Portfolios

Portfolio Housing

More affordable student housing in ‘the Hofstad’.

As a social student housing corporation, DUWO needs to ensure the affordability of its student housing. De Eerste Kamer keeps an eye on the annual rent increase to make sure the rents do not exceed the capping limit or quality discount limit. In addition, De Eerste Kamer foresees an important role for the Municipality of The Hague to make more space in the city available for affordable student housing. Many contracts pass by DUWO in favor of private parties, who put more money on the table. There is a structural shortage of student housing, while the number of students in The Hague is rising sharply.

Portfolio holder: Luc Vorsteveld, luc@de-eerste-kamer.nl

Portfolio safety

Safe living.

Safe living. Every tenant is entitled to a pleasant and safe living environment, that is, both socially and in terms of fire safety. The Hague is in the top 10 of most unsafe cities in the Netherlands. De Eerste Kamer urges DUWO to tailor security per building, so that buildings can be locked down decently and safely and, where necessary, provided with camera surveillance. Social control by student caretakers and DUWO managers is also of value. In addition, the environment around the building and in the neighborhood is a responsibility of the municipality. De Eerste Kamer is working with the municipality to find appropriate solutions. The requirements for fire safety are included in the Buildings Decree 2012, which DUWO is obliged to comply with at all times. On top of that, De Eerste Kamer works together with DUWO to create awareness among student tenants.

Portfolio holder: Gunnar Koehler, gunnar@de-eerste-kamer.nl

Portfolio resident participation

Strengthening the role of student representatives and residents’ committees.

Student representatives and residents’ committees are the ears and eyes of the buildings and know what is going on: student representatives as the first point of contact for residents and residents’ committees in the area of tenant participation. De Eerste Kamer urges DUWO to maintain good contact with its student caretakers and residents committees and to communicate clearly about their tasks, among other things. These active student tenants make an important contribution to improving the living environment.

Portfolio holder: Gunnar Koehler, gunnar@de-eerste-kamer.nl

Portfolio service

Customer-focused service.

De Eerste Kamer encourages DUWO to communicate directly, transparently and clearly with its tenants, student caretakers and residents committees. In most complaints and questions, received by De Eerste Kamer, miscommunication is the problem. A problem that often could easily have been prevented. In order to map (further) experiences of student tenants, DUWO makes use of the research platform Tevreden.nl. De Eerste Kamer keeps a close eye on the results and advises DUWO (unrequested) where necessary to improve its quality. In case Tevreden.nl is not sufficient, De Eerste Kamer will launch its own short follow-up surveys.

Portfolio holder: Luc Vorsteveld, luc@de-eerste-kamer.nl

Portfolio Sustainablity

Sustainable and smart student housing.

Sustainable and smart student housing. De Eerste Kamer urges DUWO to add sustainable student housing to its existing housing stock and to make its stock sustainable to Label Class A before 2030 to make it future-proof. More sustainable and smarter. Focusing on energy savings alone will not get us there. Innovation must be an integral part of the policy.

Portfolio holder: Floortje de la Fosse, info@de-eerste-kamer.nl

Portfolio Diversity

Diverse placement policy.

The Hague presents itself as an international city of peace and justice. The city attracts many international (aid) organizations, knowledge centers, companies and students. Housing for international students is therefore self-evident. De Eerste Kamer advises DUWO to maintain a healthy balance, where the Dutch students are not pushed aside. A healthy balance between independent and non-independent residences is also the starting point. Moreover, De Eerste Kamer urges both DUWO and the educational institutions, which partly conclude the contracts, to be mindful about the diverse student population among internationals.

Portfolio holder: Luc Vorsteveld, luc@de-eerste-kamer.nl

Portfolio Organisation

Organisation with an eye for the tenants’ interests.

De Eerste Kamer glady thinks along with DUWO, both on request and without, about organization-wide issues, such as the future vision of the target group and the social task. We emphasize the tenants’ interests in our advice on, among other things, the annual Work Plan and the four-yearly Business Plan. Writing or reforming policies, where the thinking is not about but from the perspective of the student tenants, is a good example of this. De Eerste Kamer stands for a proactive tenant representation.

Portfolio holder: Alexander de Jong, voorzitter@de-eerste-kamer.nl