It’s no secret that the Netherlands has a MASSIVE student housing shortage — but a solution could be on the horizon.
What is it, you ask? According to AD, researchers from the independent knowledge organisation Platform31 suggest cutting the beloved huurtoeslag (rental allowance). 😬
They believe the allowance has made it too attractive for developers to build studio apartments rather than shared homes for students.
What is the rental allowance?
The rental allowance or rent benefit is a government contribution in the Netherlands that helps with rental payments.
READ MORE | Huurtoeslag?! All you need to know about Dutch rental allowance in 2024
To qualify for huurtoeslag, you must live in a self-contained rental property and meet specific income, rent, and asset limits based on your household composition.
So, how would this help?
Students living in shared housing are currently not eligible for rental allowance since they don’t live in a self-contained space. As a result, more students choose to live in studios to be able to cash in that sweet huurtoeslag.
So, cutting the rental allowance could help ease the student housing crisis by making it more attractive for developers to build homes with multiple student rooms.
READ MORE | 11 creative solutions to the Dutch student housing crisis that makes us say “Why didn’t we think of that?”
Platform31’s research shows that over the course of 50 years, billions of euros could be saved by cutting the huurtoeslag.
This money, in turn, could be invested into the construction of new shared housing, which would be able to accommodate many more students.
The mental health benefits of shared housing
Whereas Platform31 believes the rental allowance should be cut entirely, the Dutch National Student Union believe that there is another solution: extending it to those who live in shared student housing.
The union agrees that there is more of a need for ‘old-fashioned’ rooms, as they can not only help with the housing crisis, but they can also have great benefits for the tenants.
Specifically, students in studio apartments tend to socialise a lot less than those in regular rooms. For example, the student union “spoke to a student who lived in a studio for the first three months and didn’t speak to anyone”.
This can not only have an impact on a student’s social life but also their general studies as socialising is part of the university experience.
Do you think the rental allowance should be cut in the Netherlands? Let us know in the comments below 👇
