Student housing shortage? New reporting point aims to expose problems

Struggling to find a room or dealing with a dodgy landlord? Students in Tilburg and Eindhoven can now report their experiences at a new student housing hotline.

The housing shortage in Brabant is severe. Too severe, according to GroenLinks-PvdA in Tilburg and Eindhoven. The party has therefore set up a reporting point for students. University, applied sciences (hbo), and vocational (mbo) students can file reports about their housing problems.

While the shortage in Tilburg may seem less extreme than in some other cities, student room prices there still rose by more than 23 percent last year. Students are increasingly struggling to make ends meet.

‘Every student has the right to affordable housing. Unfortunately, that is not the reality. We hear many complaints from students about the private rental market,’ says Eva de Bruijn of GroenLinks-PvdA Eindhoven. ‘Think of students paying more than €700 for a room, or students being scammed by their landlords.’

So what is the purpose of such a hotline? According to Arne Kramer of GroenLinks-PvdA Tilburg, the reports will help the party map out the scale of the problem in Tilburg and Eindhoven. ‘We will then turn these reports into political action. That way we can raise issues, hold landlords accountable, and push for more and fairer student housing in the city councils.’