Student - July 14, 2011

Rents: Wageningen UR students pay less on average

In the past academic year 60 percent of students were paying too high a rent, according to a survey by the National Students’ Union (LSVb). Rents were lower than the national average in Wageningen, Ede and Leeuwarden but higher in Arnhem.

Between September 2010 and March 2011, fifty thousand students filled in questionnaires at checkjekamer.nl, a website set up by the National Students' Union. This allowed them to check whether they were paying too much in (basic) rent and to see whether they were entitled to rent allowance. The rent assessment advisory committee's points system was used to determine whether the rent is reasonable; the number of points depends on the floor area and facilities.
An analysis of the data the students entered shows that 61 percent of the students paid too much rent during the past academic year. The figure for the year before that was 67 percent. Rents were too high by an average of 41.44 euros, compared with 65.37 euros in the year before.
Rooms in Amsterdam were the most expensive. The average rent in the capital for a student room with shared facilities was 346 euros per month, as opposed to 274 euros nationally. The cheapest rooms were in Sittard, for 244 euros per month. Rents in Wageningen, at 258 euros, were lower than the national average. Students in Ede (249 euros) and Leeuwarden (269 euros) were also paying less than their fellow students in the rest of the country. However, the student rooms in Wageningen and Ede are smaller than the average. Students in Arnhem did pay more than the average. They paid around 299 euros for their room. Students in self-contained accommodation paid the most rent in Leiden: 574 euros per month for 47 square metres. The national average was 478 euros for 49 square metres.
An error in the data system meant the National Students' Union was unable to use all fifty thousand results for its analysis. Only towns with more than one hundred respondents were included in the report.