With more than 33 thousand student rooms in locations including Amsterdam, Delft, Leiden and Wageningen, DUWO is one of the largest student housing providers in the Netherlands. Last year, it announced plans to overhaul its housemate selection policy.
DUWO argues that the current system is unfair, leaving some students at a significant disadvantage when it comes to getting a room. The housing provider therefore plans to carry out a preselection itself. Residents will then have to choose their new housemate from the resulting shortlist.
The decision is facing widespread resistance, however. A petition against the plans gathered thousands of signatures, and municipal councils in Delft, Leiden and Utrecht have passed motions urging DUWO to retain free housemate choice or to open talks on the issue.
National politics
The issue escalated to the national level, prompting coalition party VVD to put questions to then education minister Gouke Moes (BBB). However, he said he wouldn’t intervene.
The current housing minister, Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan (D66), now says the same, writing as much in response to parliamentary questions from fellow party member Robin van Leijen.
Advantages and drawbacks
According to Boekholt-O’Sullivan, the current housemate selection system has advantages as well as drawbacks. While the system may “foster stronger social cohesion”, it comes at the expense of equal housing opportunities for some groups. But, she says, “it is up to the landlord to weigh these interests.”
The minister stresses nonetheless that landlords must act transparently. Even when students are allowed to select their housemates, this cannot be “unrestricted”. While they are free to choose someone who fits their household, they are not allowed to “make distinctions on the basis of origin or skin colour”.
According to Boekholt-O’Sullivan, the most important issue is increasing the supply of student housing. By relaxing rules on shared housing and renting, and by building more student accommodation, she hopes to reduce the shortage.