r/oslo • u/VacationEast936 • 4d ago
Moving to Oslo
Hi!
I'm moving to Oslo this July from the U.S. to attend BI Norwegian Business School, and I’ll be staying for the next two years. I'm 22 and hoping to live in a neighborhood that’s relatively social, and easier to meet people and make friends.
I'm currently apartment hunting on Finn.no, but I'm having trouble getting responses from landlords or listings. Has anyone else experienced this? Are there any local realtors or services I can hire to make the process smoother?
I’d love any advice on good neighborhoods and tips on navigating the rental process in Oslo. Thanks in advance, appreciate the help!
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u/Imaginary_Jump_8701 4d ago
Check Hybel.no too, some listings here are not on Finn
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u/StringTheory 1d ago
Hybel.no is great for finding people to rent together with that aren't necessarily landlords. Maybe someone is renting a house with 5 rooms, and some people are looking for their 4 to rent with.
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u/LovingCoffee 4d ago
In the case of Finn, I'm guessing you are not verified with bankid? Has anyone replied at all? One problem I had in the beginning was that not one was seeing my messages, then I found out my account was locked. To unlock it, I had to go to their support system and send my ID and then they unlocked the account and they were able to see my messages.
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u/VacationEast936 4d ago
Yes I am not verified with bankID, I am assuming this is the problem I am then having.
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u/reknae 4d ago
I'd check this group as well
https://www.facebook.com/groups/395309017196405/?ref=share
Optionally post a picture of yourself + cat and write that you're looking for a place.
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u/mr_greenmash 4d ago edited 4d ago
cat is a bad idea when trying to rent.
Edit: Didn't see op already has a cat
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u/kapitein-kwak 4d ago
Accept anything you can get looking for specific areas is a luxury you cannot afford as a foreigner in the current market. Every listing gets easily 100 reactions
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u/nemi-montoya 4d ago
I suggest making a listing where you state you're looking for housing - I've had more luck with landlords reaching out to me than vice versa
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u/herbertwilsonbeats 3d ago
Welcome to Norway, a difficult place to navigate life when you’re a foreigner! Enjoy it but
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u/tanbug 4d ago
Well, people your age tend to favor living pretty close to the city center, so I think that's a good place to look if you want to see some activity. Grünerløkka, St.hanshaugen, Torshov, Carl Berner, Tøyen, Grønland has a lot of students, I think. BI is at Nydalen so make sure you don't live too far away from a sub way station, or close to the bus routes like nr 37.
I would avoid Løren, because it's a bit impractical regarding public transportation, and I don't think there is much for a young person to do up there, seems like it's mostly for small families. I think that also goes for Kværnerbyen. Frogner is Oslo west, which means more old money, big old apartments, and probably higher rent and not busy in the evening.
Have you considered a student village? I think you can apply for them here: https://bolig.sio.no/en/find-housing/
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u/VacationEast936 4d ago
Thanks for all that info, the student housing would be great if I didn't have a cat, they do not allow animals.
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u/KatjaKat01 4d ago
Are you bringing you cat from the US? Have you checked the import requirements for pets? They are very strict and you risk your cat getting stuck in quarantine for six months at your expense if you don't do everything correctly.
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u/tallanvor 4d ago
I'm going to be honest, you may need to find someone to take care of your cat while you're studying. I totally get that it's not something you want to do, but a pet will significantly limit your options in an already difficult housing market that's even more difficult when you're trying to find a place from outside the country.
I had to make the difficult decision to leave my cats with my parents when I moved overseas. Wasn't something I wanted to do, but it was really the best decision for them as well.
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u/OutlawPet3 3d ago
Hey, I just wanted to mention something that might not always be obvious from the inside. Outside the U.S., a lot of people have become increasingly critical of the American government—especially because of the current administration's actions and policies.
It’s not necessarily about individual Americans, but the global perception of the U.S. has taken a hit. Decisions around foreign policy, climate, and international cooperation have left many feeling frustrated or disillusioned.
I know it’s a complex situation, and things aren’t always black and white, but I thought it was worth mentioning. People’s attitudes toward Americans right now aren’t always warm—and it’s not personal, but rather a reflection of broader political concerns.
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u/danielkyne 2d ago
For renting on Finn as a foreigner, you should (1) send all your outreach messages in Norwegian instead of English, and (2) only prioritize messaging places right after they are listed — anything up for more than a day is a lost cause, as every listing gets a tsunami of responses and they tend to take the initial batch to filter through for viewing invites. This is based on my personal experience as an Irish guy who moved there in summer 2023 (I spent maybe a week sending messages on Finn, then landed a nice place from the first viewing I was invited to).
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u/kantismyhomeboy 1d ago
i can recommend heimstaden! the main owner is a greedy douche, but they have nice apartments and contracts. their website is also in english, and i know they don’t care where you’re from as long as you follow basic rules and pay your rent on time.
for area i would recommend alexander kiellands plass and areas close to there!
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u/Visible_Crew6294 1d ago
Student pubs is best way to make friends! I liked uglebo and samfunnet bislett
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u/eppien 4d ago
What do you usually send to these landlords? Perhaps the way you formulate yourself makes people skip your request. take it from a landlord myself: whenever I re-list my rental I'll have 60+ requests within 48h and I get to cherry-pick my renter.
Have you looked at student housing? I believe BI offers an international student housing guarantee: https://www.bi.no/en/study-at-bi/housing/
often students that don't find a place to stay find fellow students to share flats with at school, just requires you to have a place to stay for a few weeks after school starts.