New rental rules make Dutch student housing crisis even worse

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If you’re a student frantically refreshing rental websites this summer, you’re not alone. According to the NOS, the availability of student rooms in the Netherlands has plummeted by 30% compared to last year.

And new rental regulations are partly to blame.

While the Dutch government introduced the Affordable Housing Act (Wet Betaalbare Huur) last year to protect tenants from sky-high rents, it’s having an unintended consequence: landlords are abandoning the student rental market entirely.

First, let’s talk about the numbers

In the past quarter, students could apply for fewer than 5,800 rentals under 25 square metres. This marks a dramatic drop from the same period last year.

And with university towns already struggling with housing shortages, this reduction is pushing the crisis to new extremes.

Speaking with the NOS, Jolan de Bie, director of student housing knowledge centre Kences, calls these developments “deeply concerning.”

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READ MORE | Renting in the Netherlands: the ultimate guide

According to Kences, nearly half of all student accommodation (43%) relies on private landlords, but these property owners are increasingly finding student rentals unprofitable.

“We see that, especially in university cities, many buildings with student rooms have been sold in the past year”, says De Bie.

What’s causing this? Landlords are backing out

The new rental regulations have created a perfect storm for private landlords. The points system now caps what they can charge for properties, and this is often below what owners consider viable.

Meanwhile, Box 3 taxes have increased, and renting to more than two people now requires municipal permits.

Can anything be done about it?

For international students, the situation is particularly brutal. You’re not just competing with Dutch students who have been on waiting lists for years — you’re also navigating a system where finding student housing has become increasingly like winning the lottery.

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However, there could be a way to fix this. Housing experts suggest several approaches to address the crisis:

• Campus contracts: These agreements require students to move out upon graduation, ensuring better housing turnover.
• Municipal flexibility: Allowing more multi-person rentals without permits could encourage landlords to return to the market.
• University responsibility: Student unions argue that universities accepting international students should provide adequate campus housing.

The irony isn’t lost on anyone: regulations designed to make housing more affordable have made student accommodation scarcer than ever.

As the Dutch saying goes, “de pijn wordt weggenomen, maar de ziekte blijft” — the pain is removed, but the illness remains.

For now, students face an increasingly impossible choice between affordable education and actually having somewhere to live while pursuing it.

Are you struggling to find student housing in the Netherlands? Share your experience in the comments below.

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