{"id":130390,"date":"2021-09-16T14:16:37","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T12:16:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=130390"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:52","slug":"rotterdams-new-housing-policy-is-putting-student-housing-under-even-greater-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2021\/09\/16\/rotterdams-new-housing-policy-is-putting-student-housing-under-even-greater-pressure\/","title":{"rendered":"Rotterdam\u2019s new housing policy is ‘putting student housing under even greater pressure’"},"content":{"rendered":"

They\u2019ve been around in other cities for a while \u2013 rules stipulating that landlords wishing to house more than three students in one house require a permit to do so. According to Rotterdam councillors, these rules were implemented to stop unscrupulous landlords (\u2018slumlords\u2019) from exploiting students and also to stop students from causing inconvenience to their neighbours. However, student representatives believe that the new rules will result in even fewer rooms being available to students, even though the need for such rooms has never been greater.<\/p>\n

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Student houses in Kralingen<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSanne van der Most<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Nathaniel Germain of the newly established student union STUUR Rotterdam believes that the Rotterdam municipal government has missed the mark completely with the new rules, which stipulate that if more than three persons live in one house, a permit is now required, as of 1 July. Furthermore, no permits will be issued for new such arrangements during the current academic year. The municipal government says that the rules were implemented in order to reduce the amount of\u00a0inconvenience<\/a>\u00a0caused by students and also to somewhat halt the increase in poorly maintained houses<\/a>\u00a0in the private rented sector.<\/p>\n

Even though Germain agrees the poor living conditions in the private rented market are problematic, he thinks that the rule making it harder to split up houses into student bedsits is taking things a step too far. \u201cThis means there will be even more pressure on student housing associations, even though there is already a shortage [of student housing]. If politicians don\u2019t come up with an adequate solution to make up for this restriction, students\u2019 wellbeing will be on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malpractice<\/h2>

Germain pointed to two major problems faced by Rotterdam students. First, the waiting lists for social housing are long. On average, people seeking to rent a room from Stadswonen Rotterdam have to wait 15 months before being offered one. For an apartment or studio apartment, the average wait is a whopping 47 months. If you can\u2019t wait that long, you will encounter a second problem: the private rented sector.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich comes with lots of horror stories of its own,\u201d says Germain. \u201cI hear absolutely horrible stories from my fellow students. Landlords who claim that they should simply accept vermin as a part of life since \u2018we can\u2019t get rid of it anyway\u2019, and even a student who didn\u2019t have a lock on his front door and so got into the habit of putting crates of beer behind the door as a stopgap solution against burglary.\u201d He goes on to say that there are many laws prohibiting this sort of thing, but that students don\u2019t seem to be very keen to contact the rent tribunal. \u201cI get that it\u2019s terrifying to take on your landlord or take him to court, because you\u2019re afraid you may end up on the street. But in actual fact, you\u2019re protected against that sort of thing. This duty to obtain a permit will not adequately stop such horror stories in the private sector, because if your landlord fails to get a permit now, you may actually end up on the street.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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