Student associations call on Duwo to preserve free room selection
A national umbrella organisation for student associations is calling on housing corporation Duwo to maintain the current system of free room selection. Last year, Duwo presented a plan for a revised allocation policy, in which the housing provider would make the initial selection of candidates. The organisation will soon decide whether to proceed with this plan.
The National Chamber of Associations (LKvV), an umbrella organisation representing 49 Dutch student associations, has send an urgent letter to housing corporation Duwo on Wednesday. The student housing provider will soon decide on an earlier proposal to reform the room selection policy, under which it would make the initial selection of potential housemates. According to the LKvV, the plan “lacks a factual basis, has no support, will lead to increased loneliness and mental health problems among students, and marks the end of Dutch student association culture.”
Duwo states that, “as a social housing provider, it has a public responsibility to distribute scarce affordable rooms in a fair manner.”
“Of the more than 11,500 Duwo rooms allocated through room selection evenings, only 16 percent are currently publicly listed on a single central platform. The rest circulates through closed Facebook groups, Snapchat, and other networks. This lack of transparency and central information leads to undesirable practices such as ‘token selection evenings,’ offering money for a room, and even scams via social media,” the housing provider writes.
In recent months, Duwo has held discussions with stakeholders in the cities where it operates, including Amsterdam. Local branches of the LKvV were also involved in these talks. According to the organisation, students consistently emphasised in these consultations that they want to protect the freedom to choose their own housemates. The student associations argue that “no one knows which direction Duwo is now heading” and are therefore calling on the housing corporation to leave the choice of new housemates entirely to tenants.
More transparent and equitable
Duwo’s plan, first presented in June last year, is primarily aimed at “distributing scarce affordable rooms in a fair manner.” The housing provider states: “The current room selection system is a closed system that disadvantages many house hunters who lack information or a strong social network.” The new system, in which Duwo would preselect a number of candidates, is intended to make the process more transparent and equitable.
However, according to the LKvV, students see little benefit in these plans: “they want to decide for themselves whose hair they’ll be pulling out of the shower drain.” The umbrella organisation also argues that limiting tenants’ freedom to choose their housemates could negatively affect students’ mental health: “Smaller associations in particular will suffer under the new rules. Consider, for example, religious associations that organise Bible study groups, or members of the LGBTQ+ community who have found each other in the safe environment of a shared house and may now be forced to give up that safety and freedom.”
Final plan
Duwo has indicated that discussions with stakeholders are in their final phase and that it expects to present a definitive plan in May or June. Tenant organisations will still have advisory rights on these plans, meaning adjustments may be made. The actual implementation of the new policy, partly due to required system changes, is expected in early 2027.
