Next year, internationals will again be placed in Droompark Spaarnwoude
The UvA is working hard to arrange student accomodation for all international students who applied for a study. In addition to the ‘fixed quotum’ of 2,700 rooms, the UvA has arranged two emergency solutions, including 24 chalets at holiday resort Droompark Spaarnwoude. ‘It is still unclear if we can arrange a place for everyone.’
University spokesperson Annelies van Dijk says ‘the pressure on the student housing market is increasing every year and it becomes more difficult every year to help everyone find a home’. ‘We have more registrations for the room mediation service than last year. That is good news in itself, because it means that students know where to find us, but on the other hand it is becoming more difficult to place everyone.’
The UvA has a current ‘fixed quotum’ of 2,700 rooms for international students, spread over 21 locations in the city. These rooms are from large student accomodation providers such as De Key and Duwo, which vary in price between 350 and 650 euros. Complexes where international students felt unsafe this year, such as the Daalwijkflat and Echtenstein, are also included.
Waiting list
Despite the 2,700 units, there are currently ‘several hundreds of students’ on the waiting list, says Van Dijk. However, that number might be distorted. ‘From our experience, we know that not all people on the waiting list are actually looking for a house. Some people ultimately do not opt for the UvA, others have found accomodation using a different route, but they do not cancel.’
At the end of July, the UvA is likely to address the emergency solutions, says Van Dijk. ‘Those are places where students can live temporarily. The first is Droompark Spaarnwoude, where we have 24 chalets for 96 students.’ The recreational park was also used by the UvA last year to accommodate international students.
The other option is new. ‘Xior is a real estate party and has a complex with 320 units in Amsterdam Zuidoost. 173 of these are intended for internationals.’ The accommodation is temporary. ‘The unites are in the higher price segment’, says Van Dijk. ‘This is a new party in this market, so we don’t want to make a long-term commitment yet.’
The Student Hotel
Apart from that, there is The Student Hotel, but that’s a different cookie. ‘When students sign up for our mediation service, we inform them about the concept and about the fact that students do not have rental rights’, says Van Dijk. If students choose to go there, the university will send them to the website of The Student Hotel and they can register for one of the ninety rooms that are reserved for UvA students. When those ninety rooms are full, the students are sent back to the UvA website and put in the queue there.
Whether all internationals will be placed in September is not certain, says Van Dijk. ‘It is very hard, but we’re doing the best we can.’
