Accommodation
HSE Guesthouse
HSE University has two Guesthouses that can accommodate HSE international faculty. If it is not stated in your offer that you are entitled to a room in the HSE Guesthouse upon arrival, you may contact your coordinator and ask them to book a room in the HSE Guesthouse for your arrival.
Please take into account that:
- Accommodation with children is not provided;
- Accommodation with pets is prohibited;
- Accommodation in the HSE Guesthouse is supposed to be an initial lodging to give you time to find suitable apartment.
To get to know what to do in case of maintenance problems please visit this page.
Renting an apartment
HSE University does not provide direct assistance in search of an apartment for rent, however, some trustworthy estate agents and relocation agencies that have English-speaking staff can be recommended: Intermark Relocation or Etagi.
The most popular and reliable rental agency in Russian is CIAN. If you have someone who can help you contact Russian-speaking agents, you may be able to find an apartment via this agency.
Rental prices depend on the different requirements you have for your accommodation. The number of bedrooms, location, parking facilities, interior design, and security features are some key factors influencing the price. More detailed information about the price of apartments is available on the Cost of living in Moscow pages.
Fraudulent offers
Please bear in mind, there are many fraudulent offers on the Internet. Such offers might not differ from the real ones and may seem quite believable. They provide addresses of place for rent, photographs of apartments/rooms, and contact details of the owner. There are some tips to avoid any unpleasant situations:
- Carefully study all the information about the property you’re going to rent (there is Student Housing Office in HSE University that you can contact for the rent agreement review, free of charge);
- Always sign a lease agreement, draw up an acceptance certificate and keep a record of the transfer of funds;
- Inform the flat owner in advance that you are a foreign citizen and they need to provide you with registration (make sure that the flat owner is not asking an additional fee for it);
- Do not deposit any amounts before viewing the property you plan to rent. In reputable agencies, a flat owner will first show you the apartment, offer to check the documents, sign the lease agreement and the acceptance certificate, and only then ask you for an advance payment;
- Please make sure that the flat owner is not pushing you to sign a contract, read the agreement thoughtfully and do not hesitate to ask questions.
- Please discuss with the flat owner beforehand how you are going to pay for housing and communal services.
To get to know what to do in case of maintenance problems please visit this page.
If you decide to rent an apartment, here you can find the information about payment for housing and communal services.
Payment for housing and communal services (utilities)
In order to cover the costs of housing and communal services (electricity, water, gas) you will need to utilise the State Information System of Housing and Communal Services application (ГИС ЖКХ) . The payment process is the following:
- Log in to the public services portal through the Unified Identification and Authentication System (ESIA);
- Log in to your personal account;
- Select payment for housing and communal services;
- Make a payment.