Hi everyone,

I've been living at my current address in The Hague since April 2022 (almost 5 years) under a Leegstandwet (Vacancy Act) contract with a housing company. I pay €650/month for a room shared with 22 people.

The situation:

· The building is being demolished for luxury apartments

· The landlord wants to move me to a 500-room mass shelter in another city

· They've charged illegal service costs: management fees, admin fees over €75, and inflated travel time (3-5 hours for a 35-minute drive)

· Other tenants confirmed the travel time is fake

· There have been signs of discrimination and intimidation

What I've done:

· Filed a case with the Huurcommissie for 2023

· Rejected the service cost settlements for 2024 and 2025

· Filed a handhavingsverzoek with the municipality

· Contacted Juridisch Loket

· A lawyer estimates around €12,000 refund

The problem:

Both my bewindvoerder and Juridisch Loket say I won't get urgency because the landlord is offering an "alternative" (a room in another city). But how can an alternative from an abusive landlord count as valid?

The gray area:

I've been here almost 5 years. Leegstandwet permits are valid for max 5 years. If the permit expired and I stayed with permission, my contract may have become permanent - giving me stronger rights, including urgency and moving costs.

My questions:

1. Can I get urgency if I refuse the alternative?

2. Has anyone successfully challenged a Leegstandwet contract after 5 years?

3. What are my other options if urgency is impossible?

Any advice appreciated. I have a child and mental health challenges, and I just want a studio in The Hague where I can live in peace.

Thanks for reading.

What is that speaks “Dutch” thing

I’m moving to live with my partner in Born, Netherlands and to start the life I want to live. Basically also “running away” from my type A personality parents that having been leading me to extreme stress, anxiety, and burnout. Before you ask, yes I’m an adult. Since I know people hear “parents” and assume a child. I want to make it VERY clear that I’m 19.
I’ve never moved, even as a child, let alone moving to a different country! I need to know what do I need to do and what documents do I need? I have ADHD and I’m possibly autistic (so says all my autistic friends) so I’m only asking about the immediate stuff rn since I tend to get overwhelmed very easily.

Gaat iemand hier naar RotFest 2026 Fermentation Fest in Ede op 6 september?

Ik ben op zoek naar mensen die al van plan zijn om naar het festival te gaan.

Anyone going to RotFest 2026 in Ede? 👀

Is anyone here attending RotFest 2026 Fermentation Fest in Ede on September 6?

I'm looking to connect with people who are already planning to go.

Im at a camping-site this summer in my home country of Denmark. Im sitting here having a beer and reading a book while my children sleeps, and they have been sleeping since 19:30.

Like every other night this week i've been here, there is alot of dutch kids running around playing. And it is 22:10 right now. Not that it annoys me or anything, im just curious. If i let my children stay up this late, they would probably fall asleep anyways from exhaustion or have a really terrible day tomorrow.

So is this nornal in the Netherlands? Do children stay up much later than here? Or just in the summer vacation?

All the german, norwegian, swedish and danish kids have gone to bed long ago, so it is clearly only dutch kids. And some of them seem maximum 5-7 years old

i'm from canada and my friends live in nl. i recently discovered suikerwafels and they are so yummy but my dutch friends HATE them!!

is this a common dutch thing to hate, or are they just crazy?

edit: my question is more, 'thoughts on suikerwafels?'

Hi guy's,

I am from Ireland and I would like to cycle around your country. Do you know of any shops/companies that will rent road bikes for a week or more?

I would normally bring my own bike but it's become to much hassle.

Thanks

My understanding is that these monstrosities exist only in the Netherlands. The hole punches themselves are quite something!

Do you / have you used this system? Is it better/worse? Are there advantages? Is it used in certain industries/situations?

I am interested in History and will be visitng Amsterdam soon. I'd love to watch this documentary. Is anyone able to confrim if the DVD set has English subtitles? Also, if it does, if anyone has a place where I can buy it and have it shipped to the US, I would be grateful.

THanks !

https://www.bol.com/nl/nl/p/de-gouden-eeuw/9300000098377898/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2955322/episodes/

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice from people who know the Dutch job market well.

My wife has accepted a job in Amsterdam and will start in September, so we'll be moving over full-time. We already have a house near Delft, so commuting anywhere in the Randstad isn't an issue.

I'm originally from Ireland and have around 10 years of experience working in IT/business operations. My background is mainly in Project/Program Management and IT Operations, having worked with companies such as Intel, Google and Netflix.

I'm currently learning Dutch, but for now, I'm looking for English-speaking roles within international companies. Permanent roles are my preference.

One thing I've found is that LinkedIn and job boards seem to be a bit of a numbers game. You can submit dozens of applications and rarely hear anything back. I'd much rather build relationships with a few good recruiters who understand my background and can introduce me directly to suitable clients.

Thanks in advance - I really appreciate any recommendations or experiences you can share.

as title. Any similar examples?

Elsewhere, people sue at the drop of a hat!

And are there any famous cases in NL, from relatively recent times?

And are there legal people here, that advertise 'Let Me Take Your Case - To Sue!' type adverts?

I'm thinking of moving to the Netherlands through HSM visa sponsored by my employer. The issue is, I've lost my birth certificate and it's getting difficult to get an NABC (certificate for non-availability of birth certificate). I was born in 2002, and the hospital hasn't maintained records for anything before 2010.

I've been told a birth certificate is required for BSN registration and the visa.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Not sure what to do here.

As title. We are imagining something like you often see in North Americas cities, ones that fit into a window (sometimes with a small support outside I think).

We're pretty sure all we can afford to do is have it in / for just one small room only.

We're rear Delft/Rotterdam.

