Student organisation DAS has submitted a formal letter requesting a complete overhaul of the city’s housing policy. The emphasis is on communal living, better designs and greater student involvement.
According to DAS, ‘existing student houses are being chased away’ and it is difficult to set up new ones. All this makes it challenging to find housing. The so-called ‘liveability test’, used by the municipality to assess whether a house is suitable for student accomodation is also very subjective and needs to be scrapped.
In addition, students must be involved in the management of the housing cooperatives. This will make sure that low rent properties are protected from market forces. A rule protecting houses investment buyers also works against the students and needs to be reevaluated. In neighbourhoods where there is room for more student houses, investors should be able to buy houses for student housing.
Communality
The students also suggest more focus on the communal life. According to the union, sharing common areas (such as living room, kitchen and bathroom) is essential for self-development. They see the current trend towards rent assisted student studios as undesirable. Finally, the students want to be involved in the building plans for student houses. Vacant properties in the inner city area should be converted to large student houses with units for some dozen students.
Source: Studio040
Translator: Seetha
I own a three-bedroom house in the city center and as I only use one of the bedrooms, I’ve been trying to rent out the other two which I’m not allowed to because of a so-called 30 meters rule, which means if any other house within 30 meters is already renting rooms, you can’t do the same, even if yours is owner occupied.
And because there are so many people looking for housing, this rule just makes things worse: Students don’t have options when they’re trying to find affordable rooms on their own.
It’s so frustrating that we can’t help our neighbours!