Student union: ‘Delft is the worst student room city’

Rents are skyrocketing, the supply is disappointing, students have to get into debt to be able to stay in a room and every September international students are forced to sleep on campsites.

But how do municipalities deal with such problems? Wageningen does it best, according (in Dutch) to the National Union of Students (LSVb). That town has one of the ‘healthiest housing markets’ for students. If students cannot move into their rooms right away, the municipality guarantees that they will have a place to live before 1 May.

The student union has made a ranking, although it does not reflect the housing shortage and rental prices one-on-one. The cities also receive points for consultation, policy and information provision. The expensive Amsterdam therefore ranks in the middle and Utrecht is a shared second. In Enschede, the rooms are the cheapest, but the city does not have a ‘rent team’ where you can get advice if, for example, you are paying too much rent or are dealing with an abusive landlord.

^{Scores according to LSVb. Edit: HOP. Translation: Delta.}

The student union denounces two national trends. Students are not always free to live where they want, because cities sometimes set a maximum number of students in a neighbourhood. This forces students to move further and further away. Cities also apply increasingly strict rules to combat dividing up houses into small rooms. Some cities no longer issue permits at all. This limits the supply and pushes up rents, according to the LSVb.

Delft ‘inadequate’
The student union has found this also to be the case in Delft and Rotterdam. In the two lowest scoring cities there are ‘many rules that make it difficult to rent out buildings as student rooms’. In Delft, for example, there is not only a partial ban on dividing up houses, but the city also has the second most expensive conversion permit, according to the LSVb. In addition, the municipality of Delft has no money for a rent team, the LSVb notes, and therefore no local place where students who pay too much rent could go.

LSVb president Ama Boahene is critical: “Policy regarding student housing in Rotterdam and Delft is inadequate. For many students, moving into their own rooms is an important step in their development. A municipality must facilitate this. We hope that Rotterdam and Delft will learn from the other student cities and do better next year.”

Student housing certainly played a major role in the municipal elections earlier this month. In the series of interviews with local party leaders that Delta published prior to 16 March, almost everyone made firm statements. It was not so much the municipality, but especially TU Delft that took the rap. From left to right in the council, the parties are of the opinion that TU Delft should take much more responsibility for student housing.

HOP, Bas Belleman
Delta, Saskia Bonger