800 student homes in Amsterdam set for demolition as waiting lists rise to 4 years

The temporary student complex Ravel Residence on the Amsterdam Zuidas, with 800 student studios, will be demolished to make room for new construction in the summer of 2026. The students now living in those studios will have to look for new accommodation, while the waiting list for student housing in the Amsterdam and Haarlem region is an average of more than four years, Parool reports.

While it was clear in advance that the complex on Antonio Vivaldistraat would be temporary, Student Experience, the provider of the student studios, still tried to extend the lease, appealing to the need for student homes. But in vain. “The plots are now really needed for another project,” a spokesperson for the municipality said.

The other project, set to be completed in 2033, is two buildings with offices and 1,350 homes, including 135 for students. But that doesn’t help the current residents of Ravel Residence, who will soon have to look for new living space. Student Experience will give them priority for new accommodation, but its other complexes are also full, with waiting lists.

“That is the misery of temporary units,” a spokesperson for the student housing provider Duwo told Parool. “They are quick to set up, but they are also gone again quickly. Students then have to look for a new home, while there is already a major shortage.”

In Amsterdam alone, there is a shortage of at least 3,600 student rooms this academic year. Duwo expects that to increase to a shortage of between 8,900 and 11,7000 by the 2031/32 academic year. Students who register for a room via Room, the platform for housing corporations in the Amsterdam and Haarlem region, already have to be registered for an average of over four years before they are eligible.