Growing student housing shortage in the Netherlands leaves students hopeless

A new report by Kences, the student housing knowledge centre, has concluded that students in the Netherlands are giving up on finding housing while they complete their studies, as the shortage continues to worsen.

More students in the Netherlands forced to live at home

Based on figures from the National Student Housing Monitor, 44 percent of students in the Netherlands live in student housing, while 49 percent would like to. Eight years ago, 52 percent of students lived away from home, and 59 percent wanted to but couldn’t.

According to Kences, as fewer and fewer student rooms become available, students are giving up hope of finding a room, and access to higher education is being limited. "If you can't leave home, it usually means a longer commute or having to choose a different program because the distance is too great," Kences director Jolan de Bie told NOS. 

"The experience of being (partially) excluded from student life can also lead to feelings of isolation and lower self-esteem," said De Bie. Not only do students who are forced to stay at home with their parents miss out on student life and building a network that could help find a job later on, but it also reduces knowledge migration, as other countries with more housing available for international students become more attractive. 

Finding Dutch student housing becoming increasingly difficult

It’s well known that the student housing shortage is getting worse in the Netherlands - the supply in Amsterdam has dropped by almost 27 percent, and students are paying over 6 percent more amid the dwindling supply. While 5.000 rooms have recently been added, more landlords are selling off their properties due to the Affordable Rent Act, resulting in a current shortage of 21.000 student rooms. 

This shortage is expected to get even worse in the future despite student numbers declining, with between 26.000 and 63.200 too few student rooms in the 2032-2033 academic year. This is higher than first predicted because so many private landlords are selling off student housing. 

Student union LSVb is calling on the government to come up with a solution. "There's less and less supply, rents have risen, and students are earning less,” said Maaike Krom from LSVb. “They have limited opportunities to work alongside their full-time studies. Their well-being is also declining because they're constantly preoccupied with financial matters."

According to De Bie, allowing temporary contracts for students and making it easier for up to four students to share a house would help ease the situation. Municipalities currently require a permit for this to prevent nuisance. "As far as I'm concerned, the days of the nuisance argument are over. We're facing a widespread housing crisis in the Netherlands, and sharing a house with up to three people doesn't lead to additional nuisance, provided it's targeted at specific groups."