The city of Nijmegen takes action against problems caused by student housing. House owners will face more consequences if the students in their houses cause nuisance. The residents group and the SSH& reacted critically.

In the past years, there have been complaints about the growing number of houses that are being rebuilt into student housing. Instead of declining the number of houses, like some home owners wished, the town council is making the rules for student housing more strict. Landlords who work illegally now, get a chance to come forward and legalise their business. Nijmegen guesses that around 1500 buildings are now used for illegal student housing.

Apart from that, landlords should make themselves known in the neighbourhood, so that people can come directly to them if they have complaints. They will need a license if they have more than three rooms (right now, that limit is five rooms) and when a new license is issued, the town will check whether the living quality of the surrounding area is not affected by the new student house.

Canon
The residents group that has outed the most complaints about nuisance, called platform Kamerbreed, thinks the town’s plans are not going far enough. According to the platform, the increase of student houses causes urban decay and makes some streets less nice to live in. Kamerbreed is sceptical about the town’s promise to register complaints better and wants to see more actions against houses that cause nuisance.

The SSH&, the biggest student accommodation provider, thinks that the town is ‘shooting a canon at a mosquito’ with the new rules. The student gets stigmatised, according to director Kees Stunnenberg. He fears that students do not feel welcome in Nijmegen anymore. The SSH& says that in case of excessive nuisance, the town should take action, but most students are socially concerned and work hard.

Source: De Gelderlander