Visitors & overnight stays in student residences

Visitors, overnight stays, handing over a key and somebody using your room independently are not the same. You are responsible for your guests; discuss longer, repeated or unclear stays with residence management in writing beforehand.

Contractual limit

The standard tenancy agreement, dated February 2026, prohibits taking another person into the rented room, even temporarily, and handing all or part of it over to a third party. This is not a blanket statement about every brief visit, but it sets a clear limit for overnight stays, independent use and longer stays. Your own agreement is authoritative. ¹⁾

For an ordinary short visit, you remain present and do not hand over the room. Under the house rules, you are responsible for ensuring that guests follow the rules and do not disturb other residents. Observe quiet hours and local rules for communal spaces.

Discuss a visit with your flatmates early if the kitchen, bathroom, corridor or other shared areas are affected. Consideration and a brief conversation prevent many conflicts.

Established practice, not general permission

In practice, occasional overnight stays are tolerated in many places provided they do not become excessive, you remain present and flatmates are not disturbed. This does not create a contractual right. Discuss repeated or longer stays with residence management in writing beforehand.

The wiki deliberately gives no fixed number of permitted nights because there is no generally applicable written rule.

Do not pass on a key, chip card or transponder. If somebody remains in the room without you or uses it independently while you are away, this may be treated as temporarily taking in another person or handing over the room, and is no longer an ordinary visit.

Do not sublet the room privately or advertise it yourself on a platform. You must coordinate any longer absence and any planned temporary use by another person in writing with residence management in advance. Ask whether there is an official route under your agreement and act only after receiving unambiguous written confirmation. Simply informing them that you will be absent is not permission to hand over the room.

Unauthorised subletting or handing over the room is a serious breach of contract and may lead to termination without notice. Do not rely on private arrangements, platform listings or tacit tolerance.

Read the clause in your own tenancy agreement.
Check the house rules and local rules of use.
Tell your flatmates about planned visitors.
Ask residence management a specific question in writing about overnight, repeated or longer stays.