What is wrong with these people?!
I am neither a student nor a young worker, and even if I was, why does some municipal offical wants to tell me what to do in my own house?! I am giving part of an extra room to a friend in need and if that person wants to help with the bills, why is that wrong? STOP REGULATING EVERY DAMN THING PEOPLE!

By Alex | October 19, 2010 8:35 AM

This does not personally affect me, but Who comes up with this kind of policies and why are they still in power? The corrupt politicians that even allow this nonsense to be voted on should be brought down immediatelly. I fail to see where the problem is in flat sharing in a democratic society that the Dutch claim to be?!? It smells like somebody's financial interest is pushing this. Banning flat sharing in an overly populated area like Amsterdam is outrages, stupid and irresponsible.

By NotAffected | October 19, 2010 8:52 AM

If the government makes it even more difficult for students to live in housing, leading to more empty houses, I believe that there will be more squatters and more problems.

By Manda | October 19, 2010 8:58 AM

So I guess the answer is to live with mommy and daddy until they're ready to marry? Living here is expensive for young people and even most older people need at least 1-1/2 incomes to manage decently. Give the kids a break! Or anyone, for that matter. There's nothing wrong with people of any age (think elderly, too, on fixed incomes) sharing rent and utilities. And the money saved would be spent in stores, movie theaters, restaurants, etc. which would be good for the economy.

By Cathy | October 19, 2010 9:07 AM

What a great idea! Let's ban people from sharing apartments. Make people live in an apartment by themselves... This will lead to greater housing shortages which will in turn push up rental costs even further! This country / city can be pathetic at times!!

By David | October 19, 2010 9:54 AM

I wonder why they're wasting our tax money in this kind of issue

By kentut | October 19, 2010 9:57 AM

Impossible to implement, 80% of my friends and colleagues living in Amsterdam share houses/appartments. How are they going to regulate it? What will happen to all the empty appartments that nobody can afford to rent...

By Andrea | October 19, 2010 10:09 AM

Is it April's fool already?

By John | October 19, 2010 10:22 AM

is this a discrimination against young people without a family or a partner. thanks for trying to make my life here so much harder!

By me | October 19, 2010 10:55 AM

This doesnt make sense at all! You need then at least to lower significantly the rents!! Who can afford 1500 euro rents per month???

By Gianna | October 19, 2010 10:59 AM

Why do I feel as if I'm only getting half the story here? (Besides the fact that the Telegraaf is anti-PvdA anything.)

If this concerns social housing, fine. Families on waiting lists should get priority, and if your housing becomes to big for your needs (due to a change in relationship status or kids moving out), you should move to a place that's more appropriate and leave the bigger place for those who need it.

But if this concerns vrij sector housing, then this is totally disgusting, especially for students and young professionals who don't live near family supports. Most of my expat colleagues from Amsterdam are living illegally if this is the case! Where are they supposed to go?

By CW | October 19, 2010 11:12 AM

Yes, this makes perfect sense...first, you ban squatting and throw those people on the streets without any government support to find alternative accommodation. THEN you ban flat-sharing in a city filled with young professionals and university students. So, now you'll have a lot of angry squatters with nowhere to live PLUS thousands of young people/students who cannot (legally) live together in a flat-share. Squatting riots reminiscent of the 80s...

By Amanda | October 19, 2010 11:22 AM

stop regulating everything!

By txaume | October 19, 2010 11:46 AM

wow, what is holland coming to? another super nanny state. it almost as bad as UK.

By COLIN | October 19, 2010 11:53 AM

I live in Spain. I think they want to share a flat ban. Why do they want more easily evict the tenant. If the tenant does not like.

In Spain the rent is a big business. They copied the Spanish model. Probably in the future they want the SOCIMI (Investment funds on rental apartments.)

By POCHOLO | October 19, 2010 12:04 PM

There is already a well known shortage of student rooms and housing, this is all over the Dutch newspapers and media, and then the city comes with this? Where is the logical thinking in this type of thing?

By Bill | October 19, 2010 12:15 PM

While in the short term this can affect the market in ways you pointed, on the medium and long term it can spur more construction on the outskirts of the city, increasing the offer of rentals.

I'll give you a broader example: most Dutch cities do not allow registration of more than 1 person per room (though they can share the common areas). This created a market in which most students, even in an expensive city like Utrecht, have flatmates, but can keep their own rooms. In UK, for instance, it is rather common to share not only your flat but your own bedroom with someone else if you are a student.

By Andre L. | October 19, 2010 12:26 PM

The people responsible for this outrageous policy clearly need a one way ticket to the funny farm. This sort of over zealous regulation is insane as it is unbelievably stupid. How dare they impose such a bill! Perhaps they aught to spend some time in the real world before wasting everyones time with this unrealistic monumentally retarded idea.

By kris | October 19, 2010 12:34 PM

So I've got a spare room in my own flat, but I have to ask the council for permission to let somebody sleep there?

By Kevin | October 19, 2010 1:05 PM

I have not read the dutch news but I would think this will only apply to government regulated rental apartments. They probably want to avoid the situation where one guy gets an app, and then sublets to 3 people while he lives somewhere else. I know people who do this (which is illegal BTW, since its regulated rent for people with smaller resources). If you own and app and want to rent it, no one will tell you you cant rent it to 3 students (I would seriously doubt that).

