Making home in floating: living experiences and homemaking practices of international students in the Netherlands

Introduction: The housing crisis in the Netherlands exerts a multifaceted impact, extending beyond the initial house-seeking phase to significantly influence the living experiences of individuals during their tenancy. While existing literature predominantly addresses the challenges international students encounter in securing housing, relatively limited attention has been dedicated to comprehending the post-occupancy experiences of these students in private rental housing. Additionally, institutional factors have remained underexplored within current frameworks of homemaking analysis. Using ontological security as a key concept, this qualitative research intended to demonstrate the homemaking processes of international students and their rental housing arrangements in the Netherlands.

Goals and Methods: To attain the objectives of the study, a non-participatory observation approach is employed in this research. Eight international students from five different nationalities were snow-balling selected to share their individual experiences, confrontations, and perceptions concerning the intricate constructs of "home" and the multifaceted practices associated with homemaking. Semi-structured interviews were conducted as the primary method of data collection, and were done in respondents’ living environments. The collected data was subjected to rigorous analysis through the prism of thematic analysis, the systematic interpretation of which was orchestrated with the software tool, atlas.ti.

Results: The empirical findings derived from qualitative interviews demonstrate that prevailing housing policies and selection procedures exert a cumulative adverse influence on international students in the Netherlands. Moreover, the temporariness enhanced by spatial constraints and uncertainties hampers homemaking endeavors. Additionally, daily interactions with roommates and potential guests have a notable impact on ontological security, consistent with prior research. Significantly, this study unveils the pivotal role of local communities in facilitating international students' development of a sense of home.

Conclusion: By providing the indispensable perspectives of international students, this research may assist in enhancing the living conditions for disadvantaged expatriates residing in rental housing in the Netherlands.