VU Amsterdam has appealed a decision by the subdistrict court stating that it may not charge mediation fees to international students for whom it arranges housing. Five students, supported by the !WOON tenant support agency and the Emil Blaauw Fund, filed a lawsuit against the university over the issue.
VU Amsterdam believes it may charge the fee – an amount of 500 euros. “We don’t earn a cent from it, but we use it to pay landlords like DUWO a deposit for any vacancies in the units they reserve for international students”, says Marcel Nollen of the executive board.
30 million
The lawsuit came up recently in a meeting with the university student council. “It’s a service we provide to international students”, Nollen said at the time. “If they start filing lawsuits against us because of it, we’ll simply stop.”
Nollen fears the case could set a precedent. Not only for VU Amsterdam, but also for other educational institutions that help international students find housing with student-housing providers. The court has ordered VU Amsterdam to repay the mediation fees to the five students. The ruling does not mean that all international students who paid such fees now automatically have a right to reimbursement, but if they start legal proceedings, this case will serve as a precedent.
“In the most extreme scenario, this could cost all institutions together as much as 30 million”, Nollen stated.