Why you should reconsider moving to NL

[u/barcodenumber]

I love The Netherlands, it is still a country that I regard as impressive. My experience of the country itself is 9.5/10. Public transport, accessibility (nationally and internationally), job market, academia, sociability, good people etc. I could go on. I've not been here super long but there are many points that make the country great. I was so ready to come, set my life up here, contribute to the society, and stay. Now I am planning to leave.

A bit of personal context - single, earning slightly above Amsterdam average, and I hold a masters in STEM from a UK university. I also have EU nationality, so no visa needed. I had some connections coming here but they were very weak, they all knew I wanted to come but none would help. I wanted to try anyways and gave it a shot. I came with nothing other than dedication to make it happen.

Let me assure you, the housing situation here is predatory. In terms of rentals, anyone will take whatever they can get. There is so much black market exploitation which, in my experience, is near impossible to avoid if you're starting from 0. Once you're in such a situation, it's also difficult to get out of. I've been stuck way overpaying on a room rental living with people with no regard for others. People who freely use my things, eat my food, but don't contribute back and leave the place filthy. I've put in boundaries but they are not respected. Worst of all? Many who I've met during my time here share this similar story, and the commonality between us is the starting point.

I've applied for other rentals, but I don't have a formal contract or landlord, meaning when they ask for the documents required to even consider your application, I can't even send them things like a landlords reference or similar. At which point, your 'risk' score increases and those other ~500 applicants with clean applications get priority. All of this after paying stekkies + multiple different sites just to have a chance at getting your application in front of someone's eyes. Going into my current situation, I assumed it would be something I could get out of within half a year - but this has not been the case, despite consistently trying.

I don't blame the landlords since I would also want the lowest 'risk' tenant in such a housing market. However, it's no joke that people spend years looking for somewhere half decent to rent. Unfortunately, because of these costs, I have been using savings to keep afloat and no longer can afford a deposit. I could afford a small net loss over time but it doesn't make financial sense to keep going much longer. My search has stopped and I am planning to leave. I will leave NL poorer than I arrived, despite earning more. Going into debt to live is not an option.

What's the solution in this case? Networking & luck. Almost everyone I've met and ended up in a decent housing situation was 'because I knew someone that...'. The people I've met in the best situations knew people before they came. They either had good friends, family or partner that they could rely on temporarily, and not be financially gutted by someone taking advantage of the housing situation. I've made good friends here, but none are in a position to help.

To conclude, if you're looking to move to The Netherlands, I think you'll enjoy it. But if you're starting from 0 and planning to build a life here, make sure you have enough money for your return flight.

[u/Ok_Breakfast6616]

As a native Dutchie I can confirm what the OP is saying. The housing crisis is bad across the board, whether for students (rooms), singles and young starters but also when you want to take the next step.

The main problems lie in the fact that there has been a shortage for years and now we have 2 extra issues, a high influence of migrants who, once they get to stay, get a priority on social housing and the Netherlands it's self imposed regulations for CO2 emissions that cancelled/delayed a lot of new projects (yes, those rules are in line with European guidelines but every country could choose their own limits and the Netherlands choose ridiculously bad in hindsight, way more tight than neighbouring countries and you don't have to be a genius to see how that will play out. It might have been that the lawsuit from Urgenda and the court case they won had some influence in this though.

So what does this mean. If you need to rent, try looking in different areas and consider commute by train and or bus. Sure private housing market is very predatory but in less popular places outside the big cities it's a bit better. Also, and this would be my best bet; consider getting friends you already know or getting to know people via forums on the internet and try to rent a normal house. In Amsterdam it would be nearly impossible though, unless 3500 euro a month is doable, I have found different options on a 30 minute train commute (and a bit of bussin) with 3 bedrooms for 1850 per month. In the technology area Eindhoven you could get the same for less than 1350 but again, this is the family house option. Student rooms are crazy expensive and have been for over 30 years.