Fighting your way out of the jungle: Amsterdam’s nightmarish housing market

Have you ever tried to look for a place to live in Amsterdam? No? Well, you read the title, so you probably guessed what this article is about. It’s about a world of crooks, scammers and so on who have gathered around their prey: the ignorant students and young professionals moving to a new country. The Netherlands, in this case. It’s a world where you don’t know who’s who, full of fake social media profiles and fake ads. This is what I got into, like thousands of virgin souls each year. Forget about the postcard because this is not paradise, it’s more like a modern capitalist version of hell.

After finding a job here, I asked my fellow flatmates at the hostel where I was staying how their experience was in looking for a flat. They all told me that in Amsterdam, it’s easier to find a job than to find a place to live. After spending three months living in hostels around the city, I couldn’t agree more. The housing market in Amsterdam has seen a steady increase in prices over the last decade. Students especially struggle to find affordable housing, as the estimation last year was that around 10 000 students in Amsterdam didn’t have long-term housing.

The term “Dutch housing crisis” has appeared over the years to describe this phenomenon. However, neither the Dutch government, local authorities, housing professionals or student organizations have found ways to solve the crisis. Locals told me that a decade ago you could rent a small room in a shared flat for 400 euros a month in Amsterdam city centre. Nowadays, the price would more likely be around 800 euros. This doesn’t only apply to Amsterdam, as the housing prices have also gone up in the rest of the Netherlands. However, the feeling you get while looking to rent here is that you are a lonely tourist lost in a scary jungle. You literally have to fight for your right to live in a decent space.

I have heard stories about people being so desperate to get an apartment that they were willing to pay the rent a month before they even move into the new place. Recently, a friend of mine lost their deposit because they didn’t find someone to take over their room (even though their contract had expired the month prior). My landlord doesn’t want to fix the water system, so we have had 4 water shortages this winter. These are not isolated incidents. This is a system built against us, not for us. I am not saying all landlords are evil, but some of them take advantage of the situation to steal money from their tenants.

I am not saying all landlords are evil, but some of them take advantage of the situation to steal money from their tenants

After 3 months in the city, I finally found a room in December in a shared apartment in Leidseplein. Now I can look back and say I am relieved I survived this hell of a ride. I know my situation and my experience are similar to many young people living here. However, I don’t want to generalize and say things like “it’s all bullshit” and “it’s how the market works” because I believe we can do better.

It’s up to us to change things. The question is not when but how are we going to make things better for the next wave of migration.  I don’t know how to solve the housing crisis, I guess it’s going to take a while to implement solutions, but I think if we all start doing our part, we can get there eventually. Right now, everything is possible in Amsterdam, if you have the money. Well guess what, if you are not from a wealthy family or a “cryptobro” making 5000 euros a month, you are going to struggle to find housing here. Keep in mind squatting has been Illegal in the Netherlands since 2010, whereas in the past it was a squat-friendly country.  The current situation is the result of decades of privatization and profit-driven real estate projects. There is hope though. Across the country, collectives and student organizations have already started carving their own path out of the jungle. Housing should be affordable, if not free, and students shouldn’t have to work two jobs to be able to pay rent. Let’s think about how we can change that. Let’s meet, let’s organize, let’s build stuff.