4 months Ago
Landlords must also now secure a municipal permit to rent homes to more than two tenants — a change that makes it less enticing to provide shared student housing.
The changes have serious implications, said Jolan de Bie, director of the student housing knowledge centre Kences. “A lot of buildings which have student rooms have been sold over the last year, and that is especially the case around some of the university cities,” he said.
It threatens to undermine access to higher education, he warns. “Some students can’t register for the courses they want Bc no housing.”
Fewer Student Homes, Rising Pressure
In the final quarter alone, there were fewer than 5,800 student homes under 25 square meters offered up, a 30% decrease compared with the same time the year before.
Private landlords, who have 43% of the market, are increasingly deserting the rental market. #36; Realtor Robert Kraaij of Rotsvast Vastgoed said, “We manage currently six student residences, and they will all be sold. Renting to students just doesn’t make good money anymore.”
Students are feeling the pressure. Luuk Bruijnen, vice chairman of the national student union LSVb, is already in his fourth year of studies in Utrecht — but still makes the trip daily from Zwolle, an hour away. “Many students travel even further.
That’s the time you’re not able to study or make friends, and it means you can’t embed yourself in your university city.”
Landlords citing that student rentals were no longer profitable, bothered Bruijnen. “A lot of them just want to squeeze the students for money. It’s not about fair housing anymore.
He also feels universities should do more. “They should be accommodating the students they admit to our residence halls.”
Invocations for New Solutions and Change
De Bie of Kences called on municipalities to relax regulations on renting to three or more students and suggested employing campus contracts — contracts under which tenants must leave upon graduation.
These would help create more room for incoming students and improve circulation in student housing, he says.
As the school year rounds the bend, the housing squeeze is getting even tighter. Without change, students will find it even harder to have a home and education.
