Amsterdam remains the most expensive place in the Netherlands to rent a room as a student, but prices have only risen 1.7 % in the capital over the past year, according to new research by rental agency Kamernet, and quoted by Nu.nl.

A room in a shared or student house in Amsterdam now costs an average of €961, Nu.nl said. Utrecht is the second most expensive city with an average price of €837 and Haarlem is in third place with €754.

In terms of square metres Haarlem, which does not have a university, tops the list at €56 a square metre, €1 more than Amsterdam. In Rotterdam and Utrecht, the average square metre  price is €42.

At the same time, the number of available rooms is down 7% on a year ago and youngsters are being forced to accept more expensive options, Kamernet director Djordy Seelman told Nu.nl.

New rules came into effect at the beginning of July which change the way the maximum price of a room can be calculated.

Rooms are now subject to a strict points system, based on their size and the available amenities and can never cost more than the maximum allowable rent. From January next year, landlords will also have to state how many points a room has in the contract, so tenants can check they are not being ripped off.

Tenants’ rights group Stichting Woon has warned that single rooms are still being offered for rents which break the new controls introduced on July 1.

• What the new rent control rules in the Netherlands mean for you

Stichting Woon’s Gert Jan Bakker is recommending that people still sign the lease on single rooms in shared property, even if they suspect the rent is too high.

“Rent the room, report it to the rent tribunal the same day, wait a couple of months and then the tribunal will probably say the rent should be around €300,” he said on social media.

The same applies to small flats, he told RTL adding that rent of over €1000 for 30 square metres is impossible.