{"id":158103,"date":"2023-08-24T13:41:52","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T11:41:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=158103"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:55","slug":"students-are-struggling-on-the-housing-market-and-the-shortage-is-getting-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/08\/24\/students-are-struggling-on-the-housing-market-and-the-shortage-is-getting-worse\/","title":{"rendered":"Students are struggling on the housing market, and the shortage is getting worse"},"content":{"rendered":"

The pressure on the Rotterdam student housing market has only intensified in recent years. There is a shortage of 2,700 student rooms. “I don’t care how small the room is or what it looks like, as long as I can get one.”<\/p>\n

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During Eurekaweek, new students enjoy their lunch on the Binnenrotte. A few hundred metres away, in the lobby of the StayOkay hostel, first-year Nathan Garcia scrolls through the ads on the Kamernet rental platform. The International Business Administration student has no time for partying and socialising \u2013 he needs to find a room before his lectures start.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t arrange a room before I came to the Netherlands because I have an aunt who lives in Gorinchem\u201d, the Philippines student explains. He thought it would be easy to find a room from there. \u201cBut nothing could be further from the truth, it\u2019s more practical to be in Rotterdam for viewings.\u201d That is why he has been staying at the hostel since last Friday. \u201cI reply fanatically to ads on Kamernet and various Facebook groups. I have been to two viewings so far. Unfortunately, they came to nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018I reply fanatically to ads on Kamernet and various Facebook groups. I have been to two viewings so far\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

First-year student Anouk van der Heijden has also not yet found a room. The Criminology student lives in Eindhoven and has been registered with Stadswonen, the largest housing rental for students in Rotterdam, for over a year. She is also registered with SSH Student Housing and follows the Facebook group Kamers in Rotterdam.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve responded to more than eighty ads, but I was only invited once for a viewing\u201d, she says. \u201cI didn\u2019t get it in the end because they wanted someone who is a member of a student association.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shortage of student housing<\/h2>

According to the National Student Housing Monitor, Rotterdam has 33,000 student rooms compared to 35,700 people looking for housing, which means there is a shortage of 2,700 rooms. Data from Stadswonen also shows a severe shortage of rooms. In 2022, 7841 registered students were actively looking for a room through Stadswonen, while the housing provider only had 1884 rooms available.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Stadswonen introduced \u2018campus contracts\u2019 in 2019. \u201cYou can only register with us and live in our properties if you can prove that you are studying full-time in Rotterdam,\u201d she says. Mbo, hbo and wo is allowed. Because of the stricter rules, rooms become available more often.<\/p>\n

Stadswonen also offers 1,100 houses for graduates. After your studies, you are allowed to live there for five years, then you are kindly requested to move,\u201d Bruyninckx says. The tenants have to make room for students who have just finished their studies. Through the flow, student houses become available for new students.<\/p>\n

Longer waiting times<\/h2>

Waiting times have become longer, says Isa Kleij, a Stadswonen advisor. In 2018, students found a room on average 10 months after registering, compared to 16 months last year. The range of available studios and apartments is much smaller, so the waiting lists for these are also longer: 34 months in 2018, almost four years in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\t

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\u201cIt is therefore wise to register as early as possible\u201d, says Kleij. At Stadswonen, the minimum age is 17. \u201cBut we sometimes make exceptions, for example for mbo students, because they are on average 16 years old when they start\u201d, Kleij explains.<\/p>\n

Urgency<\/h2>

Students who urgently need a room can apply for an urgency declaration at Stadswonen. They will then be given accommodation as soon as possible. You can get an urgency declaration if, for example, you are living in an unsafe home situation or if you have to travel more than two hours to get to university. Last year, 350 students received an urgency declaration, 186 of them because of the impending demolition of the Hoge Wiek student apartments. In 2021, the figure was 133. This large number of urgencies leads to longer waiting times for regular rentals.<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018I can\u2019t really afford this place. It\u2019s too big, and I even have a garden!\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n
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Student Louisa is still looking for a room<\/span><\/p>

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International students can also benefit from the urgency housing scheme, but are often unaware of it, says Kleij. For instance, first-year student Louisa Krijger from Belgium is registered with Stadswonen, but this is the first time she has heard about it. She hails from Antwerp and is still looking for a room. \u201cI want to build up a social life in Rotterdam, so I took the first place I could get\u201d, she says. Through acquaintances, the Business Administration student found an apartment on the Bergstraat in Rotterdam-North. She pays 900 euros a month in rent. \u201cI can\u2019t really afford this place. It\u2019s too big, and I even have a garden! I\u2019d rather live in a student room with roommates than in an apartment on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growing demand<\/h2>

The National Student Housing Monitor predicts that demand for student housing will continue to rise in the coming years, reaching 39,100 accommodations by 2030. \u201cWe also expect that the reintroduction of the basic student grant will encourage more students to look for housing\u201d, Kleij adds.<\/p>\n

The student housing supply is set to increase to 37,000 accommodations, according to the Monitor, but this will not be enough to overcome the shortage. \u201cOf course, we\u2019ll build more in the next few years, but demand is growing so fast that we cannot keep up\u201d, Kleij says. Bruyninckx: \u201cAlthough the municipality is very supportive when it comes to expanding student accommodation, building more housing is a tricky business. Sites for building are hard to find. What\u2019s more, local residents are not exactly thrilled to hear that student accommodation is being built in their neighbourhood. They worry about the public nuisance that students can cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

Via Instagram, Louisa was invited to a viewing and interview with potential roommates on Tuesday. \u201cI\u2019m really looking forward to it. It\u2019s a room in a mixed student house with 16 residents\u201d, she said. \u201cI hope I get lucky this time.\u201d How much will the rent be? \u201cI don\u2019t know, it\u2019s probably cheaper than my flat. I don\u2019t even know how big the room is or what it looks like. It doesn\u2019t matter, as long as I get one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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