Hundreds of international students contact housing hotline

 

Hundreds of international students contact housing hotline

 

 

Hundreds of international students have contacted the housing hotline of the Landelijke Studentenvakbond (the Dutch ‘National Union of Students’). The hotline has been contacted 658 times in the past year and a half, the union reports in a brief report.

 

 

The most common complaint: students cannot find accommodation. They hear nothing when they respond to an advertisement or the recruitment text even explicitly states ‘no internationals’.

^{Student housing at the Balthasar van der Polweg. (Photo: Lucas de Leeuw)}

Abuse

Bad landlords abuse the situation, says LSVb president Ama Boahene. They ask too much rent and sometimes refuse to carry out repairs. They even threaten with eviction if tenants say something about it. In the worst case, house hunters are downright cheated. They then pay money to see a room that does not even exist.

 

 

The union interviewed four students about their experiences. They are surprised that their educational institution cannot help them and does not offer rooms for international students itself. (HOP, Bas Belleman)

 

• Also read: Internationals looking for a room: ‘I’m basically homeless’ and Shortfall of 1,500 student rooms in Delft