Student housing in the Netherlands faces widespread illegal rent hikes

An investigation by the journalistic platform Argos reveals that 60 percent of student room advertisements on Kamernet exceed legal rent limits. On average, landlords are charging 239 euros more per month than the maximum allowed by the statutory points system.

The issue is most acute in major university cities. In Amsterdam, 97 percent of examined rooms were overpriced, with rents averaging 421 euros above the legal limit. Other cities showing high rates of non-compliance include Leiden (81 percent), Utrecht (72 percent), and Delft (62 percent).

Despite the 2024 Affordable Rent Act (Wet betaalbare huur) granting municipalities the power to intervene, enforcement remains minimal in many areas. For instance, no fines were issued in Utrecht or Nijmegen, and Amsterdam reported only two cases in 2025. In contrast, Rotterdam has been more active, taking action hundreds of times despite 80 percent of examined rooms being overpriced. The crisis is exacerbated by a national shortage of over 20,000 student rooms.