National Student Union: 'A little less conversation, a little more action'

"The housing crisis is hitting students hard," says Maaike Krom, chair of the National Student Union (LSVb). That is why the organisation is protesting the crisis alongside other organisations, such as the Housing Association and FNV Young & United.

Many students in the Netherlands have given up searching for a room altogether and are just staying with their parents for longer, according to statistics unveiled this autumn. The shortage of student rooms could reach 63,000 by 2032.

The interview below was conducted before the protest.

Why are you taking to the streets?
Everyone in politics stresses the importance of building more homes, yet they do little or nothing. They should stop talking and take action. We hope that several hundred protesters will turn up.

What do you think is going wrong in the housing market?
We are far too dependent on private landlords. An additional 18,000 homes for students have disappeared from the private sector, and rents remain so high that people cannot afford them.

Some parties say that the solution to this problem is to reduce the influx of foreign students. They believe this would make student rooms available again.
You can't blame international students for the housing crisis. Politicians have chosen to cut back on housing and not invest enough. The housing crisis is caused by political indecision, not by international students. Our economy actually needs international students.

Other parties propose to increase the supply by making it easier for students to obtain temporary rental contracts.
We are against these temporary contracts because students could be out on the street again after a year or two. That is not a solution.

What would be a solution?
We believe that the government should guarantee that students get a room. One way to do so would be to collaborate with educational institutions or housing associations, which would quickly ensure that housing is available for students who lack a pleasant home situation or are currently forced to travel long distances.

What do you mean by "an unpleasant home situation"?
Not every student lives in a place that is conducive to studying. Besides, people can also simply clash with their parents; that's part of growing up. It may not be necessary for everyone, but for many young people, living independently is significant in terms of social and emotional development.

How to quickly increase the number of student homes available?
To do that, you must tackle the vacancy rate, as they are doing in Amsterdam and Utrecht. Housing associations need to be given more scope to do this. Let them take over vacant properties and transform them into homes. In the longer term, we need to get the social rental sector back on track. We simply cannot assume that slumlords will provide enough housing.

What are your expectations for the elections?
We hope that the new House of Representatives will not wait until the formation of a coalition government has been successful, because we don't have that kind of time. Everyone wants a place to live; you don't need a coalition for that.