Hospi Housing alternative: list your hospita room free on Huismaatje

Hospi Housing has built a name in recent years as the platform aimed specifically at hospitas: homeowners (the Dutch term for someone renting out a room in their own house) wanting to rent out a room. That's a niche market the regular room platforms often overlook. Hospi Housing's approach, more a service than a marketplace, has helped many hospitas, especially in the slightly older demographic.

At the same time, there are hospitas who want to do it differently: without intermediation, without costs, with more control over their own process. For them, Huismaatje has become a serious alternative in 2026. In this article we lay both platforms side by side, fairly, without bashing, so you can choose which best fits your situation.

What does Hospi Housing actually do and who is it for?

Hospi Housing positions itself as a matching service between hospitas and tenants. It's not a self-service platform like Kamernet, but more a journey you go through with guidance. You fill in a profile, indicate what you're looking for in a housemate, and the platform connects you with candidates they think fit.

Hospi Housing's audience tends to skew older: middle-aged singles, older people who want some extra income and company too, or working individuals who don't see renting as a business but as a welcome side-earnings stream. The tenant side is varied: students, starters, people temporarily in a new city for work.

What do you get with Hospi Housing?

• A personal intake and profile.
• Access to a filtered pool of candidates that, according to their matching system, fit.
• Guidance during introductions and entering into the contract.
• Sometimes support with disputes or questions along the way.

The price for this service varies. For hospitas there are packages typically running from 30 to 80 euros per month, or a one-off fee of 100 to 250 euros depending on the package. Tenants also pay, often in the range of 30 to 60 euros per month.

When is Hospi Housing a good choice? If you don't want to manage the whole process yourself, you're okay paying for guidance, and you'd rather choose from a pre-filtered group than wade through ten Marktplaats replies yourself. For people renting out a room for the first time who could use some handholding, it can be very reassuring.

What does Huismaatje do differently from Hospi Housing?

Huismaatje is deliberately a different type of platform. We're a free self-service platform with profiles, our own tools for the viewing night, and the option to keep all communication within the platform until you've picked someone. No intermediary, no packages, just the tools to make a good choice yourself.

What do you get with Huismaatje?

• A free ad you compose and publish yourself.
• Profiles for each candidate with lifestyle, work or study status, preferences, photo and a narrative description.
• A built-in hospi tool to invite candidates, schedule time slots, and track sign-ups.
• Optional video call within the platform for an initial introduction.
• Verification via selfie so you know you're talking to real people.
• No subscription, no package, no hidden fees.

The audience is broader than at Hospi Housing. From students to working thirty-somethings, from expats to people who've recently divorced and are looking for an affordable room. Among hospitas we see everything from twenty-somethings with a mortgage who want to pay it down partly by renting out a room, to people in their fifties with a spare room looking for some company. Broad pool, broad possibilities.

When is Huismaatje a good choice? If you want full control, you're fine writing your own ad, you want no costs in your rental process, and you find it important that your candidates can also reply without paying. Many hospitas value that last point: they don't want only people who can afford a Kamernet subscription replying to their room.

What's the difference in the matching process?

This is the biggest substantive difference between the two platforms.

Hospi Housing works with manual or semi-manual matching. You indicate what you're looking for, their system (and partly humans) finds candidates that fit the criteria, and you get a selection. That saves you work: you don't have to scroll through a hundred profiles yourself. The downside is you're partly dependent on the matching algorithm or the people making the selection. Their definition of "fitting" may not exactly match yours.

Huismaatje works with open profiles where candidates reply themselves. You list your ad, candidates see it, read your profile, and those who feel drawn send a message. You view their profile and decide whom to invite. The benefit: you're the filter, and you have direct access to information about the candidate (lifestyle, photo, narrative). The downside: you have to drive things forward, selecting, inviting, scheduling the hospi.

Which works better? It depends on your preference. If you're hesitant or unsure what you're looking for, a matching system can give you structure. If you have a clear picture and just want the right people in front of you, an open platform feels nicer.

How do prices compare between Hospi Housing and Huismaatje?

This is the simplest comparison.

Hospi Housing is paid. Packages in 2026 for hospitas roughly run from 30 to 80 euros per month, or a one-off fee. What you get is guidance, pre-filtered candidates, and in some packages also support after the match (with contract questions, for example). For some hospitas that price is absolutely worth it; for others it feels superfluous.

Huismaatje is free. It costs you zero euros to list your room, view profiles, invite candidates, schedule a hospi and make a match. No package, no "premium features" behind a paywall, no subscription. The thinking behind it: finding a roof over your head shouldn't depend on who can afford what.

So the question isn't "which is cheaper", that answer is clear. The question is "what do I get for my money in the paid option?". With Hospi Housing you get service and guidance. With Huismaatje you get tools to do it yourself. Both have their merits; neither is by definition better.

What about the candidate pool on both platforms?

For you as a hospita, this is perhaps the most important question. You can have the prettiest platform in the country, if no one replies to your ad, it's useless.

Hospi Housing has a loyal, smaller pool. Many candidates are active there because they specifically want to live with a hospita, not just any random house. That's an advantage: you get people who understand the hospita concept and consciously choose hospita-living. The downside: in smaller cities or outside the Randstad, the pool can be thin.

