Review: South House

If you have ever traveled through Frederiksberg to Valby over the only big hill in Copenhagen, you may very well have passed South House without even realizing it. ‘South House’ is a new student housing building in Valby near the Copenhagen Zoo. It opened its doors to the first tenants in October 2015. Unlike a dorm or collective variety of student housing, South House offers private apartments. As a result of this (and likely the city’s current student housing crisis) apartments at South House are more expensive than many other student housing options. However, if you treasure your privacy and want a “real apartment” of your own, South House may be for you.

South House is technically located in Valby, but it actually sits on the border of Frederiksberg and Valby, near the Copenhagen Zoo. It is also within close striking distance to Vesterbro by bicycle. Søndermarken, and Valby station are also just a short walk away. South House is situated on one of the main roads going through Valby and Frederiksberg, Søndre Fasanvej (known as Nordre Fasanvej in Frederiksberg). University of Copenhagen campuses CSS, Panum, and Universetets Parken can all be reached in less than 30 minutes by bicycle (all are under 5 km away) under normal weather and traffic conditions.

SEE THE FULL ‘DORMS DISCLOSED’ UNIVERSITY POST SERIES: Reviews by student residents of dorms and residence halls in Copenhagen

The top 3 floors of South House are comprised of individual student apartments, most of which are simple studios with a private bathroom and kitchen and no balcony. Everything was just installed last October and residents enjoy brand new hardwood floors, and Siemens kitchen appliances. Some select units include unique large terraces, perfect for setting up a garden or a large outdoor patio area. In addition to that a handful of units also offer private balconies. One community room is located on each floor which also includes a full size oven (apartments have kitchenettes only).

On the 1st floor of the building are doctors’ offices, and the ground floor consists of a “Lidl” supermarket, perfect for the lazy student who can take a quick elevator ride down to the market when a case of the munchies sets in. The basement includes secure storage units for each apartment, bicycle parking, and laundry facilities. The building is wired with both cable and fiber internet. Students are also in the process of creating a group internet coop at the time of writing.

Special considerations

Although the prices at South House are higher than most student housing (DKK 6600– 9719) most students should qualify for “Boligstøtte” (housing support). In the case of this reviewer, I receive about DKK 1000 per month off my listed rent via ‘Boligstøtte’ . This is due to the fact that it is not shared accommodation and each unit has its own private kitchen and bathroom. Boligstøtte makes the monthly rent a lot more affordable, especially if you are cohabiting with a partner.

Another special consideration is at the time this review was written, South House is still a very new housing project undergoing major construction and remodeling. Although tenants are allowed to live here during this time, construction noise and construction workers are still active from approximately 7 am-7 pm. In addition to this some tenants have reported maintenance issues such as water being shut off, leaking, heating problems, ventilation issues, internet problems, and various other issues.

These faults are being dealt with individually during the construction process and will hopefully be resolved for future tenants. Furthermore, garbage collection, laundry facilities, storage units, internet, and bicycle parking, have only just became available this week. Thus, these services should be reviewed again at a later date to give a more thorough reflection of that portion of the review.

Final thoughts

At the time of writing, I recommend South House as a good student housing facility which still has room for improvement.

One of the obvious benefits of South House is that it is not a shared dorm. Its nice having your own private apartment, but still having the student atmosphere as a subtle backdrop without the overwhelming obnoxious overtones of a dorm or shared housing coop . Its also nice qualifying for ‘Boligstøtte’ (housing support) as a result of this amenity. The building has nice features, grocery shopping is easy since you live above a store, and the location is very good for Valby.

The biggest drawback for South House is of course the monthly rent, which for student housing is on the higher end of price spectrum.

The constant daily construction work on the building is also a drawback, but this should (hopefully) not be a problem for future tenants. Other drawbacks include maintenance issues which also hopefully will not be a problem for future tenants.

Despite the benefit of extra privacy that South House provides, there is also a con to this by stripping away a certain lack of community. Regardless of these drawbacks, the city of Copenhagen has a serious student housing crisis. And South House contributes to alleviating a small piece of this for those who can afford it. I am happy to live here despite some of the drawbacks. Overall – I would recommend it.