Those looking for a reasonably priced house to buy in Utrecht often come home with a cold shoulder. Prices of houses for sale are rising to record highs (in Utrecht by 9.4% in the past year) and houses are more often sold far above the asking price. Tenants, too, are having a lot of trouble finding affordable housing, facing usurious rents, shadowy contracts and pawnbrokers. A big problem for first-time buyers, who spend an increasing share of their income on housing costs. Is there hope for Utrecht house hunters? On 11 May, TivoliVredenburg is hosting a free livestream to dive deep into Utrecht's housing market problems.
Professor of Housing Systems Peter Boelhouwer (TU Delft) provides an analysis of the Dutch housing market. Why have house prices risen so much, where does the much-cited shortage of 300,000 houses come from and what are the longer-term effects, with many first-time buyers unable to buy a house or one that is very expensive?
We then engage in conversation with Utrecht councillor Floor de Koning (GroenLinks). What means does the municipality and the municipal council have in place to deliver affordable housing? What is the tension between developers, speculators and the municipality? And what new regulations are needed from The Hague?
Finally, we speak Fleur van Leeuwen of the Huurteam Utrecht. The Huurteam assists tenants who suspect they are paying too much for their rental property, and can challenge excessive rents and other rent abuses at the Rent Commission on behalf of tenants. How can tenants better stand up for their rights (and potentially save many euros of wrongly paid rent)?
Practical:
Date: Tuesday, 11 May
Time: 20:00 - 21:15
Location: Free to watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/W3nbdmky0mw and at Studio TivoliVredenburg
https://youtu.be/W3nbdmky0mw
English (UK) 
Nederlands 
Français 
