The Netherlands has major challenges in the housing market, mainly because of scarcity. Finding affordable and decent accommodation can be a struggle, especially when not native to the language or common from a different country. International students are particularly vulnerable because of the discrimination and exploitation they face in the current housing market.
The Problem:
The main issue is the severe shortage of suitable housing options, especially for (international) students. Exploitation and deception are commonly faced when international students try to find a suitable housing situation.
Various sources explain why internationals are more vulnerable than Dutch students:
- Lack of awareness and cultural differences:
- International students often struggle to navigate the local student culture, making it harder for them to recognize warning signs and easier to become victims of exploitation.
- Constantly speaking English at home is often the reason why Dutch students are less likely to select international housemates, contributing to social clustering.
- Preference for familiarity:
- Dutch students may prioritize living with friends from high school or their student association, making them less likely to welcome new international students.
- International students typically stay for shorter periods. Landlords (and housemates) might prefer tenants with longer commitments.
- Practical considerations:
- Landlords and housemates may exclude international students from their selection process to manage overwhelming responses to housing advertisements.
Unveiling Scammer Tactics:
Scammers take advantage of the housing crisis, employing various (although often similar) tactics to deceive potential renters:
- Scammers pressure individuals to pay immediately by claiming that delaying payment could result in losing the opportunity.
- To appear trustworthy they often offer false identification, and scammers use stolen or forged identity documents.
- Posing as current tenants:
- Pretending to be current occupants, scammers assure prospective tenants of the landlord’s reliability, enhancing their credibility.
- Making up sympathetic stories, scammers exploit emotions to facilitate deception.
- Flexibility with preferences:
- Scammers are often very flexible and easily adapt to tenants’ preferences (regarding lease start dates or furnishing options) to gain trust.
- Advance payment requests without viewing:
- Scammers demand upfront payments before viewing the property and often request the money to be transferred to foreign accounts or through specific payment links.
Awareness of these tactics empowers renters to take precautionary measures against scams and safeguard themselves effectively.
Annotated bibliography:
Everyone in the housing market may be affected by enormous scarcity, but international students are even more vulnerable due to increased desperation in their housing search.
University of Groningen https://ukrant.nl/magazine/sorry-no-internationals-alleen-nederlanders-krijgen-een-kamer/
Reasons for not wanting internationals:
Language barrier: Dutch students may struggle with the idea of constantly speaking English at home. After a long day of studying or working, they want to relax, which can be made difficult by the need to communicate in another language.
Cultural differences: It is suggested that international students may not be familiar with the local student culture, such as attending housing interviews and joining student associations. This can lead to a sense of alienation between international and Dutch students.
Preference for acquaintances: Dutch students sometimes prefer to live with friends from high school, making them less inclined to welcome new people, such as international students.
Short stays: International students often stay for a shorter period, which some houses prefer to avoid. Landlords often prefer housemates who will stay for a longer period.
Practical considerations
Due to the large number of responses to advertisements for available rooms, landlords may choose to exclude international students to limit the selection and keep the process manageable.
Unfamiliarity and prejudice
Dutch students may have a distorted view of international students and may not be aware of the challenges they face in finding housing. Prejudices may exist that hinder the acceptance of international students.
https://www.parool.nl/nederland/internationale-studenten-slachtoffer-van-oplichting-door-woningnood-er-zitten-schrijnende-gevallen-tussen~ba41b0d6/?referrer=https://www.google.com/
The main idea of the article is that international students in the Netherlands often face abuse by landlords and difficulties in finding affordable and decent housing. This is supported by reports to the National Student Union (LSVb) and the Amsterdam Student Union ASVA, which point to discrimination, fraud, and neglect of housing. The shortage of student housing is emphasized, especially in Amsterdam, and calls are made for targeted government investments to address this problem.
https://nos.nl/artikel/2441000-1620-euro-kwijt-maar-geen-kamer-studenten-extra-kwetsbaar-voor-oplichting-door-kamernood
The main idea of the article is that students in the Netherlands, especially international students, are particularly vulnerable to fraud due to severe housing shortages. Due to the scarcity of student housing and the increase in the number of students, they easily fall victim to scammers who place fake advertisements for housing. These scammers use various tactics to pressure students and gain their trust, such as providing false identification and telling sad stories. Despite efforts by administrators of Facebook groups and warning groups on the platform, fraud remains a major problem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxfR376lPMs
Fang Cheung saw so much fraud happening that she started a Facebook group to warn house hunters.
https://lsvb.nl/2021/10/22/woningnood-maakt-internationale-studenten-slachtoffer-van-misbruik-en-oplichting/
International students are victims of abuse and fraud due to the severe shortage of student housing. Many international students search for a room from abroad, so they may not always have the opportunity to physically view the room and struggle to find reliable landlords. Landlords take advantage of the vulnerable position of international students by refusing repairs, asking for excessively high rent, and threatening eviction. International students often have no alternative and must accept poor conditions or risk becoming homeless. Targeted investments in student housing are needed to address the shortage of rooms, but there is still a lack of real action from the national government.
https://vizieroost.nl/housing-discrimination/
The municipality of Nijmegen collaborates with Radboud University and HAN University of Applied Sciences to address housing discrimination against international students. At Vizier, people can report discrimination and receive advice on how to deal with it. Vizier provides support in finding a solution, helps with complaints, and can assist with filing a report with the police if necessary. By reporting discrimination, you not only help yourself but also contribute to making the problem visible to the authorities so that targeted action can be taken. Examples of housing discrimination include charging higher rent, deposit, or mediation fees to international students because of their nationality, which is against the law.
https://nos.nl/artikel/2246698-internationale-studenten-makkelijke-prooi-kamerzwendelaars
https://dutchreview.com/expat/rental-housing-scams-netherlands/
NOS)
According to experts, these are tactics that scammers often use:
- Scammers put pressure on people. They say: if you wait to pay, then the room will be taken by someone else, so pay quickly.
- They often offer to provide identification, making it seem reliable. But they use (hacked) identity cards of others for this purpose.
- They often initially pose as the current resident, who then emphasizes that the landlord is really trustworthy.
- They say they are abroad, so you cannot view the property. And often accompany this with a sad story, such as their wife being treated there for illness or helping at the border with Ukraine.
- The scammers are usually very accommodating to your wishes. Later or earlier in the property? No problem. Preferably unfurnished? That’s also possible.
- They ask (in most cases) if the money can be transferred before the property can be viewed. The money must be sent to a foreign account or via a specific payment link.
Featured Photo by Breno Assis on Unsplash
