A residents’ committee (RC; in Dutch BC, short for bewonerscommissie) is a group of tenants who represent the interests of the tenants in their own complex. As representatives of the complex, they are allowed to raise their voice on many issues, such as maintenance plans, overdue maintenance, nuisance issues and cleaning of common areas. In addition to solving problems, they can also ensure more activities at the complex, so the residents can get to know each other better.
For an overview of all the residents’ committees, see the overview.
For more information about setting up a committee you can take a look at the residents’ committee folder.
RC folderWhat is the difference between a tenants’ association, residents’ committee and student representatives?
In short, the biggest difference between a tenants’ association and a residents’ committee is the size of the group it represents. An residents’ committee represents the tenants of a specific complex. The tenants’ association represents all the tenants of the housing corporation and therefore has a more powerful role. They represent more tenants than just the tenants of a specific complex and therefore have other rights. For example, the tenants’ association may give advice on the general policy of the housing corporation and the housing corporation is therefore also obliged to provide an official response within a prescribed period of time. The rights and obligations of tenants’ associations and residents’ committees are laid down in the Consultation Act.
Tenants’ associations and residents’ committees operate at the level of residents’ participation in contrast to the student representatives, who are employed by DUWO, providing all kinds of services on behalf of the tenants. They are the first contact point for both the tenant and for DUWO. This means that the final responsibility lies with Social Management of DUWO. Student representatives hold for example a welcome meeting with new tenants and provide information about the building, fire safety and house rules. In many places, student representatives also operate at the level of residents’ participation, often in small complexes where there is no residents’ committee.
