Finding housing as a third-country national
Hi everyone. I am an incoming Master student for Robotics program at EPFL. I am also a third country national, although currently studying with a residence permit in a European country.
I will need to apply for a residence permit (type B I guess) to live and study in Lausanne. From what I know, we should apply at least 2 months before the start of studies. However, there's conflicting information online on whether the housing contract is necessary for the application.
I won't get anything at FMEL, so I have been searching for outside offers (e.g. flatfox). What I noticed is that there are almost no ads yet for housing for later rent period (with possible rent start date in August or September). Most of the owners don't want to deal with you unless you agree to rent from June or July. I am self-funded and can't afford to start renting too early.
Therefore, I would like to ask fellow third-country EPFL students for advice - on how to find housing and still be able to obtain a residence permit in time. Any tips will be very appreciated.
Upd: the signed contract seems to be not really necessary according to some sources.