Is Your Student House Unsafe? Here’s How to Address It
Steps you can take to resolve housing issues with your landlord.
Living as a student in Groningen has many perks—vibrant nightlife, great courses, and good public transport. However, while student life offers many positives, issues can arise when your living situation feels unsafe or when you’re dealing with an uncooperative landlord. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to address these concerns.
Help from the Rent Assessment Committee
In the Netherlands, there’s an independent organisation called the Rent Assessment Committee (Huurcommissie). It acts as a mediator when tenants and landlords disagree about rent, maintenance, or service costs. The committee evaluates disputes based on legislation and makes decisions that both parties must follow. As a student, you can contact the committee if your landlord isn’t upholding their responsibilities.
Some reasons you might contact the Rent Assessment Committee include:
- Your landlord isn’t following through on agreements.
- You feel insulted or threatened by the landlord.
- Your landlord enters your room without permission.
- Complaints go unanswered or unresolved.
- Nuisance from neighbours, which your landlord isn’t addressing.
- You can also use their services to lower your rent based on the newly mandatory points system, read our article on how to do that here.
You're Not Alone
Since 2019, nearly 4,300 tenants from student cities have reached out to the Rent Assessment Committee, and in over 80% of the cases, the tenants were found to be in the right. This shows that many students face similar challenges, and there’s support available.
Vulnerable Students
The National Student Union (LSVb) notes that students are especially vulnerable in the rental market. Unlike other tenants, students are often on temporary contracts, which can make them hesitant to report issues for fear of losing their housing. To help students, the LSVb suggests first consulting a rental team, like the one in Groningen, which can assess your situation without obligation.
Steps to Take
Before involving the Rent Assessment Committee, it’s recommended that you first try to resolve the issue directly with your landlord. If that fails, you can file a complaint with the committee through their online platform, My Rent Assessment Committee. Additionally, if you’re unsure what responsibilities fall on you or your landlord, you can use the committee’s defect check tool to clarify repair duties.