‘I started looking for a room back in April. I got to view one, but it was so full of mould that I was sick for two days afterwards. So I didn’t go for that one.’ This is the story of Tristan, first-year Urban Studies student. Like his fellow student Benjámin, he is urgently looking for housing. Both internationals are currently staying in a hostel.
 
For a moment, it seemed like a room might be close at hand. Last month, Tristan received an e-mail from the university: commercial landlord Student Housing The Hague had informed that rooms would soon become available.
 
Tristan was already aware that there are many scammers out there who see international students as easy prey. However, the fact that the university itself recommended Student Housing The Hague made him feel confident that he was dealing with a trustworthy party. The landlord is also listed on the university’s website, on a page with housing tips for international students.
 
He registers and finds a room that just fits his budget. But to apply for the room, he first has to pay 85 euros. ‘I wouldn’t normally do that, but since the university itself recommended them, I made an exception and did so anyway.’

‘FILLED OUT INCORRECTLY’

Shortly after registering, he gets a reply from the landlord: the registration form was filled out incorrectly, the desired end date is wrong. He is asked to fill it out again. Cost: another 85 euros. Tristan: ‘It wasn’t indicated anywhere in advance that the room would only be available until a certain date; I don’t know how I should have known that.’ Given the high demand for rooms, he decides to pay the amount anyway.
 
Not long after, Tristan receives an e-mail from another company, Student Housing Hunter, requesting that he pay another 1,200 euros. ‘We kindly request that you complete the payment of the one-time fee of €1,200 EUR, as specified in the service agreement. This fee covers the full range of services designed to ensure a smooth transition to your new accommodation’, reads the e-mail.

The fee is not mentioned in Student Housing The Hague’s general terms and conditions, which Tristan had received, but it is mandatory for the so-called “Welcome to NL” offer, a collaborative arrangement between Student Housing The Hague and Student Housing Hunter.
 
The frequently asked questions on Student Housing The Hague’s website state that tenants are required to pay a one-time fee for the “Welcome to NL” offer. The amount of the fee is not specified. It does say that in exchange for this fee, the tenant will get several services, including a translation of the rental contract and other documents, help with municipal registration, buying a Dutch SIM card and maintaining contact with the owner of the rented room. Student Housing Hunter also charges monthly fees, but those are already included in the rent.

SUSPICION

The fee comes as a big surprise to Tristan. ‘The rent was already pushing the limits of my budget. With this additional fee on top, it actually became too expensive for me. Almost all of the rooms being offered at that time were under the “Welcome to NL” banner, so I had no idea at all that this meant extra costs. I thought it was just their standard procedure.’
 
The 1,200 euros have to be paid promptly. The offer is only valid for three days and has been extended to multiple people. The first person to accept and pay gets the room. There may be additional service charges in the rental contract on top of the advertised rent, but those will only become visible once the €1200 is paid.

Tristan has a suspicion that something is off and decides to e-mail the university to ask if this is advisable.
 
The reply does not come soon enough. After two days, Tristan is informed that someone else has accepted the offer: it has expired. Two weeks later, he finally receives a reply from a housing officer at the university. They ask if the 1,200 euros might be a deposit and emphasise that the landlord is an ‘official housing agency’.

MONEY BACK

Fellow Urban Studies student Benjámin has a similar story. ‘I was looking for a room, and the Student Housing The Hague website looked reliable. When I searched for a room in The Hague, I could filter by university, so that gave me the impression that this is an official party that works with universities.’
 
Benjámin applies for a room he wants to rent for a month, as a transitional period. He also has to pay 85 euros upfront to register, and then he too receives an e-mail from Student Housing Hunter requesting that he pay 1,200 euros.
 
He replies that he considers that amount too high and demands his money back. In response, Student Housing Hunter states that a mistake has been made: 1,200 euros is the fee for students who rent a room for an entire year or longer. Since Benjámin only wants to rent a room for one month, he only has to pay a one-time fee of 240 euros, on top of the 85 euros he already transferred to Student Housing The Hague.
 
Benjámin refuses to pay this amount as well. ‘Fortunately, I was able to get the 85 euros back through my bank after disputing the payment.’ According to the bank statement, Student Housing The Hague does not dispute the chargeback. Tristan has not yet received back the total 170 euros he paid.

ALERT

Mare asked the university how the list of recommended landlords on the website was compiled, and whether any research was done into how these companies operate. According to spokesperson Caroline van Overbeeke, the list was compiled ‘after we had contact with a number of parties in the past and some of them asked us if we would list them on the website’. She adds that none of the companies paid to be listed.

The university considers Student Housing The Hague an official housing agency because ‘they are registered with the Chamber of Commerce and our housing office has good contact with this party’. When asked whether the warning about potential costs is sufficient to alert students to the exorbitant charges, Van Overbeeke replies: ‘We hope this disclaimer makes students more alert. We also expect students to take responsibility themselves, to properly research their options and to be alert when looking for suitable housing. Naturally, we take complaints about exploitation seriously.’
 
Will the university re-evaluate its recommendations as a result of Mare’s reporting? ‘We will certainly be alert to it.’
 
Mare asked Student Housing The Hague to provide an explanation for their high fees. ‘We are just a platform that facilitates the booking process and are hired by the landlord. In some cases, we offer properties that come through Student Housing Hunter. That party finds landlords who want to stop renting due to new regulations and negotiates agreements with them to keep properties available for students.’
 
According to the company, it ‘makes sense that the contract is provided only after signing the agreement (and paying the 1,200 euros, Ed.) between the student and Student Housing Hunter (SHH). The service agreement doesn’t apply if no rental agreement is in place, but the accommodation cannot be rented out if the former agreement hasn’t been made.’
 
Regarding the costs for the “Welcome to NL” offer, the landlord says: ‘Our website provides an explanation of the various costs and why a one-time fee is charged by SHH. SHH is free to decide what fees they charge and what considerations they take into account. We can’t change our FAQs or documents every time SHH changes something in their operations.’ On the double charging of the 85-euro fee, Student Housing the Hague says: ‘If a wrong date is entered, a full refund of the costs may not be granted. We refund the fee to candidates who entered incorrect information, provided that the candidate continues with the booking process and completes the application successfully.
 
‘A lot of errors are made in essential information such as the end date, date of birth or even the surname. In addition, we have also noticed that candidates will sometimes intentionally provide incorrect information, for example by entering themselves as guarantors, or by uploading photoshopped bank statements. Without the €85 fee, we would be faced with a lot of extra work without knowing whether students are genuinely serious about their intention to rent.’

RECLAIM

According to the Woonbond, an interest group for tenants and housing seekers, there is a high chance that those fees are illegal. ‘It doesn’t matter what they call it, the bottom line is that any kind of mediation fee can only be charged if the tenant themselves requested the mediation. If that’s not the case, the landlord is considered the client for the mediation and is liable for the costs’, says spokesperson Mathijs ten Broeke.
 
‘The Supreme Court has ruled that a mediator cannot legally serve two masters. It doesn’t matter whether the landlord pays the mediator for their services or not.’ Tenants can reclaim illegally charged mediation fees up to five years after the fact. The Woonbond provides standard letters to do so.
 
Benjámin and Tristan are still looking for a room. Tristan: ‘I don’t know if those fees are legal, but even if they are, the university shouldn’t recommend a company that does business like that.’