Students at The Social Hub on Hoefkade are paying up to 1,200 euros per month for rooms that are legally designated as hotel accommodation rather than residential homes.
Because the building holds hotel status, it does not have to comply with national rent-control rules, standard tenancy laws, or residential environmental standards.
An exemption from 2012
The arrangement dates back to 2012, when Leiden University established its campus in The Hague and created an urgent need for student accommodation.
The operator argued the development would not be profitable under standard residential rules, prompting the city executive to grant an exemption to its own temporary stay limits.
Standard rules limit hotel stays to four months, but the municipality permitted The Social Hub to house students for an entire academic year.
Fines for messy kitchens
The company justifies the high fees with extra amenities such as daily breakfast and cleaning services, but residents say the hotel experience comes with strict conditions.
Student Agnese Bellelli, who shares a kitchen with eleven others, reported that cleaners monitor the space using a colour-coded system displayed on a hall screen.
If the shared kitchen receives several poor ratings, the operator fines the students responsible.
Council debates the permits
The Hague faces an estimated shortage of 500 student rooms, with average monthly housing costs exceeding 600 euros across the city.
During a council debate, several political parties questioned the legal validity of allowing long-term student stays inside a building with a hotel licence.
Housing alderman Kavish Partiman acknowledged that the rents are high and suggested the city might have made a different choice in 2012, but noted the existing permit cannot simply be revoked.