Looking for a house away from home

[Photo by China Daily]

This helped Zhang to understand the neighborhood and the ways of commute. Now she lives in a two-bedroom house with her husband.

Overseas study is no longer only for the young, as many older students now take along dependants, just like Zhang.

"I had to plan in advance as my husband was to stay with me. I was fortunate to find a good house, but it could be difficult for those who are young," says Zhang.

Even as demand for overseas accommodation by students from China grows, there is still no convenient way to find housing, since this is an industry with both complexity and variety.

"Almost every city in China has students going to a huge range of destinations, including the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, France and Germany," says Nolan.

"Students from different countries have different needs, and the property markets are different, too."

Li Jiabao, a 23-year-old law student from Sciences Po in Paris, says that international students from non-European Union countries need a guarantor to rent a house in France.

"In my four years at university, I was lucky that I had a roommate from Norway in the first year and then a Chinese agency that helped with the guarantor bit, but it was slightly expensive."

Still, not every student studying in France is lucky enough like Li, a native of Shenyang in Liaoning province.