Huismaatje has, in 2026, a strongly grown pool, particularly in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, The Hague, Groningen, Eindhoven, Leiden, Delft and Haarlem. The audience is broader than just hospita-seekers, so you also get replies from people who in the past sought a room in a student house and are now open to a hospita situation. Well-described ads get between 15 and 50 replies in the first week; in peak periods (September and January) that's higher.

You don't have to choose, by the way. Nothing stops you from listing your room on both platforms and seeing which candidates you get. Many hospitas combine in the first two weeks to quickly generate volume, and then choose which pool feels best matched. For a deeper comparison with other alternatives, read our article on Kamernet alternatives that work.

What safety and verification do both platforms offer?

Safety is extra important for hospitas because you're letting someone literally into your home. No access to an entry code while you're away, not the living room as a hangout after a party, you have to be able to trust the person moving in.

Hospi Housing pre-screens the candidates they admit to the platform. ID is requested, sometimes proof of income for those seeking a room. Their own team weighs in on borderline cases. That gives a layer of comfort: you know the candidate has already been through something before showing up at your place.

Huismaatje works with selfie verification. Every active user does a one-off selfie that we compare with the profile photo. That keeps scammers and bot accounts out. We don't pre-screen on income or origin (that would be discriminatory), but the profile itself is rich enough that based on what someone writes and how they reply, you get a good picture before inviting them. Moreover, all communication within the platform is traceable, so if something goes wrong you have a log.

Which level of safety you need depends on your situation. A slightly older hospita renting out for the first time who feels uncertain may feel more comfortable with Hospi Housing's pre-screening. A hospita who already has experience and knows what questions to ask is fine with Huismaatje's verification plus their own judgement. Our guide hospita pre-checks gives you extra tools to vet candidates yourself.

What are the limitations of both platforms?

Honest assessment.

Limitations of Hospi Housing:

• Costs money, even if you don't make a successful match.
• Pool is smaller than broad platforms, especially outside the Randstad.
• You work partly through their system; less control if you want a specific approach.
• Package models aren't always transparent; check carefully upfront what's in your package.

Limitations of Huismaatje:

• You do everything yourself. No guidance, no "someone calling to ask how it's going".
• No income pre-screening; you assess that yourself in the hospi conversation.
• In smaller cities the pool is still building; possibly fewer replies than in the four or five large cities.
• The matching aspect is open: you decide based on profiles, no algorithm pre-cooks it for you.

Which limitation is decisive for you depends on who you are and what you're looking for. Neither platform is a one-size-fits-all solution.

Who is each platform best suited to?

Honest and clear conclusion:

Hospi Housing is the better choice if:

• You're renting out for the first time and need guidance.
• You're okay paying 30-80 euros per month or a one-off fee for service.
• You'd rather choose from a pre-filtered pool than work through all messages yourself.
• You're renting in a slightly older demographic and looking for that specific pool.

Huismaatje is the better choice if:

• You don't want costs in your rental process.
• You find it important that your candidates can reply for free.
• You want full control over whom you invite and how.
• You want to address a broader audience (students, starters, expats, professionals).
• You value a built-in hospi tool and optional video call.
• You want time to find a good match without pressure from a running subscription.

Both platforms do their job; they just do it differently. Test what fits you and choose deliberately.

Frequently asked questions

Can I advertise on both platforms at the same time?

Yes, that's allowed by both platforms (read Hospi Housing's terms to be sure). Many hospitas combine in the first two weeks to quickly get volume. It's wise to adjust your ad and photos slightly for each platform's tone of voice; copy-paste works less well than a specifically written version. As soon as you choose someone, take the ad down everywhere.

How quickly do I find a housemate via Huismaatje on average?

In most cases you have a good match within three to six weeks. The first week generates the most replies; after that you have conversations and schedule a hospi-avond. Some hospitas are done within two weeks, others take two months because they want to choose carefully. Speed isn't a quality measure, a good match beats a quick one.

Is my privacy respected on Huismaatje?

Yes. You choose what information to put in your profile. Your address is only visible after you let someone into the hospi process (not to random profile visitors). Communication within the platform stays within the platform; we don't share phone numbers or email addresses unless you choose to share them yourself. Read our privacy statement on the website for details.

What if I had a better experience via Hospi Housing?

Then that's the right choice for you. Not every platform suits every person; the best platforms are the ones you work easily with and get good results from. Hospi Housing has a loyal user base precisely because it works for a specific group. It's not a contest; use what fits you.

Can a hospita tenant come to Huismaatje without first trying Hospi Housing?

Absolutely. Many candidates already know our platform via friends or via Kamernet vs Huismaatje comparisons. For the tenant it also makes a financial difference: at Huismaatje, replying is free; at Hospi Housing and Kamernet it's not. For young candidates with a limited budget that's an important factor.

List your hospita room free on Huismaatje and choose for yourself

Looking to rent out your room as a hospita without Kamernet pricing or aggressive invitations? On Huismaatje you list your room for free, plan a viewing night with time slots and pick your housemate at your own pace. No subscription, no intermediary, just profiles and tools so you can choose well yourself. List your room →