To reinforce the demand for a rent freeze and to increase pressure on the alderman and the corporations before a final decision is made on the rent increase, the coalition is organizing Mar. 15 An action day! The action starts at 10 a.m. at the Haag Wonen office with speeches from various tenants in The Hague and the organizations involved. After the program at Waldorpstraat 80, the demand for a rent freeze and a collection of stories will be handed over to representatives of Haag Wonen, Staedion and Hof Wonen.
Day of action 'Freeze the rent!'
- Date: March 15
- Time: 10am – 12pm
- Location: Haag Wonen, Waldorpstraat 80, The Hague
Nick (Bond Precaire Woonvormen):
“In a city where we face an above-average poverty rate, a rent increase of 5.3% could have major consequences and offset the minimal purchasing power increase, or even worsen the decline in purchasing power for the most vulnerable families. That remains structural tax relief and a solution for it persistent poverty in The Hague, and the most vulnerable tenants in our city are expected to solve the budget deficit of the ailing public housing.”
Lesley Arp (SP The Hague):
“Housing costs in the Netherlands are among the highest in Europe. It is not without reason that the SP has been insisting on rent freezes for housing association tenants nationally for years. That a proposal for this is last voted down in the House of Representatives, shows how important it is for tenants to make their voices heard.”
Action coalition for rent freeze
In the past 30 years, rents have already risen by more than 140%! At the same time, the government has withdrawn billions from the social rental sector Landlord levy, the Ministry of Housing was abolished and the corporations allowed thousands of homes to be neglected, resulting in large-scale mold and moisture problems. To now state that tenants themselves must finance the new construction, renovation and sustainability of our public housing through the annual rent increase is a bit of a kick in the wrong direction.
Tim de Boer (The Hague City Party):
“Corporations see their own tenants as cash cows for national ambitions. Tenants sometimes live in a moldy home for decades, but now have to pay for the renovation themselves through the maximum rent increase. That is the upside down world.”
Call!
Show your solidarity with the fight for multi-year rent freezes! Participate in the action day on March 15 from 10 a.m. at Haag Wonen! Share this call in your network, mobilize your neighbors and share your story!
What does a 5.3% rent increase mean for you?
What consequences does a rent increase of 5.3% have for you? Which groceries should you ignore if you have €30 less to spend per month? Which costs or other bills can you no longer pay? Which holidays or outings should you save on if you lose €360 per year? Share your story with us using the following form: tinyurl.com/actiehuurincrease. We will bundle the submitted stories and hand them over together with tenants of the three largest corporations during the action day on March 15.
Wij Weigeren de Huurverhoging
The action coalition of SP, BPW and HSP arises from the action campaign We Refuse the Rent Increase, which has been organized for a number of years at national and local level, including in The Hague. The campaign is aimed at as many tenants as possible, who together massively object to the rent increase by simply not paying it.
“Through this method of action, we want to break with the culture that rent increases come back every year as a kind of inevitable force of nature that tenants have no say in against. The rent increase is just a proposal, and it is a right to object to it as a tenant!”
On the basis of a simple step-by-step plan you can participate in the campaign and refuse the rent increase. There are free flyers available to take to the streets together with your neighbors and encourage as many fellow tenants as possible to participate in the action campaign. Go to the website of Wij Weigeren de Huurverhoging to register and view the step-by-step plan.
#freezetherent #stoptherentincrease
For press contact, please contact one of the organizations involved or their spokespersons, or email: [email protected]