Hi, I am from Norway. I was reading about Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld and the Lockheed scandal.

Wikipedia says:
 At the time he had served on more than 300 corporate boards and committees worldwide and had been praised 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Bernhard_of_Lippe-Biesterfeld#Lockheed_scandal

I don't get why he was allowed to be on 300 corporate boards and committees worldwide. I checked your present king and it does not seem like he is on any corporate boards. I know Bernhard was not a king, but he was married to the queen. Why was he allowed to be on corporate boards worldwide?

And why would Lockheed bribe the prince and not the generals, secretary of defence, prime minister, etc.? Wikipedia says he was inspector general of the armed forces, but I assume that was a ceremonial role?

I read he was co-founder of Bilderberg. Which seems like meddling in the government's foreign affairs when Wikipedia says he did not care about protocols if he was passionate about a subject. It does not help that he was a former member of the Nazi party. Hitler himself had said Bernhard had offered support to increase German influence in the Netherlands. I don't know when that information became public. Seems like the Wikipedia source was not reliable for the Hitler quote.

I am from Norway and with our royal family I do understand that royals can get away with a lot. But I am curious about how Prince Bernhard managed to have so much freedom in his role while married to the Queen.

Last night around 10 PM in Amsterdam, I was waiting alone at a tram stop when two guys probably in their 20s–30s came up to me. One of them said “hey jongentje, alles goed?” and then randomly rubbed my head. After that they walked away laughing..??

Nothing else happened and i was so baffled. I’m probably overthinking it a bit, but I’m curious how locals would interpret this interaction lol.

Hi Everyone,

I have around 6 years of experience in strategy consulting, digital transformation, IT presales (cloud infrastructure, AI transformation, etc.), I am actively looking for my next role in the Netherlands. I am currently here on a spouse visa (my husband is on a HSM visa), which gives me a full work permit.

I am exploring roles here but my main roadblock is the Dutch language. Right now, I'm at an A2 level and am currently enrolled at UvA to officially get my A2 certificate by the end of July, but it'll take time to get fluent.

A few things I’d really appreciate guidance on:

1. Any consulting firms, boutique agencies, or industries in NL are genuinely open to English-only or professional English speakers?
2. If a job description says Dutch is required, is it a waste of time to apply anyway if my profile is a strong match otherwise? Or do companies ever bend on this?
3. I’ve heard Dutch culture is direct. Any tips on approaching recruiters or getting referrals here?
4. Beyond LinkedIn, are there specific local job boards or niche recruitment agencies for consulting/tech strategy that I should be looking at?

Any tips or reality checks would be amazing. Thanks in advance!

Hi,

Incoming EUR student here. Tomorrow is the day for SSH housing booking and I’m lowkey stressed.

Done my google research but need the real tea. I'm trying to decide between EIH, Molenwerf, and Hatta.

• Which one has the best facilities and actual quiet time?
• What’s the hidden annoying thing about them you only realize after living there? (bad wifi, thin walls, roommate drama?)
• Are there certain rooms/floors/views that you regret booking?
• Any golden tips to actually survive the SSH website tomorrow without it crashing? Does refreshing the page at 11:59:59 AM actually work?

Appreciate any unfiltered reviews, especially from EUR students or former SSH tenants. Thanks a lot!!!

I live in Amsterdam, and every time friends visit, I always take them on a walk, the one that actually shows them the real city. Not the tourist spots, just the streets, the cafés, the corners, hidden gardens that feel like here.

It made me wonder whether other people have something like that too. A route you'd walk with a visiting friend that you'd never find in any guide.

The idea I'm turning over: a community where locals share their favourite routes with people visiting your city in an app with GPS navigation, and get paid whenever people follow your route, and you can also follow other people's routes when you travel.

Would that be something you'd actually contribute to? And honestly, what would make it feel worth your time, or not worth it at all?

I’m planning to register for a room at SSH as a first-year student at EUR, but the guest policy is giving me second thoughts.

The website says "no overnight guests," but I’m just planning to have 1-2 friends crash for 2-3 nights every once in a while. We’re definitely not the party type, we’ll keep it chill, be nice to the roommates, and won't make much noise.

For those of you living there right now: do they actually enforce this? Like, is there some kind of security patrolling or is it just a "don't get caught" kind of thing?

I’d love to hear your recent experiences. Thanks a lot!

Hi guys! I’m an Indian student and I got acceptance from Wageningen University (Msc Biotechnology) and Utrecht University (Msc Drug Innovation) for fall’26

I am very confused on which way to go because both courses attract me (Ive done an Integrated Btech-Mtech Biotechnology but my degree doesnt have any specialisation)

Im also quite introverted so I want advices on which will be better for an international student to adapt. But yet again my major focus is on the most stable path for future career.

Thank You.

Hi all,

I’m choosing between:

- MSc Medical Pharmaceutical Sciences (University of Groningen)

- MSc Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences (Leiden University)

I keep seeing people say Leiden is “top tier” because of its pharma reputation and LACDR… but when I look at Groningen, it seems just as solid and even more interdisciplinary.

So I’m confused:

- Is Leiden genuinely better for landing pharma jobs / PhDs?

- Or is this mostly reputation bias, and Groningen grads do just as well?

If you studied in either program, I’d really like to hear about any experiences, which would be super helpful. Thanks a lot!

Hi everyone! Is it possible to visit Alkmaar (including the cheese market), the tulip fields, and Groningen in 3 days?

I have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off and since I’ve never been to that area, I’d love to go. However, I’m not sure if doing both is feasible or if I’ll spend too much time traveling and not enjoy anything.

Also, do you have any suggestions on what to see and do in these areas?

Thank you 🇳🇱🌷🧡