- Student
- 15/04/2026
Kings of Kettingstraat bought their own student houses
As there is less profit to be made for private landlords, the supply of student rooms is shrinking. That in itself is nothing new. What is remarkable is that the tenants (who call themselves “kings”) of student house Koningshuysch Montagne took matters into their own hands when their landlord decided he was done with them. The group of men now owns three properties with a total of 18 rooms.
Het Koningshuysch Montagne was founded in 1986, when eight students lived together in a property on Willem de Zwijgerstraat in Eindhoven. There was one main tenant who sublet seven rooms to fellow members of E.S.C. In the fall of 2018, the owner took the tenants to court because he wanted to change the rental contract. “If he renovated the property and found new tenants – for example expats – he could charge three or four times as much rent,” explains Jelle Balk. Balk lived in the Huysch at the time and, together with student Bolke Rijnders van Rooij, he recounts the relocation story to Cursor.
Student housing is disappearing from the market on a large scale, knowledge center Kences reported six months ago. Around ten thousand student rooms were lost the year before, mainly in major cities. In Eindhoven, this concerned 235 rooms. The wave of sales follows new tax rules for people with a second home. These include the Wet betaalbare huur, also known as the Hugo de Jonge Act, and the reform of the wealth tax. The government’s aim is to improve mobility in the housing market. A side effect is that renting out property has become less profitable, prompting landlords to sell their houses—usually to non-students.
The eight students of Het Oude Huysch KH Montagne lost the court case over their rental contract. The landlord was allowed to introduce individual contracts. “We were given no guarantee that new tenants would receive contracts and became worried that this E.S.C. house would cease to exist.”
Balk knows of many houses that have disappeared as student housing. “Now they have herringbone parquet floors and kitchen islands. It happened to two houses in this neighborhood and also to a house in Woensel where I used to live. Everywhere, the stock of student rooms is evaporating.”
Housing market
Due to the shift to individual contracts, the tenants of the former Montagne began searching for a new location at the end of 2019. Their requirements were ambitious: “at least eight rooms, a garden for some fresh air, and a student housing permit.” At the same time, the group was not afraid of renovation work.
With the help of investments from 43 former residents with a strong connection to the house, a budget was assembled to purchase a property. The associated working group included members with experience in banking, construction, and real estate. One of them identified suitable properties on Kettingstraat, in the Rochus neighborhood.
These properties were for sale due to a particular inheritance. A well-known Eindhoven bar owner, Jan Denis, owned not only a café but also 18 properties. After his death, his children inherited the houses and had an investment firm sell them in packages. The Montagne Own Property working group purchased four houses: three under one roof on Kettingstraat and one a bit further down the street. At the time of purchase, the properties came with existing tenants who had permanent contracts, but within six months, four of them had already moved out. Balk and Rijnders van Rooij were among those who took their place. Another year later, all residents were kings.
The houses were—and still are—in need of renovation. The reporter did not immediately notice, but Balk assures that a lot of work has been done. “There was concrete rot in the bay windows, which has now been fixed. The foundation has been reinforced and cracks in the walls have been repaired. The building is no longer sinking or crumbling.” The students themselves also rolled up their sleeves: “We installed flooring, painted window frames, replaced panes, and tiled a toilet. The garden used to be a wilderness—and now it’s more like a dumping ground. But we’re going to fix it up so we can enjoy sitting outside this summer.”
Tips
The kings have advice for students who want to help maintain—at least in part—the supply of student rooms. “If you want to buy your own student house, the first step is to set up a working group. Look within your network to see who has knowledge of real estate and who is enthusiastic about starting this project. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the policy rules surrounding room rentals in Eindhoven. After that, it’s time to establish a structure: seek advice on whether a private limited company (B.V.), a foundation, or another legal form works best for you. Be prepared for the fact that the first house you really want to buy probably won’t work out. The market simply moves faster than you can make decisions. Still, give it a try—you’ll notice that the whole process takes quite a bit of time. We started in 2019, and it was completed in 2022. This was the eleventh house we viewed. By ‘practicing,’ you learn what challenges you’ll face. You learn by doing!”
A major hurdle in Eindhoven is the thirty-meter rule, introduced in 2019. A house cannot receive a student housing permit if there is another student house or subdivided house within a thirty-meter radius. The properties on Kettingstraat already had that permit.
Future
The kings have ambitious plans for the Koningshuysch: they aim, among other things, to renovate the roof and replace the single-pane windows with properly insulating glass. They are also willing to advise students who want to take on a similar project.
This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.
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