Plans to stop landlords giving tenants temporary contracts are set to be expanded to room rentals in order to give tenants more security, thanks to a new motion by D66 and Socialist MPs.

MPs are due to vote on Tuesday on the plan to end temporary rental contracts but a majority of MPs want to expand that draft legislation to include shared housing in which the tenants have individual agreements.

‘Students often live in poorly maintained housing, but they often don’t complain because they are worried their contracts won’t be renewed,’ D66 MP Faissal Boulakjar said.

Tenancy agreements for single rooms without private facilities such as a kitchen or toilet can be for short periods but tenants often struggle to find a new place to live, the MPs say.

If the new law is expanded to cover room rental, it would mean students could refuse to move after their studies, unless the landlord has included a clause requiring the tenant to prove on an annual basis that they are still studying.

Specialised student housing companies currently make use of such contracts, which give tenants six months to find a new home after they have completed their degrees.

Reduction

Boulakjar said he did not rule out a reduction in the number of room rentals because of the legal change. ‘But on the other hand, the stress for tenants will go,’ he said. ‘It is horrible to live in uncertainty and to move from room to room.’

Flat sharing is already tightly controlled in the bigger Dutch student cities, with strict rules on numbers and permits.

Amsterdam has said it will make it easier for youngsters to share homes after availability plummeted when licences were introduced.

While there is majority support for the measure in the lower house of parliament, it is unclear if the senate will also vote in favour, broadcaster NOS reported.