Uniplaces is an online marketplace where students, Erasmus participants, interns and young professionals find and book rooms, studios and apartments for medium-term stays across Europe. You search, send a booking request and pay your first rental payment and service fee through Uniplaces once the landlord accepts; every later payment goes directly to the landlord as stated on the listing. Uniplaces is not the landlord and is not a party to your tenancy agreement.
What is Uniplaces?
Uniplaces is a booking platform for medium-term student accommodation, with a minimum stay of 28 days. Landlords publish their listings; you book through the website. The tenancy agreement is between you and the landlord directly — Uniplaces provides the booking service but does not own or manage the accommodation.
Listings with the Verified badge have completed Uniplaces’ verification steps. For other listings, the information is provided by the landlord, who is responsible for keeping it accurate. Photos are a guide, not an exact representation, so always read the full description, the Services and Expenses section and the rental conditions before booking.
Uniplaces lists over 90,000 properties across more than 30 European cities.
How does it work for students?
Finding and booking a place on Uniplaces comes down to three steps.
- Search — use filters to find rooms that match your budget, location and move-in date, by city, neighbourhood or university.
- Book — click “”Request to Book”” on the listing, choose your dates, write a short message and add your payment details. Your card is only charged if the landlord accepts, and the landlord has 48 hours to respond; if they decline or don’t respond in time, nothing is charged. For Instant Booking listings, your request is accepted automatically.
- Move in — once confirmed, you receive your landlord’s contact details. After your move-in date, you have 24 hours to check the property and report any problem to Uniplaces before your first rental payment is transferred to the landlord.
If the listing shows the “”Talk to the landlord”” option, you can message the landlord before booking. Otherwise, you can contact the landlord directly once your booking is confirmed; before that, questions go through Uniplaces support.
Once the landlord accepts and your payment goes through, the booking is confirmed on both sides: the landlord must provide the accommodation for the dates and price stated, and any cancellation on your side follows the listing’s cancellation policy.
How payments work
Paid through Uniplaces: your first rental payment, the Uniplaces service fee and — where the listing has one — the holding deposit. You give your payment details when you send the request; the card is charged only when the landlord accepts. The service fee is a percentage of your first rental payment and is not refunded if you cancel the booking. Uniplaces holds your first rental payment and transfers it to the landlord within two business days of the move-in date, once the 24-hour Safety Period has passed without a help request.
Paid directly to your landlord, after confirmation: everything else — the security deposit, any admin fee, rent paid in advance and your rent from the second month onwards. Uniplaces never processes these and does not hold your security deposit. Any payment to your landlord is legitimate as long as it is stated on the listing you booked and your booking is already confirmed. If it isn’t on the listing, or the amount is higher, contact Uniplaces support before paying.
Why book through Uniplaces?
Booking through Uniplaces gives you protections you do not get from a private arrangement:
- Your first rental payment is held by Uniplaces, not paid straight to the landlord, until after your move-in date.
- A 24-hour Safety Period after move-in. If the accommodation is inaccessible, the advertisement was invalid, or the property is materially different from the listing, you can send a written complaint with evidence within 24 hours of your move-in date. Uniplaces holds the payment while it reviews the case.
- A full refund if the landlord cancels a confirmed booking — first rental payment, service fee and holding deposit — and the Uniplaces support team helps you find alternative accommodation. A landlord who cancels may face restrictions on their account.
- UniTrust Guarantee — the Uniplaces best-price promise: if you find the exact same listing cheaper on another platform within a week of booking, Uniplaces refunds the difference in rent (see What Is the UniTrust Guarantee?).
Which cities are available?
Uniplaces covers more than 30 cities across Europe, including Lisbon, Porto, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Rome, Berlin, Seville, Valencia, Bologna, Toulouse and Hamburg. New cities are added regularly; the full list is on the Uniplaces website.
Is Uniplaces safe to use?
Uniplaces has processed hundreds of thousands of bookings across Europe since 2012. At the time of writing, its Trustpilot rating is “”Great””, with a 4.1 score across more than 11,000 reviews.
Keep your first rental payment and service fee on the Uniplaces checkout: Uniplaces will never ask you to pay these by bank transfer, cash or any method outside the website, and no landlord should ask you for money before your booking is confirmed. Payments you make directly to your landlord after confirmation are legitimate when stated on the listing, but they are not covered by Uniplaces’ protections — only what you pay through the website is. If in doubt, see I Think I’m Being Scammed — What Should I Do?
When to contact Uniplaces support
- Anyone asks you to pay before your booking is confirmed, or outside the Uniplaces checkout
- A landlord asks for a payment that isn’t on the listing, or for more than the listed amount
- Your landlord has cancelled a confirmed booking, or the accommodation does not match the listing when you move in
Frequently asked questions
Is Uniplaces free to use as a student?
Searching and browsing is free. A one-time service fee — a percentage of your first rental payment — is shown in the price breakdown when you send a request and charged only if the landlord accepts. It is not refunded if you cancel the booking.
Can I book without visiting the property first?
Yes — most bookings on Uniplaces are made remotely. Treat the photos and description as a guide rather than an exact representation. If the property is materially different from the listing, inaccessible, or the advertisement was invalid, report it to Uniplaces within 24 hours of your move-in date; minor differences in location or surroundings are not covered.
What’s the difference between Uniplaces and a regular rental site?
Uniplaces specialises in medium-term student rentals, holds your first rental payment until after move-in, gives you a 24-hour complaint route and refunds you in full if the landlord cancels — none of which you typically get on a general classifieds site.
What happens if my landlord cancels after I’ve booked?
If your landlord cancels a confirmed booking, you receive a full refund of the first rental payment, service fee and holding deposit, and the Uniplaces support team helps you find alternative accommodation. Cancelling a confirmed booking may result in restrictions on the landlord’s account.
How long does it take to find and book a place?
You can find and book a place in a single session. For Instant Booking listings, acceptance is immediate. For other listings, the landlord has 48 hours to respond to your booking request.