Absentee landlords and the room-rental scourge

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Absentee landlords and the room-rental scourge 26/05/2008 00:00

In many Dutch cities and neighbourhoods, residents are complaining about absentee landlords who purchase homes and split them into units, renting small apartments and rooms to students and foreign workers. By Frank Scimone.

In some cities entire neighbourhoods have been affected by a room-rental scourge. Problems of noise pollution, littering and poor upkeep are forcing many residents to leave.

In the northern town of Groningen the town council decided in 2005 to raise the number of apartments which can be rented to the tens of thousands of students who study in the town from nine percent to 25 percent. The result is that many working class neighbourhoods are being flooded with noisy students and residents are

fleeing to the suburbs. The town is now reassessing the situation.

Ordinance abolished

Several years ago the town of Eindhoven decided to abolish an ordinance that allowed no more than ten percent of houses to be rented as rooms. In one street 90 percent of family homes have been turned into rental units for students and foreign workers. Residents have asked that the ten-percent norm be reinstated. The town refused, but has banned the sale of more homes to absentee landlords and room-rental agencies. In Utrecht the municipality recently decided to stop issuing permits allowing homes to be split up in a number of neighbourhoods.

The problem stems from the fact that the number of houses constructed in recent decades has not been enough to meet the increase in population. Also, in the past few years 100,000 Eastern Europeans have come to work in the Netherlands. The only way to house them - outside of places such as caravans - is to split existing housing into smaller units.

In its series of reports on problem neighbourhoods, de Volkskrant writes about the Woensel-West district in Groningen. Residents say that absentee landlords are the greatest threat to their neighbourhood. The speculators, who rent the rooms to students and foreign workers (mostly Poles) squeeze as many people as possible into homes that were built for a single family.

"A house with Poles looks more like a mattress-rental firm."

Noise pollution

The greatest problem is noise since the tenants come and go at all hours of the day. And people who work 12 hours a day have little contact with their neighbours. The buildings are also run down since the landlords don't spend enough on the upkeep of buildings which are already suffering extensive wear and tear.

In Groningen residents are setting up committees to fight the rundown of their neighbourhoods. One committee, an Undisturbed Night's Rest, protests against the noise pollution. The town of Groningen has set up a web-log where residents can list their complaints. People write in to complain about loud music, beer bottles being thrown out the window and cans of beer in the garden.

One resident writes that the woman above her is selling her apartment out of desperation because of all the noise and irritations caused by the students. She say she has no other choice but to leave as well.

"It's the only upper-storey flat in the area without students and there's a very good chance it will also be inhabited by students, in addition to the 11 students in the two other upper-storey flats."

She writes that besides the noise they've caused three leakages and the garden pathway is usually blocked by eight to 15 bicycles.

"As far as the slumlords are concerned, I hope that one of them will at least be willing to buy my flat."

She writes that no one else will purchase her apartment for a decent price. She hopes the slumlord will rent the flat to four or eight Poles.

"It can be easily done with bunk-beds. Then you'll really see a conflict in lifestyle (between the students and the Poles). I can't afford a decline in the value of my property of 10,000 to 15,000 euros. I don't have the bank account of a room-rental agency or slumlord."

26-05-2008

[Copyright Radio Netherlands 2008]

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4 reactions to this article

Ann posted: 04-06-2008 | 2:41 PM

We enjoy the people living next to us, but when a house split into four levels includes pot smokers and regular heavy smokers on every level, the smell is difficult to bear. However, in typical Dutch style, we try to work out a positive, respectful solution.

Victoria posted: 04-06-2008 | 5:44 PM

Dont you Dutch have TOWN MEETINGS where ONE can stand up and have ONE say,en masse,
Sorry that is French because they do
It seems Europe is becoming a Frighten,and Scared place to Live NOW
WAKE UP NETHERLANDERS.and go talk to the People whom you voted in,and get them out,and elect new ones Take back your Country Now,do your own dirty work dont leave it up to the immigrants to do it for you.They are not stupid,they know how good they have got it.so they take advantage of your good selves.STOP THIS RIGHT NOW OR THE NEXT ELECTION!!!

student1 posted: 05-06-2008 | 6:00 PM

I have a good solution for them use the Beethoven anti-youth device, and the students will run away from the neibourhood.
Or even better create ghettos for students and Poles, like we have for turkish, arabic, surinamees..
and of course blame students and Poles, they are the first victims of scourge ultra indelicate Dutch landlords, who by the way do not behave that way because they are absent, but because it's more lucrative for them
And Ann not every student is a noisy and smelly pot smoker!

kelly posted: 06-10-2008 | 11:16 AM

yes, what about the landlords? the problem starts with them. my partner and i had a wonderful apartment in florence italy. it was new and we never had any problems. we moved here for a masters program. we decided on an older apartment because the rent was more affordable. since we arrived a month ago we have had nothing but problems. the heater is broken, the ceiling leaks, and though we have asked the landlord not to let anyone into the apartment when we are not home- twice we have come home to find our door open and strangers working in our house. moreover, the apartment owner does not return calls or text messages. i have never felt such a lack of respect. we are not noisy and we are not 'partiers'- we are however, immigrants and students. are there organisations that protect people like us?

students Eindhoven houses absentee landlords foreign workers Gronigen room-rental

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