Protest march through Utrecht: ‘No roof, no future’

Several dozen students demonstrated in Utrecht on Friday to demand better housing. They waved flags, listened to speeches by the organisers and marched through the city.

The housing protest was organised by the Dutch Student Union, the Woonbond and FNV Young & United. BPW, a union for tenants with temporary contracts or high rents, also joined.

The reason for the protest is the housing market crisis: fewer and fewer students are able to find accommodation and rents are rising rapidly. Many students have given up looking for a room and are staying with their parents longer, according to the latest figures published this autumn. The shortage of student rooms could rise to 63,000 by 2032. “We are far too dependent on private landlords”, said LSVb chair Maaike Krom ahead of the protest.

Why are you taking to the streets?

“In politics everyone says how important it is to build more housing, yet little or nothing has been done. They need to stop talking and start taking action.”

What do you think is going wrong in the housing market?

“We are far too dependent on private landlords. Another 18,000 private student homes have disappeared and rents remain so high that people simply can’t afford them.”

Some parties say: we should stop the influx of international students, and then student rooms will become available again.

“You can’t blame international students for the housing crisis. It was a political choice to cut spending on housing and to underinvest. The housing crisis is caused by political indecision, not by international students. In fact, we desperately need them for our economy.”

Other parties want students to be able to get temporary rental contracts more easily. That way, the supply would also increase.

“We are against those temporary contracts, because then after a year or two you can simply find yourself on the street again. That’s not a solution.”

What would be a solution?

“We believe that students should have a room guarantee from the government, for instance in cooperation with educational institutions or housing associations. That way we can quickly provide accommodation for students who now have to travel long distances or who don’t have a good home situation.”

Not a good home situation?

“Not every student has an environment that’s suitable for studying. And sometimes you just clash with your parents – that’s part of growing up. It might not be necessary for everyone, but for many young people living independently is important for their social and emotional development.”

But how do you quickly create more student housing?

“To start with, we need to tackle vacancy, as they’re doing in Amsterdam and Utrecht. Housing associations need more freedom to do that. Let them take over empty buildings and convert them into homes. In the longer term, we have to get the social housing sector back in order. We simply can’t assume that private landlords will provide enough housing.”

What are your expectations for the elections?

“We hope that the new House of Representatives won’t wait until a coalition has been formed, because we don’t have that kind of time. Everyone wants a place to live – you don’t need a coalition for that.”