Students pay less rent when sharing a home with the landlord

In the Netherlands, an estimated 30,000 to 37,000 people rent out a room in their own home and often share the communal facilities with the tenant, usually a student.

According to a report by Hospi Housing, a large platform for this type of rentals, such rooms are cheaper than regular rooms in most university cities. In some of them, such as Enschede and Maastricht, the difference is small, but in cities like Amsterdam, Haarlem and Utrecht, the difference in price it can be 250 euros or more.

A graph comparing rent prices when sharing a home with the landlord (dark blue) and renting a regular room (light blue). Source: Hospi Housing.

A survey of 4,000 people renting out rooms in their own homes reveals that many people don't do it for the money. Less than 30 percent of respondents mention the extra income as a reason for doing it. Around 60 percent of those surveyed simply think it is a shame to have an empty room in their home. This may explain the lower rents.

Previous research showed that 2 to 8 per cent of Dutch people were considering renting out a room in their homes at the time of the survey. That would amount to approximately 150,000 rooms, which could help alleviate the room shortage. The Dutch government is keen on encouraging this practice and removing legal barriers.