35 percent foreign students All-inclusive rooms for students from Bonn
DUISDORF · The dormitory "Staytoo" in Duisdorf leases furnished apartments to Bonn students. An integrated concept offers utilities, internet, a gym and a learning room, and a manager on duty.
Surfaces made of fine wood, mailboxes in black-gray-white checkerboard pattern and an oversized map of Bonn - with tips for bars, restaurants and excursions. House number 65 on Rochusstraße in Duisdorf looks like a modern hostel for backpackers. Instead of sightseeing, however, the residents are studying. The "Staytoo" is a student dorm and offers fully furnished apartments. On a total of six floors there are 155 apartments ranging in size from 17 to 22 square meters and two studios. Each micro apartment has a small kitchen with ceramic cooktop, sink, fridge and microwave, as well as a private bathroom. In the living area, the couch transforms into a bed for the night. In the basement there is a party room, a laundry room, a large common room with cooking surfaces and a gym.
"We not only rent a roof overhead, but rather an integrated concept," says Tim Geringer. The rent includes utilities such as electricity and water, heating and internet. The gym and the "Learning Lounge" - a space for learning - are available to the residents for free. An all-round carefree package so that students can ease into independent living - that's the idea ofthe operators. On weekdays from 10am to 6pm, there is a manager on duty, referred to as a "Scout", who helps residents with questions or problems.
The common areas are video-monitored, the building can only be reached with a transponder. But the service also has its price: the cheapest rooms are offered on the ground level from 449 euros. For the rooms on the 4th floor, residents pay 599 euros per month. In addition, the tenants have to pay a one-time fee of 400 euros when moving in. "We are currently almost fully occupied," says Geringer. The residents are mostly new students, around 35 percent are foreign students.
Dorms busy all year round
"The connection is good," says a tenant who has lived in the apartment house for a month. Only a few minutes walk away is the stop "Rochusstraße / Federal Ministries". Within a quarter of an hour you are at the main station. "Using the washing machine is very expensive at four euros per load," she says. The rent is not exactly cheap. Still, it has some advantages: "I always listen to loud music, but the neighboring rooms don’t hear a thing." Exchanging rooms is not so easily possible. "Everything else is fine," says the resident.
If you would like to live there, you must apply to "Staytoo" via an online form. When signing the contract, a certificate of enrollment and rent guarantee must be presented.
Housing provider "studentshome" in Endenich offers a similar concept: Students also book a complete package consisting of a furnished room and internet access. Prices start here at 430 euros. In comparison, students in the "Quartierwest" dorm pay 284 to 354 euros for apartments that also have a furnished kitchenette, desk and bed - costs for heating, water, electricity, elevator, cleaning of common areas and internet access included. Housing for students in Bonn is generally scarce. "Experience has shown that all dormitories - privately operated or run by the Studentenwerke Bonn - are very busy and in demand throughout the year," says Nora Meides from Asta of the University of Bonn. Students are willing to pay a higher price to find accommodation at all.
Staytoo has been in operation for one and a half years, with an existing building having been converted into a dorm. The location was chosen for the good connection and the infrastructure. In autumn, the outdoor facilities were completed, bicycle parking is to follow in the spring, small finishes will come in the interiors. The lawn behind the house can now be used by residents. "The important thing is that the internet works," says Kleinjung.
(Orig. text: Sabrina Bauer; Translation: ck)
