While Maastricht may not be facing a full-blown student housing crisis, the situation is far from ideal. Students frequently complain about high rents and substandard accommodation. So why aren’t the city’s housing associations building more? As they have to meet certain rules, they could be expected to provide decent, affordable housing.
The vast majority of students in Maastricht currently rent from private landlords and commercial providers. Together, they account for more than 80 per cent of the city’s nearly 20,000 student rooms and studios. Maastricht’s housing associations – Maasvallei, Servatius, Woonpunt and Wonen Limburg – account for fewer than 3,000 units, or roughly 17 per cent of the market. According to Maurice Evers of Maastricht Housing, who presented these figures to the University Council’s Operations Committee last month, maintaining that share will require an additional 280 units in the coming years. Raising it to 20 per cent would mean building 1,100 new units, according to Evers’s calculations.
“No real need”
Even that would still fall well short of the 30 per cent target once aimed for. In fact, housing associations in Maastricht have never achieved that share of the market. Spokespeople for Woonpunt, Maasvallei and Servatius told Observant that the target was never a binding agreement with the municipality. As Hafid Bendaoud of Servatius explains, it was more of an aspiration, dating back to a time when the university was growing rapidly and demand for student housing was increasing year by year. Now that student numbers have stabilised – remaining roughly the same this academic year – “there is no real need to start large-scale new student housing developments”, says Bendaoud. It is true that students looking for a room this academic year were generally able to find one by October, Evers previously told Observant.
At the same time, housing associations face a difficult financial balancing act. As Stefanie Borghstijn of Maasvallei explains, rents for student housing need to remain affordable, which means relatively low rental income, “while construction and investment costs have risen”. Maasvallei has already scrapped plans for 250 student studios in Randwyck, which were due to be completed by 2024. Servatius did not take part in the development project for financial reasons, says Bendaoud: “Too expensive.” Ambitions for the next few years remain modest: Woonpunt has no new student housing projects planned, Maasvallei is building studios “that may also be suitable for students” and Servatius hopes to deliver 150 new student rooms by early 2029 at the latest.
Student housing association
The situation has led both the University Council and Maastricht’s municipal council to ask whether a dedicated student housing association should be established. The local party M:OED even included the idea in its manifesto. Unlike other Dutch student cities, Maastricht has never had one. Could that help increase the supply of affordable student housing? The city’s existing housing associations are sceptical. They point out that they already work closely together and question whether a new organisation would be viable. As Borghstijn puts it, “The core issue remains the financial feasibility of affordable new-build housing. A specialised organisation does not automatically solve that underlying problem.”