• Pet-friendly homes: 27.6% of users who applied filters prioritized pet-friendly accommodations, highlighting the importance of relocating with pets.
• Outdoor spaces: Nearly tied with pet-friendly preferences, 27.4% of tenants sought a balcony or terrace.
• Parking and gardens: 12% of tenants considered parking essential, while 8.8% searched for a home with a garden.

HousingAnywhere also analyzed tenants’ most-preferred appliances:

• Washing machines: 78.8% of users applying filters indicated that a washing machine was essential.
• Climate control: Air conditioning (42.2%) and heating (41.7%) were important to less than half of users.
• Other appliances: Dishwashers (35.7%) and dryers (24.5%) ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.

While washing machines are the universal priority, preferences for other amenities vary by country.

Notably, users from warmer European countries placed a high value on heating:

• 52.2% of users from Spain sought accommodations with heating.
• 44.5% of users from Italy and 38.9% from Portugal also marked heating as essential.

In contrast, only 26.3% of users based in the Netherlands and 33.8% in Germany prioritized heating.

Interestingly, users from the Netherlands stood out for their preference for air conditioning, with 45.6% considering it a key amenity.

About the data

HousingAnywhere analyzed the behavior of 956,400 users searching for accommodation on its platform between January and November 2024. The analysis focused specifically on users applying filters related to facilities and amenities.

To provide a focused view of the preferences of tenants relocating abroad, users searching for accommodation within their own countries were excluded from the analysis.

HousingAnywhere’s facilities and amenities filters include: Facilities: Private bathroom, kitchen, pet-friendly, balcony/terrace, parking, garden, basement, wheelchair accessibility. Amenities: Washing machine, air conditioning, heating, dishwasher, and dryer.

While the analysis encompassed users from all over the world, a deeper dive was conducted for users located in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. HousingAnywhere determined user location based on the IP addresses of tenants browsing the platform.

About HousingAnywhere

HousingAnywhere is Europe’s largest mid-term rental platform. With Kamernet and Studapart under its umbrella, it represents three fast-growing brands with over 30 million yearly unique visitors combined, 160,000+ properties available for rent and 100,000+ tenants securing their new homes, based on the 2023 performance. HousingAnywhere serves young professionals and students, primarily aged between 18 and 35, connecting them with accommodation providers. Through its advanced technology platform, tenants rent accommodation for 6 to 12 months outside of their country of origin. Headquartered in Rotterdam, HousingAnywhere operates in most European cities and recently expanded to key cities in the US, establishing a presence in over 125 cities. Driven by the mission to enable people to live wherever and however they choose thanks to a flexible renting experience, the technology scale-up employs 250 professionals globally.

Press Contact

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