The journalists reviewed more than 2,500 advertisements on Kamernet, the largest provider of student rooms in the Netherlands, in July and August. They compared the asking rents with the maximum rent legally allowed for a room.

They found that six in ten rooms were overpriced. In Amsterdam, 97 percent of the rooms surveyed were too expensive, costing an average of 421 euros more than allowed. In Leiden and Utrecht, the figures were 81 and 72 percent, respectively.

Enschede, where the housing shortage is less severe, came to ‘only’ 14 percent. Eindhoven was somewhere in the middle: 49 percent of the rooms had rents that were too high. On average, these rooms were 185 euros per month too expensive.

Points system

The maximum rent is calculated using a points system designed to protect room renters from excessive rents. The upper limit is based on factors including the size of the room, the number of housemates, and the shared facilities.

Under the Affordable Rent Act, introduced in 2024, municipalities can intervene when landlords charge excessive rents, imposing fines and requiring rents to be lowered. However, Argos says that this option is rarely used. Some municipalities are taking active steps. In Rotterdam, eight in ten of the rooms surveyed were overpriced, but the municipality intervened hundreds of times.

Tenants can also initiate proceedings themselves to have their rent lowered, for example with the help of a local Rental Team.

Giving up

The high rents are linked to the ongoing shortage of rooms. According to research, there is a nationwide shortage of more than 20,000 rooms. As a result, many students give up their search.

The Argos broadcast (in Dutch) can be listened to here.

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.