The shortage of student housing has risen to almost 27,000. That is slightly more than last year, according to the National Student Housing Monitor 2022 by Kences, a knowledge center for student housing. However, that thinks that the shortage will increase to 44,800 in the 2029/2030 school year in the twenty main student cities. According to Kences, 95 percent of the increase in the deficit can be explained by the increase in international students, who often have nothing to fall back on.
On average, students spend almost half (47 percent) of their disposable income on housing costs, the center has calculated. Those costs are higher than average in Amsterdam, The Hague, Haarlem and Rotterdam. In Enschede, Nijmegen and Wageningen it is at least not that bad in relative terms.
A quarter of the students live in a studio, which is more than before. Kences doesn’t think that’s such a good development. “It is striking that living in rooms, where students share facilities such as the kitchen and living room, is good for the well-being of Dutch students. Studying is a crucial phase in life and living in rooms contributes to the social-emotional development of students “says Kences director Jolan de Bie based on his own research.
In addition, rooms are less attractive to groups other than students, which means that they are more likely to be allocated to those students if available. However, studios are more profitable for the providers. “The government pays an average of 333 euros per month through the rent allowance to all parties that invest in studios. Parties that invest in new rooms receive nothing at all. And this is not correct,” says De Bie.