LSVb: Internationals face increasingly complex housing problems
The Dutch National Student Union (LSVb) sees a growing accumulation of problems among international students. This is one of the key findings of the Housing Hotline Report 2025, which has been published for the seventh time in a row.
nability to register with the municipality, unexplained fees, and rooms without windows: international students are encountering a wide range of problems in the overheated housing market. According to the LSVb, these issues are becoming increasingly complex.
Due to their limited knowledge of Dutch regulations and the severe housing shortage, international students are a popular target for scammers, the union argues in its report. “Scams are becoming more sophisticated, and scammers almost always get away with it.” The report is based on 263 complaints submitted to the Housing Hotline, an LSVb information service that assists international students with questions about tenants’ rights.
Bed bugs
Students describe a variety of issues, including the absence of rental contracts, infestations of vermin, and being defrauded while searching for accommodation. “We are leaving international students to fend for themselves while they deal with bed bugs, exorbitant rents, and reckless landlords,” said LSVb chair Evy Kras.
The student union puts forward several recommendations. Municipalities, for example, could relax regulations on shared housing in order to create more student rooms. Amsterdam is already exploring whether so-called “friends contracts” – which allow groups of friends to rent a property together – can be reintroduced.
The LSVb also stresses the importance of tenant support teams and argues that they should be easily accessible and adequately funded. Finally, the union would like educational institutions to be given greater authority to become involved in student housing. At present, they have limited powers in this area.
