The opening of the building - on the site of the former post office on Duboisdomein - was supposed to take place last September, but construction delays pushed it back to early January. However, two weeks before the new opening date, the 506 tenants heard that the delivery was again delayed, this time due to technical problems (water in prefab concrete slabs).
Contractor Hurks and manager Nido then argued for weeks about a solution: the former initially denied there were any defects. After some investigations revealed that they were in fact there, Hurks started repair works in March. In almost three hundred homes, holes had to be drilled in ceilings to drain the water. This job has since been completed and the completion of the building is now a fact, a Nido spokesperson informed. “We are currently dotting the i's and crossing the t's, for example when it comes to cleaning. On 1 June, residents will be able to move in.”
The 506 original tenants - including the 450 students who have since terminated the contract - were told by email this morning that they are on a 'priority list': they are the first to book a studio. “They have one week of ‘exclusivity’. In case of no response, 'their' studio will then become available to other interested students.”
At Maastricht University, the news will have been met with cheers. Maurice Evers, head of Maastricht Housing, previously expressed the hope that the complex would be open by July at the latest. In view of the influx of new students in September, he called this “of crucial importance” to prevent a rooms shortage in Maastricht.