Living in the House of Nations

If you sent us the signed declaration of obligation you received along with the tenancy agreement, we provide a guest account for internet access for the first four weeks of your stay via e-mail.

If you are enrolled at, or you have a contract of employment with the university, you can also use your RUB LoginID.

If you already have eduroam access, you can also use this.

To get a long-term LoginID, please contact your host chair. If WiFi reception is not possible, you can also connect via cable.

You will receive your tenancy agreement via e-mail. Please sign it and send it back to Ms Seidemann. A few days before you move in, you will receive the landlord confirmation, which you will need to register with the city if your stay is planned for longer than three months.

Please note that the deposit and the first month's rent must already be transferred before you move in. You will find the account details for the transfer in the checklist that you have received as an attachment with your welcome e-mail.

For a stay of two months or less, please transfer the amount manually both times so that the payment is received by the 5th working day of the following month.

For a stay of three months or more, it is part of your rental contract that we can automatically debit the rent from the 2nd month of your stay onward. Therefore, you will receive a direct debit authorisation with your tenancy agreement, which you should complete, sign and return to Ms Seidemann. The direct debit will be made on the 5th working day of each month.

If you have any questions about your rent or your tenancy agreement, please contact Ms. Seidemann: beate.seidemann@rub.de

The Welcome Centre supports you in the preparations and implementation of your stay in Bochum. We look forward to getting to know you!

Phone: +49 (0)234-32-22037
E-Mail: welcome-centre@uv.rub.de

For a detailed overview over our services, please visit our website.

Every household in Germany is obligated to pay the license fee for public broadcasting for the use of radio, television and Internet content (except in special exceptional cases). After registering with the city of Bochum, your personal information will be forwarded automatically and you will receive postal mail with a request for payment. You can also register online on the official website of the license fee. More information, including about the mentioned exceptional cases, can be found here (to change the language, please scroll down to the end of the page).

• License Fee for Public Broadcasting (PDF)

• Bed linen and towels are provided and must be washed by you during your stay.
• A washing machine and dryer as well as an iron and ironing board are located in the basement of the guesthouse. The usage fee is included in the rental price.
• An iron and an ironing board can be found on each floor in the closet next to the elevator. You can borrow the key to the closet from the caretaker.
• Please use the dryer or laundry room to dry your clothes, not your apartment.
• During your stay, you are responsible for cleaning your own apartment.
• When you move out, a final cleaning will be done by a cleaning company (see tenancy agreement).

• Recycling containers: residual waste (grey), plastics and composite materials (yellow), and paper (blue).
• The recycling containers are located behind the building. you can access the area with your apartment key.
• Glass containers can be found in Hustadtring, next to the public swimming pool, and in Schinkelstraße.
• Additional information about recycling in Germany can be found in the USB Recycling Flyer (PDF).

• Most German apartments do not have air conditioning installed. Therefore, to prevent the development of mould, it is necessary to air the apartment out regularly.

• Air for a duration of 5 - 10 minutes.

• After showering, please make sure to open the bathroom door and windows to allow moisture to escape.

• Please close the windows before leaving the apartment.

• Please do not dry your clothes in the apartment - there is a laundry room in the basement.

Please contact your caretaker regarding possible guests you would like to have stay overnight in your apartment. Additional bed linen can be rented for 30€ per person. You can return them unwashed after use.

Smoking is prohibited in the House of Nations. Pets are also not allowed.

The Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) is the local public transport provider. General information about tickets and prices can be found in this flyer of the VRR (PDF).

From 01 May 2023, the so-called DeutschlandTicket will be introduced. With this ticket you can travel all over Germany by regional transport for a monthly price of 49€. More information can be found on this website of Deutsche Bahn.

PhD-students, who are enrolled at the university and paid the semester fee, can use the Semesterticket. This ticket is valid for the entirety of North Rhine-Westphalia for the duration of one semester. You can download the ticket on eCampus under "ÖPNV Ticket". If you have any further questions, please contact the Registrar's Office.

If you need to call the police, please dial 110.

The closest police station is situated close to the university:

Polizeiwache Südost (Areas Querenburg, Stiepel, Altenbochum)
Universitätsstr. 108
44799 Bochum
Phone: +49 (0) 234-909-3521

Emergencies: 110 and 112

• Call 110 for the police.
• Call 112 for the fire and/or rescue service as well as the police (all across Europe).

Mobile Service/Patient Transport Service

• ASB Arbeiter Samariter-Bund
  Wohlfahrtstr. 124, 44799 Bochum, Wiemelhausen
  Phone: +49 (0)234 / 9773 00
• SANI-CAR Krankentransport und Rettungsdienst GmbH
  Transport Service for people using wheelchairs
  Querenburger Str. 19-23, 44789 Bochum
  Phone: +49 (0)224 / 19 218 or +49 (0)224 / 97 79 77

English-speaking doctors

• You can find an overview of english-speaking doctors on this website. The site is in German, so in order to find a doctor for your purpose, please follow these steps:

  1. “PLZ oder Ort”: enter your postal code to find doctors close to you.
  2. “Fachgebiete/Schwerpunkt”: choose whichever kind of physician you require.
  3. Then you can click on “Weitere Suchkriterien” and choose "Englisch" for “Sprachen”.

  You can choose freely whichever doctor you want. When you set up an appointment (via phone or e-mail), it is best to clarify your situation to make sure that everything will go smoothly.

Emergency dental services

• Dentists on duty to be called outside business hours. Phone: +49 (0)234 / 770055.

Emergency doctors for kids & teens in Bochum

• Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin (24/7)
  Alexandrinenstraße 5
  44791 Bochum
• K.I.N.D.: Private pediatrician on duty
  Up-to-date information about which doctor is currently on duty.

Hospitals

• A list of all hospitals and their addresses can be found on this website of the city of Bochum.

Pharmacies: ApoNet

• Outside business hours, pharmacies that are open for emergencies can be found online. When you open the website of ApoNet, please enter your postal code in "Notdienstsuche".

Poison emergency service for Bochum and NRW

• Advice on acute or chronic poisoning by medicine, plants, drugs, animals, mushrooms, cleaning detergents or other chemicals, 24/7 and free of charge: +49 (0)228 / 19240.

• Emergency website of RUB
• RUB Emergency manual
• RUB Campus map (PDF)
• Guide for international researchers (PDF)

International Office – Guesthouses

For all administrative questions about your tenancy agreement, payment arrangements, shortening or prolonging your stay.

Beate Seidemann
Phone: +49 (0) 234-32-22279
E-Mail: beate.seidemann@rub.de
Monday to Friday morning by appointment only

Caretaker International Guesthouse

Your contact person on site.

Martin Weidauer
Phone: +49 (0) 234-2-29600
E-Mail: guesthouse@rub.de
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

In case of emergencies, please call the emergency centre of RUB (available 24/7): +49 (0) 234-32-23333

Welcome Centre

For all questions regarding your stay in Bochum.

Welcome Centre for International Researchers
Phone: +49 (0)234-32-22037
E-Mail: welcome-centre@uv.rub.de
In-person consultation hour: Tuesday and Friday, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.; Thursday 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Telephone consultation hour: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.; Wednesday 12 p.m. - 2 p.m.