Ten tenants reported to the South Limburg Rents Team (Huurteam Zuid-Limburg), including the UM, in June 2021, because they suspected that they paid too much rent every month.
The Rents Tribunal has now judged in favour of the students because of “the lower energy label of the accommodation and the absence of an appraisal value because the letter is involved in a conflict with the city", says Rick Blezer from the Rents Team. There is some legal bickering about the question whether the accommodation is self-contained or not.
Two hundred and fifty-two building kit homes were placed on the Sorbonne- and Salernolaan in 2020; letter is Firma Studentenhuisvesting Maastricht BV.
According to the Rents Team, its decision could apply to all apartments on the complex. “Because of the dispute with the city authorities, the homes still don’t have their own house numbers. This means that all tenants of those homes appear to have a right to a lower rent if they make it known to the Rent Tribunal or through us, says Blezer.
Firma Studentenhuisvesting Maastricht BV has stated that they will appeal against the decision. As long as the case is ongoing, tenants still pay their ‘normal’ monthly amount. If the judge decides that the price is too high, they will receive the excess amount back.