Nevertheless, alderman Johan Pas (Student Affairs) and Joost Bokkers (Hospi Housing) were enthusiastic about the trial project during a session for the press at City Hall on the Markt Tuesday afternoon. According to the National Student Housing Monitor, approximately eight hundred students lived with a landlord or -lady in Maastricht in the past academic year. That was a twofold increase compared to the previous year. While relatively few placements came through Hospi Housing, Pas believes the attention generated by the pilot, through billboards and local media, has put the concept of living-in with hosts back on the map in Maastricht.
In fact, the alderman is so enthusiastic that he has not only extended the collaboration with Hospi Housing for another two years, but is also - albeit cautiously - expending it into the rental sector. In a new pilot, living-in with hosts will be allowed at eight social rental houses in the city. Normally, residents of these properties would need a permit for this – a complicated and costly process.
The forty landlords and -ladies with Hospi Housing who haven't been matched with a student yet are not just sitting idle, says Bokkers. “Some are still waiting for a match, others are adjusting their rooms or have temporarily indicated that they don’t want a tenant for now.”