A good place to start
Begin with the housing deadline and your current financial and employment situation. A permit or graduation certificate alone does not establish that a private-rental application will be accepted.
Nuffic reports IND permit-holder data for non-EEA graduates. These are permit holders, not all graduates, new arrivals or YEB customers.
Read the Nuffic sourceWhat your move needs
A transition between contracts
Align the end of student accommodation with a realistic next housing step.
A changing employment situation
Discuss what is confirmed now rather than relying on a future salary.
Flexibility over location
Build the search around likely work locations and the budget you actually have.
Graduates are a distinct housing audience
Nuffic’s orientation-year dashboard identifies a continuing graduate group. China, India, Iran, Türkiye and Indonesia were the leading countries of origin among permit holders in 2025. These are population-level observations, not assumptions about an individual applicant.
Some graduates already have a job offer; others are still searching. Others may hold a different residence status altogether. The housing conversation should reflect your actual situation rather than treating “graduate” as a single financial profile.
Start with when you need to move
Check the end date and conditions of your existing accommodation. Establish what is confirmed about your next role, likely office location and available budget. If there is a gap, plan for it rather than relying on a rental being ready at a particular moment.
Gather the information relevant to a private-rental application. Tell us which employment or financial documents you can currently provide and whether you are considering a guarantor. Acceptance of any arrangement has to be checked for the property.
How we can help assess the next step
Our free consultation is an opportunity to discuss feasibility before agreeing an assignment. If the search fits, our team can help with opportunities, documents, viewings, proposals and understanding the lease.
Our off-market contacts offer another source of potential homes, but they do not remove the need for a suitable application or realistic budget. If a student service is more appropriate, we will discuss that scope and its separate terms.
Keep more than one housing route in view
A self-managed search may be appropriate if you have time and a clear brief. Ask your institution or employer which transition support is available. Compare nearby areas only if their travel times work for your routine.
The aim is a sustainable next housing step. Avoid planning around income, employment or acceptance that has not yet been confirmed. Bring the facts you have to the conversation and we will discuss what they mean for the search.
Bring these to your consultation
A few concrete details help us make the first conversation useful.
- End date of current accommodation
- Confirmed work or job-search situation
- Available income and other relevant documents
- Possible work locations and commuting limits
- Budget and a contingency for the transition
Common questions
Can I discuss a search before I have a permanent job?
Yes, but the first discussion should establish what is realistic with the documents and budget available. A consultation does not guarantee that we can accept or complete an assignment.
Does an orientation-year permit guarantee housing?
No. The permit figure describes a graduate population. It does not establish eligibility for a particular rental or override the property’s application requirements.
When should I raise the end date of my student accommodation?
Make it one of the first details you share. Check the current accommodation’s end date and conditions, then discuss a realistic search and a contingency for any gap before the next home is available.
Can you help if I have a job offer but have not started work?
We can discuss the confirmed offer, start date and documents you can provide now. The search should reflect that evidence and your available budget, with the application requirements checked for each property.
How should I choose a location while I am still applying for jobs?
Start with your current budget, likely work locations and acceptable commuting limits. Keep the brief flexible where practical, and update it when a role or workplace is confirmed.
Can a guarantor be part of my rental application?
Tell us if you are considering a guarantor so we can discuss it in the context of the search. Acceptance and any required documents must be checked for the individual property.
Would I use the student service or the regular housing service?
That depends on your current circumstances and the assignment. Discuss your graduation, employment and housing situation during consultation so we can confirm the appropriate scope and applicable terms.
Sources & approach
These guides use published migration and education data to identify real audience groups. They describe situations we can discuss, not individual client stories. National arrival counts, student populations and permit-holder counts are different measures and should not be added together.
YEB’s figure of 1,400 expats helped is company-reported as of September 2026. Service details and statistics were reviewed on 15 September 2026; source years are stated where relevant.
- Nuffic: orientation-year permit holders in 2025 (IND data)
- Your Expat Butler: housing search, viewings and aftercare
- Your Expat Butler: off-market expertise
- Your Expat Butler: student relocation
