Students hand over letters to DUWO about roommate selection policy

Last week, student council party ORAS and tenants’ organisation WijWonen handed over 127 letters to student housing provider DUWO. In the letters, tenants share their experiences with house hunting, housemates and living together.

In June, DUWO announced its intention to amend its current tenant selection policy. Existing tenants would no longer be allowed to choose their new housemates entirely on their own. DUWO’s aim in doing so is to increase equal opportunities for house hunters.

‘More than just a selection tool’

The announcement caused unrest in several student cities. Eighteen Delft student associations sent an open letter to DUWO director Anneleen Lagae to express their concerns.

In the new letter campaign, both Dutch and international students share their experiences with hospiteren, housemates and living together. Both positive and negative. The letter writers live in different types of houses, including association houses, mixed houses and two-person houses.

According to ORAS and WijWonen, the letters reveal ‘a clear desire for free roommate selection without pre-selection’, they write in a joint press release. They believe that the current admission policy is more than just a selection tool.

Local politics

The issue is also being discussed in local politics. Municipal council party STIP previously submitted written questions to the executive board of the municipality (the mayor and aldermen) about the proposed policy change. The questions and answers can be found on the Municipality of Delft’s website (in Dutch).