Students give up hope of finding a room: housing shortage worsens
Fewer and fewer students are actively searching for a room; due to the persistent shortage, many are giving up hope. This is the conclusion of Kences, the knowledge center for student housing. Students would like to move out, but are unable to, according to the figures.
The latest National Student Housing Monitor from Kences shows that only 44 percent of students rent a room, while nearly half (49 percent) would like to move out of their parents’ home. Eight years ago, 52 percent lived in student housing, while 59 percent expressed the wish to do so.
In Amsterdam, the student housing market is particularly tight compared to other Dutch university cities, the report notes. The supply of housing exclusively intended for students is also relatively low in Amsterdam.
According to Kences director Jolan de Bie, the shortage of student rooms threatens the accessibility of higher education. Students who are forced to live at home often have to travel long distances or even abandon their first choice of study. In addition, those who live at home miss an important part of their social and emotional development and report feeling more isolated, De Bie said on behalf of Kences.
Meanwhile, the supply of student housing continues to decline. While 5,000 new rooms have been built, this academic year 17,800 fewer students are living in the private rental sector than a year ago. This is because more and more private landlords are selling their student houses due to the new rental law. The total national shortage is now estimated at 21,000 rooms and could rise to more than 63,000 over the next ten years.
