Hi All!
I will be starting my PhD at EPFL this September and I have been searching for a place to stay throughout this period with my wife. I have encountered a company "Régie Foncière SA" which offers rooms and studios to students. I have applied for a 27 sqm studio room at Stud'Home in Ecublens and I have been offered a room. As much as we liked the room from what we are able to see from their website, we thought that it would be better to write a post here and consult with you about the experiences you might have, before committing to accept the offer with a payment of a considerable amount (security deposit + first month's rent + application fee). We would be very grateful if you can inform us with anything you know about the life in Stud'Home in Ecublens. Thank you in advance!

You have been offered something, that's good! Not easy to get...

How much?

Thanks!

Monthly rent for a 27 sqm Studio is 1080.- including charges.

Your best bet would probably be to ask in the dept you're going to - other post grads would be most likely to have had direct experience with that (or other) firms targeting the student market. I'm guessing that the dept has some form of online noticeboard.

Thanks JagWaugh, I will try and see if there is an online noticeboard.

I had a quick look at the location. It is on a main road so might not be the most quiet but it is right across the street from the TSOL (tram) stop that will take you to the EPFL. It would be only 10 minutes to the EPFL on bike. The lake is 15 minutes by bike.

The two main grocery stores (Migros and Coop) are very close. The shopping centre with the two stores is an 8 minute walk.

So for you the location would be great. I did not see any negative reviews posted. For your wife it might be a bit isolated as it is outside Lausanne but she can get out and walk around Ecublens which is nice enough.

I would suggest you sign for maximum one year. This will give you the time to decide if you want to continue in that area and also the time to look for a one bedroom apt. that would give you both a bit more room.

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Thanks a lot Verbier!

We were also concerned about the noise levels as the building is right next to a road and a tram station. We can only hope the noise levels are not unbearable.

We have seen that the Migros was so close, but did not know about the Coop, thanks!

We also think the position is not the closest to Lausanne city center, but it would not be a problem to arrive there via public transport, we imagine. Can I ask where did you look for comments and did not see any negative one? We could not find any platform where we can see reviews/comments on the Stud'Home.

Exactly, the lease will be for one year and after that we will have to re-apply if we want to stay there. Our thought is similar to your suggestion, we will continue to look for bigger apartments with 1.5, 2, or even 2.5 rooms which are in budget for us in the meantime.

Thanks a lot again!