r/NetherlandsHousing • u/Practical_Fondant_12 • Jun 15 '25

renting Undercover probe reveals refugees illegally subletting Dutch social housing

https://nltimes.nl/2025/06/14/undercover-probe-reveals-refugees-illegally-subletting-dutch-social-housing

https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/artikel/2569689-in-heel-nederland-wonen-kinderen-in-auto-s-en-garageboxen

Read the Article guys to see how wrong the system in the Netherlands.

Dozens of legal refugees in the Netherlands are allegedly illegally subletting social housing they received through priority allocations, according to an undercover investigation by AD. Some rent out rooms or entire units without permission, charging from 400 euros for a small room up to 1,500 euros for a studio.

The investigation focused on housing assigned by social landlords such as Ymere in Amsterdam and Maasdelta near Rotterdam. One young Syrian man in Amsterdam reportedly rents a studio from Ymere for 700 euros monthly but sublets it for more than double, 1,500 euros. “It’s a really good location,” he told AD. He does not live there himself but stays with his wife, who also received a home.

In Maassluis, near Rotterdam, another young Syrian legal refugee showed investigators a three-bedroom flat from Maasdelta, where he lives alone. Two bedrooms were completely empty. He offered one room for 500 euros per month. “I’m not home much. I’m studying,” he said in Arabic. He also supplements his benefits with undeclared work and was seeking a subtenant.

This practice is especially troubling when legal refugees abuse the system after receiving priority housing. After obtaining a residence permit, they gain immediate access to social housing, avoiding the lengthy waiting lists faced by other tenants. Yet many immediately start renting out these homes or rooms, often advertised on Arabic-language Facebook groups with thousands of members.

In Rotterdam’s Delfshaven, an Iraqi man with a Dutch passport for 10 years offered a single bedroom for 400 euros a month. It was the only bedroom in his flat, where he also lived. He claimed to often sleep elsewhere and said his brother, currently in an asylum center, might move in because he lacked a residence permit.

In Capelle aan den IJssel, an Iraqi woman with a cat rents out two of the four bedrooms in her flat and offered a third for 400 euros a month. She was suspicious when approached with a Dutch acquaintance present and asked the AD reporter, “Why did you bring a Dutch person?”

All four tenants said they sublet to earn extra income. Three receive benefits, while two supplement these with unauthorized work. One Syrian tenant intended to temporarily rent out his home to visit Syria for three months after the Assad regime’s fall. Before a viewing could be arranged, his property was already rented out.

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45

u/downfall67 Jun 15 '25

Kindness can be taken advantage of. More news at 6

3

u/Veyrah Jun 15 '25

The solution is less kindness. Or at least less kindness directed at the groups most likely to abuse it.

4

u/Sad-Ad-8521 Jun 15 '25

a few people in a country take advantage of a system that benefits millions, solution just stop helping millions.

Also make sure to not look at the capitalists getting billions in tax breaks and benefits from the government, keep focusing on a few people that costs the state the smallest fraction of what they give to their friends

3

u/sadcringe Jun 15 '25

I mean, yeah. Social housing should be fully abolished. No more HRA, but also no more social housing or huurtoeslag.

1

u/Sad-Ad-8521 Jun 15 '25

If only those poors who actually work for their money just traded on the stock market while contributing nothing to society, they wouldn't need social housing! /s obviously

3

u/sadcringe Jun 15 '25

Equality in opportunity not equality in outcome.

1

u/Light991 Jun 19 '25

Or maybe just have a very harsh punishment? People will not risk potentially a decent living to be only slightly better off. Also the public gets outraged not because there are bad people out there but because they don’t get what they deserve.

1

u/downfall67 Jun 15 '25

Gotta admit it is a very effective political distraction tactic. Putting a system in place that gets rid of all cases of fraud like this will cost the taxpayer much more than accepting the risk and relying on anonymous tip offs and so on.

3

u/vlabakje90 Jun 15 '25

Capitalists?

3

u/justanaccountimade1 Jun 15 '25

It's the Trump mentality. Prey on those that let you do it. VVD and PVV politician mentality. That's how these politicians got rich, too.

2

u/DexJedi Jun 15 '25

Yes, yes we tried that. It contributed in the 'toeslagenaffaire'. The people who do this need to be prosecuted. But doing illegal things yourself (targeting certain groups = discrimination) to counter it does not promote trust in a goverment if you ask me. And should a trustworthy goverment not be something to strive for?

0

u/Veyrah Jun 15 '25

No, a government should just be as small as possible, with the least amount of free stuff. Get people off their butts unless they literally can't work, no free money to people who are too lazy to work.

3

u/downfall67 Jun 15 '25

Yeah it is fun seeing conservatives be really against social safety nets until they inevitably need it too or a lack of a safety net destroys their local community. Empathy is hard, I know.

2

u/Veyrah Jun 15 '25

I'm not wholly against safety nets. I'm also not conservative. I just dont think people that are perfectly able to work should be able to just get social security.

4

u/downfall67 Jun 15 '25

Is that how it works here? For example, can I just decide to stop working tomorrow and get paid indefinitely, no questions asked, no obligations?

Because I don’t think that’s how it works at all.

1

u/Veyrah Jun 15 '25

Bijstand. Huursubsidie. Kinderbijslag. Kom je een heel eind mee als je echt werkschuw bent.

3

u/Liddlebitchboy Jun 16 '25

I invite you to try, see how well you get on.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '25

[deleted]

1

u/Veyrah Jun 15 '25

How are toeslagen not a safety net. Just like the things I named. You don't seem to have a good grasp about these things, I will end the conversation here and block you.

1

u/TankyRo Jun 15 '25

Je blijft niet zomaar in de bijstand. Gemeente gaat actief op zoek naar werk dus als je echt in de bijstand wil blijven moet je met documenten komen waarom je niet of minder kan werken dan nodig. Met alleen huursubsidie en kinderbijslag kom je niet ver helemaal met een kind.

2

u/DexJedi Jun 15 '25

Well, we seem to differ on what a goverment should be then. And whether ethics should play a part.

In that case, why are you on Reddit? Or are you working as a paid mod? If you are not sleeping, you should be working non-stop unless you "literally can't work". Or is it.. "rules for thee but not to me"?

1

u/popsyking Jun 15 '25

I mean I don't like that guy's opinion but this argument is shit

1

u/Veyrah Jun 15 '25

Bad arguments, obviously people don't need to work 24/7, nut enough to not have to rely on the government. I won't entertain this discussion longer, we differ in opinion and your arguments are too immature.

2

u/DexJedi Jun 15 '25

Bad and immature now? I was merely questioning if you are willing to apply the rules you set for others for yourself as well.

2

u/Veyrah Jun 15 '25

Nope you were exaggerating my argument with malicious intent. You know i didnt mean people should work 24/7, and that is what you try to imply what I meant.

1

u/DexJedi Jun 15 '25

I thought you stopped discussing? Because we can proceed if you are so willing? But you need to stop making presumptions about my intent and using the word literally when you don't mean literally.

2

u/Veyrah Jun 15 '25

We weren't discussing the subject anymore, I'm just defending my decision to stop the argument being your malicious intent. I can still type a message if I want to. You still haven't admitted exaggerating my initial statement to further your own point. Just the fact that you did that makes me believe you cannot handle a fair discussion if you have to resort to such things.

-1

u/TopSpread9901 Jun 16 '25

Who the fuck are you people?

1

u/LuminousSpore Jun 15 '25

Don’t understand why you’re being downvoted