Landlords bypass rules with group contract

Landlords bypass rules with group contract

More and more, students are on joint housing contracts for the whole student house, research from NOS op 3 shows. This way, landlords circumvent the rules. By doing so, they are able to charge higher rents for rooms.

Especially in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, students often get so-called group contracts, research by NOS op 3 shows. There are different variants. Sometimes a contract only lists one main tenant, while the others do not even officially live in the house. NOS op 3 does not give any specific information on the situation in Delft.

With this, landlords hope to prevent students from speaking up to the rent commission to force a rent reduction. The rental point system, used by municipalities to keep rents in check, does not apply to group contracts. In the point system, each room has a maximum rent, which depends on, for example, the surface area and amenities. By not sticking to the system, landlords are able to ask a higher rent.

Challenge
The National Union of Students is shocked. President Elisa Weehuizen: “The landlords are only concerned with how to squeeze as much money out of student rooms as possible. Any kind of responsibility, they avoid.” The union informs students with group contracts about their position and what follow-up steps they can take.   

Students can try to challenge an imposed group contract, though. The practice is sometimes different from what the contract states, for example if students transfer the rent directly to the landlord or if the price is fixed per room. (HOP, PvT)