Student housing crisis worsens with new rental laws
Students in the Netherlands are facing increasing difficulty in finding housing as the new academic year approaches. In the last quarter, there were fewer than 5,800 housing units designated for students – that is, with an area of less than 25 square meters – available on the market, representing a 30% decrease compared to the same period last year, according to NRC newspaper. Many market stakeholders attribute this shortage to new laws imposed on landlords, according to a Nieuwsuur report.
According to Kences, the knowledge center for student housing, 43% of student accommodations are owned by private landlords. Many of these landlords have started selling their units and converting them to ownership market instead of renting them out, due to new laws that have made renting less profitable.
Since the affordable rental law came into effect last year, medium-priced housing has been subject to rent regulation, leading to a decrease in rents compared to what landlords aspire to. Additionally, taxes have increased in what is known as box 3, which includes income from renting residential properties. Furthermore, it has now become necessary for the landlord to obtain a permit from the municipality if they wish to rent the house to more than two people.
Kences director, Jola de Bee, told Nieuwsuur: "Many buildings containing student rooms have been sold over the past year, especially in university cities. This is bad news for students and the knowledge economy. Due to the housing shortage, students sometimes cannot study the major they want, making higher education less accessible." For his part, Robert Krai, a real estate agent at Rotsvast Vastgoed, stated that his company currently manages six student houses, all of which are now up for sale. He added: "Renting to students is no longer yielding any profit."
Luke Bruinen, Vice President of the LSVb student union, is personally suffering from a housing crisis. After four years of studying in Utrecht, he is still without housing there and has to travel daily from Zwolle, a journey that takes about an hour. He said, "Some students travel longer distances. This is time they would prefer to spend studying or building their social relationships, and it is difficult for them to integrate into the city where they are studying." While Bruinen rejects the complaints of landlords who see renting student housing as no longer economically viable, he described some of them as "greedy landlords who want to exploit students for maximum profit instead of providing reasonable housing for them." He also called on universities and colleges to take responsibility and provide suitable housing for students on campus. Bruinen suggested that municipalities facilitate the rental process for three or more students in one property. He emphasized the need to find solutions to reduce the time graduates spend in student housing due to the overall housing shortage. He proposed what is known as "campus contracts," where the tenant is required to vacate the room immediately upon graduation.