The supply of small rental properties and rooms in the private sector is declining by tens of percent

The private supply of small rental properties and rooms in the large student cities continues to decline significantly as investors put their properties up for sale. In the ten largest student cities, the supply via private landlords was on average lower in the third quarter than in the same quarter a year ago. In terms of numbers, the supply in the student cities decreased by 1,200 to 4,700. This is evident from an analysis by NRC from data from Rent.nl, an online platform for home seekers.

Rent.nl automatically collects offers for rental properties on various platforms, including social media and sites such as Kamernet. There is no national register that keeps track of the current supply of private rental properties. To get an idea of ​​what is on offer for students, NRC looked at advertisements for rental properties smaller than 25 square meters.

The supply of smaller homes is shrinking four times as fast as that of the total supply of private rental homes. The decrease was greatest in cities where there are many smaller rental properties. In Amsterdam, supply fell by more than a quarter, in Utrecht and Rotterdam by (almost) a third.

The big outlier is Delft. The supply of student housing there fell by 43.6 percent; Between July and September 2024, a home seeker in Delft could still respond to 305 rooms from private landlords. In the same quarter this year there were only 172.

Community houses for sale

Many students who live away from home are dependent on the private sector for housing. About half live in a room owned by a private landlord. And in large numbers they have sold their rental properties in the past two years.

Landlords complain about high tax burden and a pile of legislation that makes rental complicated and less profitable. For example, the energy label now counts when determining the maximum rental price; which means a lower return for poorly maintained student properties. In many municipalities it is also no longer permitted to live in independent homes (with their own front door, shower and toilet) with more than three tenants on one rental contract. A rental contract must then be drawn up for each room, which not every landlord is happy with.

The result is that many students received a letter from their landlord last year stating that their contract was not being extended. Student associations are very concerned because this will put considerable pressure on the number of association houses, as became apparent last year. At the end of last year, more than a quarter of Delft students indicated that their landlord was planning to sell their house.

In Delft, student organizations have therefore united in the Student Housing Consultation of Student Interest Organizations (SOS) to put the shortage of rooms high on the agenda in local politics. In an urgent letter this spring, SOS wrote that it fears that a quarter to a half of all 1,400 private student houses will disappear by 2030.

Student associations are also joining forces in other cities. For example, the UVSV female student body in Utrecht is working on setting up its own cooperative, which should prevent 240 rooms in 37 association houses from disappearing over the next three years. Former members and other interested parties are approached to become members and contribute to the cooperative. There will be a benefit evening to draw attention to the room shortage.

New construction is disappointing

In addition to the decline in private rentals, new student housing construction has had difficulty getting off the ground in recent years. In 2022, national agreements were made for the construction of at least sixty thousand student homes by 2030, both with new construction and by making better use of the existing stock.

But in practice it is difficult. The ambitions fail because of local legislation, once introduced to combat abuses. Due to nuisance, many cities have a ban on ‘rooming up’. If extra rooms are allowed to be built within the built-up area, parking standards can also be a problem – even though not every student has a car.

It would make a huge difference if restrictive rules for landlords were relaxed

In addition, high construction costs hinder the construction of new student complexes. Not even a single student home was built in Amsterdam in the whole of 2024. After criticism from the Amsterdam council, responsible councilor Steven van Weyenberg (D66) last week designated construction locations for the construction of three thousand additional student homes in the coming years.

In Delft, the municipal council determined in 2021 that at least 2,500 student homes would be added within five years. There were only 136, while major renovation work by student housing provider DUWO will make at least four hundred rooms in Delft temporarily uninhabitable over the next four years.

Although Delft is now working hard to achieve the set construction goals by 2031, councilor Lisanne Fung Fen Chung of the local party STIP is concerned about the housing shortage in the short term. “It would make a huge difference if restrictive rules for landlords were relaxed, so that student houses threatened with sale continue to exist,” she says. „

This relaxation can be introduced this autumn, when a new housing regulation is discussed in the municipal council in Delft. Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht previously adjusted their regulations.

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