By isaac | October 19, 2010 1:15 PM

Wow brilliant idea, the only reason people can live here is by sharing mental city prices. damn.

By Emile | October 19, 2010 1:24 PM

This would affect me personally. I cannot afford to live in a flat by myself, the roommate thing would be ideal. I do not understand what the big deal is, why shouldn't we share if we split the expenses and don't create any trouble whatsoever? Do I REALLY have to sleep with my roommate, to make the city council happy?!?

This is so "1984", on so many levels...

By stingo | October 19, 2010 1:33 PM

Who determines "‘long-term, durable family relationship’? This thing sounds really twisted

By bubba | October 19, 2010 2:10 PM

This is to make it harder to people who want to study: if you do not have enough money to find accmmodation then you cannot study - many people live outside the cities and far from universities. This is what the new world is all about. Don't tell me otherwise. People wake up.

By chess | October 19, 2010 2:58 PM

Is it an ultra-catholic responsible of this peace of nonsense? Does he/she feel that she can control and regulate the way that people lives? Is this really the city known for being warm and always welcome modern ideas?

By FreeDog | October 19, 2010 3:28 PM

Amsterdam used to actually build shared apartments for people who liked the idea of living in a community. Diversity is important - even diversity in who you choose as house mates.

By Lin McDevitt-Pugh | October 19, 2010 3:46 PM

This is really ridiculous... 1st they ban squatting fir this or that reason.. Now they want to ban sharing flats. In one way this looks like a very strong discrimination against young people for one, and takes away the possibility to live from many. In a city, a country like this, one would never expect such an irrational and uncalled for action.
People should stan up a bit, and not let this go on like this.

By Daniel | October 19, 2010 3:54 PM

Being a Canadian and living here in Amsterdam for many years now, I have been very fortunate to live in a city with such a great way of life and advantages. It saddens me to read about such a ridiculous idea as this. I highly suspect the law won't be passed as it makes no sense whatsoever. Shame on the morons in office that see benefit in this.

By Miles | October 19, 2010 4:36 PM

Oh come on, this is clearly not true. The Telegraaf is hardly a newspaper...

By Sara Juni | October 19, 2010 7:17 PM

Does Amsterdam REALLY want to be like London?

By Q | October 19, 2010 10:00 PM

I am sure, that the people who proposed this nonsense lived in a shared flat while they were at university or when they were young workers. Now they live in big houses, perhaps even in mansions and they want everybody to live like them (ironic mode on)

By magge | October 19, 2010 11:03 PM

Anyone got any more information about this? Like if they are going to vote about this?

By Fred W | October 19, 2010 11:47 PM

By Lin McDevitt-Pugh | October 19, 2010 3:46 PM wrote: "Amsterdam used to actually build shared apartments for people who liked the idea of living in a community..."
Yes, but Amsterdam has changed. It is now run by people (surprise surprise) trying to make money, and they would like some more. I am certain that there is a money making angle somewhere in this.

By Mark | October 20, 2010 12:15 AM

Is this only for the subsidised sector (huisvestingsvergunning)? That's what I have heard.

By bob | October 20, 2010 12:40 AM

well they will get lots of troubles on the streets if they aproove that low.

By dm | October 20, 2010 9:56 AM

This should be posted in petities.nl! Has anyone done that yet? Otherwise I will.

By Paco | October 20, 2010 2:53 PM

It's the Telegraaf, people; it's just not a credible source. Ignore anything it has to say, unless your interested in what the right wing propagandists are doing to manipulate the minds of the masses.

By cPoticha | October 21, 2010 8:13 AM

This is just crazy! With the current prices on rental properties, students and young workers ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO share apartments, otherwise, it's not possible to afford one in a decent neighbourhood in Amsterdam! This is outrageous!

By Gal | October 21, 2010 8:36 AM

even if this does only apply to subsidized housing, it's wrong for the gemeente to try and force us to 'become' families. to take a stance favoring only people who procreate is discriminatory and runs against the principle of equal treatment ensconced in the dutch constitution. if they want to attack the problem of housing fraud in the subsidized sector, they should attack it directly and honestly -- not circuitously and with so much collateral damage.

meanwhile they're trying to sell off all the functions that do rightly belong to a gemeente. privatizing everything that we supposedly hold 'in common'.

clearly:
the gemeente needs to get back into the gemeente business and out of ours.

By s g collins | October 21, 2010 10:17 PM

JZ!! I'll have to marry my flatmate! I dont understand, what kind of family they believe that exists today?? And which kind of family are they encouraging to be "nested" within these kind of "social reforms"?
Oh Dear, Stop MAG NIETing! Stop Discriminatie towards other ways of doing family!!!!!

By Andrea | October 28, 2010 2:27 AM

But the point, s g, is that there are families on the waiting list for housing...and because larger homes are rarer, they wait longer. We're talking kids here...I think they should have priority over a couple of students who team up to jump the queue...

In an ideal world, they would build more housing for everybody on the waiting list...ha, like that's going to happen...

By CW | October 28, 2010 7:50 AM

This already happens in Den Haag, which is a problem for the many young professionals . There are ways round it, but it hardly makes apartment hunting straight forward.

By JB | October 28, 2010 10:02 AM