as Private Landlords Sell Off Properties
By Odelia Florusbosch | News | February 6, 2026
Cover Illustration: Amsterdam House, 2022. Marvin Langer / Unsplash
Reporter Odelia Florusbosch discusses the ongoing housing crisis in the Netherlands as student housing properties become increasingly inaccessible.
Finding housing in Amsterdam is no easy task and finding a place to live as a student is no exception. The search for student housing is a task many dread. Students often must start searching months in advance, looking on multiple different websites. In some cases, they aren’t able to find accommodation in Amsterdam at all and face long commutes to school.
Private landlords are increasingly selling off student housing accommodations. This has led to reduced availability of student housing across the Netherlands. Cities with a high population of students are feeling the impact of these sales the most. In addition to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Groningen are among the most impacted cities.
According to an ABF report regarding student housing in the Netherlands, in the 2024-2025 academic year, 5,430 student housing units, which students had been living in the previous academic year, were sold by private landlords. Many of these rooms were lived in by multiple students, resulting in around 10,000 students being impacted by these sales and needing to search for new accommodations. This trend is expected to continue and while new accommodations continue to be built, it is unlikely that this will offset the loss of housing caused by sales. As a result, the availability of student housing is expected to continue decreasing, making the search for a place to live more difficult.
Private landlords currently own close to 50% of all student housing accommodations. A decrease in the availability of student housing units owned by private landlords will have a major impact on the availability of student housing overall. Due to decreased supply, the number of students living in privately-owned housing has decreased by 17,800 students between the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 academic years.
Higher taxes and stricter rules regarding rental properties have led to the increase in private landlords selling off student housing units, says the ABF. These new policies regarding rental properties make it less profitable for private landlords to own and rent out student housing.
International students are often more reliant on private landlords than Dutch students, leading them to be more impacted by shortages in privately-owned housing. Students moving to the Netherlands from abroad do not have the option of living at home. Additionally, they often do not have pre-existing social networks and connections in the Netherlands, which can be helpful in the search for a place to live.
Along with the scarcity of student housing in the Netherlands, housing scams targeting students in search of accommodation have also sprung up. This has increased in recent years, with international students often being the primary targets.
“I don’t think [finding housing] is easy at all, especially if you don’t come from a very privileged, wealthy background,”
The search for housing can be a stressful and time-consuming process for many students. One of these students is Alessandra Sforzini, a 19-year-old student at the University of Amsterdam. Sforzini says she is already worried about having to find accommodation for next year.
“I already started making plans with people, to go and look for new housing. We’re going to have to start looking on 1,000 different websites…I feel already quite anxious,” says Sforzini. “I don’t think [finding housing] is easy at all, especially if you don’t come from a very privileged, wealthy background,” she adds.
Student housing continues to be difficult to find, particularly in Amsterdam, a trend expected to continue moving forwards. Students in search of housing can use websites such as Kamernet.nl, housing associations, or through friends and other social connections.
Odelia Florusbosch is a university student in Amsterdam. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Amsterdammer.
