The party wants landlords who habitually overcharge on rent or use intimidation to be prevented from obtaining a rental license. ‘Property owners in Groningen regularly overcharge on rent, provide such poor maintenance in their buildings that the tenants’ safety is at risk, and even resort to intimidation tactics when tenants try to get justice’, according to SP council member Mechteld van Duin.

Hotline

On Wednesday night, the municipal council’s Space and Living committee will discuss the party’s initiative. The faction wants a hotline to be set up where tenants can complain about landlords that fail to tackle overdue maintenance.

Van Duin: ‘Right now, the complaints mainly end up at student organisations that help these people with their rental conflicts. The municipality itself doesn’t know enough about the wrongdoings in the rental world to take action. A hotline would allow us to keep records so measures can be taken against crooked landlords.’

If there are regular complaints about certain landlords, the SP thinks the municipality should impose penalties or fines, or the buildings should be taken over by building corporations.