Above 63

I was warned about this. I got turned down approximately 60 times before I found a place. I was getting a little desperate.

Spoiler Alert: I did find a place in time. Ironically it is across the courtyard from where Kathleen and I stayed in 2021. From my hotel window I could actually see where I would be living 3 years later (almost). The work being done is in the basement under my current apartment–but still! I even took a street view shot!
But back to the story. . .

I was at a point of desperation at the end of May when I wasn’t sure I would get an apartment and I would not have a permanent place to live when I arrived.

The housing problem is multi-faceted. First, this is a major tourist city and is the landing and launch point for most visitors coming to Iceland. That means that a lot of the apartments were tied up as vacation rentals during August when I wanted to arrive. Second, the volcanic activity near Grindavik has required the relocation of residents from that town. Third, there are refugees from Gaza, the Ukraine, and other places. Fourth, I lacked a “kennitala” (Icelandic National ID) until after I got here and having one would have made me more attractive to landlords.

I kept applying for apartments as they became available on the Icelandic equivalent of apartments.com (https://myigloo.is/–yes, that is a real website). As a back up plan I had contracted with University housing and had a room set for 6 weeks. However a dorm room is not an apartment and 6 weeks was the maximum amount of time I could stay there.

I finally got a positive response and Kathleen and I met the potential landlord in a video chat. When I did the google address search for the apartment a vacant lot from 2013 appeared. This would not inspire confidence, but as I mentioned, Kathleen and I stayed at a hotel around the corner and I knew that an apartment building was being built on the site in 2021. Additional internet searches revealed the building was complete and occupied. There was more drama because my landlord (who is Icelandic) lives in Dubai. To secure the apartment, I needed to deposit 2 months rent to a bank in Dubai. I set aside all my good sense and natural instincts and made the deposit (yes, my little voice was screaming at me not to do that–but it is how it is done here). Over the summer, I had email exchanges with my landlord several times and felt more confident that I would have a home on my arrival day. However, I remained somewhat insecure until I met her father to do the key exchange when I got off the plane.

I’ve now had a chance to talk to the other Fulbrighters in the country about their living arrangements. We landed in different types of spaces, but we all found it surprisingly difficult to find housing. When I went back and read the information about finding a place to live–it accurately describes our difficulties in advance–but it seemed harder when I was going through it.

The difficulty in finding adequate and affordable housing is not limited to us or Reykjavik. Cities all over the world are facing this challenge. I have spoken with Icelanders who have seen the Reykjavik area transformed in many ways in recent years. The economic gains have been good, but the problem of housing is a large concern–particularly for the young who are just starting out.

As you can tell from some of my other posts, I’m quite pleased with my apartment and its location. It is a new modern one-bedroom apartment on the Old West Side of the city just a few minutes walk from downtown and 25 minutes from the University. I am near grocery stores, pharmacies, and restaurants. As a result, I don’t need a car (which is a big savings). The place hits all my basic needs. There are other places in the city I like more, but I landed very well.