Experience renting a room with LiveFurther

15/07/2016 07:55:02

Experience LiveFurther

What can you actually experience when you're renting a room with LiveFurther? 

You’ve decided to go abroad for a while, you’ve found the perfect city to go to and the perfect university or job you have always dreamed about. Everything seems to be perfect, but then you remember yourself that you’ll need a place to stay during your abroad experience. You start looking on the Internet for a decent place to stay, but soon you figure out that you don’t know if you can trust the people offering rooms. You end up at websites from real estate agencies that rent rooms or apartments for short-term periods. Your hopes get up, but as soon as you see the fee you have to pay for the service of these agencies you’re about to cry. Also the monthly rent is ridiculous. Then, suddenly, you see LiveFurther’s website and everything doesn’t seem to be that bad. It happened to me as well…

So what is it that makes LiveFurther so special? And why should you rent a room via LiveFurther? I would love to share my LiveFurther experience with you.

When I first decided to go abroad to Barcelona I spend many nights on the Internet searching for a decent room to rent. I have crossed many websites that were offering rooms, but I just didn’t know which sites I could trust and which not. Many landlords offered me their rooms but I had to pay a large amount in front. My guts told me that this was wrong and so my search went on. Via Facebook I saw an advertisement from LiveFurther. I went to their website and I really liked their rooms. After I contacted them, they offered me a personalised experience, asking me for my general information such as age, reason for staying in Barcelona, budget and preferences in my flatmates or location, which made me feel really comfortable.

After that first conversation and the offer they gave me, I decided to book a room through LiveFurther. LiveFurther is a property manager focused on mid-term room rentals in shared flats. They provide an easy and personalized accommodation experience for students and young professionals who decide to go abroad for a while. They understand how hard it can be for a student or young professional to rent a room abroad without paying a fortune.

At first I was a little sceptic about the agency fee that I had to pay, but when I compared the amount to other agency fees it was a good price. They explained me that I had to pay the agency fee to reserve the room and that by paying it I could enjoy all the benefits they are providing. Now I hear you thinking: ‘What kind of benefits…?’ Well, I will explain to you.

When I had booked the room they asked me if I wanted to use their shuttle service. Of course I wanted this. So when I arrived at the Barcelona airport someone was waiting for me to pick me up and to bring me to the flat. Once I arrived at the flat a LiveFurther employee was waiting for me. He welcomed me and showed me around in the flat. He showed me how everything was working and after that we went through the contract together. The rent price was all included, so I didn’t have to worry about any other bills or unpleasant surprises. I just had to pay the monthly rent. It was nice to receive an English copy of the contract in my email days before I arrived, as my Spanish was and still is below zero.

Another huge plus was that the LiveFurther employee showed me around the area from the flat. He gave me a little surrounding tour, so I knew where to do the groceries, where I could shop, which way I had to go to the beach and he also told me a little bit of the history of the area. This was really nice.

I was really surprised when I walked in the apartment. The apartment was fully furnished and equipped and nothing was missing. Everything I needed was there and – not unimportant – everything was working. My bed was made, the closet was clean and complete and also in the kitchen everything was there. I felt really good, but I was still a bit scared of my other roommates. Luckily the LiveFurther employee told me that they only put people together that they think have a good match. For example they put people together around the same age, same reason of stay in Barcelona and if preferred the same gender. My roommates were amazing and I had the best time living with them.

Not only with my roommates I had an amazing time, also with all the other LiveFurther members I’ve experienced some crazy nights! LiveFurther organizes events for its members. During these events you can meet other people who are also living at one of the LiveFurther flats and you can also meet their friends. The events are very different, but a lot of fun. From house parties to Yoga events to beach volleyball, I’ve enjoyed every event I went to.

Another reason I chose to rent my room through LiveFurther was their happy customer policy. I figured that when I didn’t like the room I couldn’t terminate the contract right away. Luckily LiveFurther has a happy customer policy that means that you can terminate the contract one month in advance if you don’t like the room. They are also very flexible. If you want to change from room, you just have to ask and they will sort out what’s possible for you. 

On top of all these benefits it was also a huge plus that the whole LiveFurther team could speak English. For me this was very unusual in a Spanish city. Some people don’t speak a word English and they don’t even understand English.

I really enjoyed my stay with LiveFurther and I had an amazing time in Barcelona. If I could go back I would be back yesterday, but unfortunately I have to finish school in the Netherlands. Therefore I would recommend everybody who is going to work, study or is going to do an internship in Barcelona to rent a room with LiveFurther. They are great! J

*Please note that this story is based on truth stories from former LiveFurther clients

** Story written by Daphne Tijhuis - student advisor from LiveFurther.