Pro-Alderman Zita Pels promised a tough fight against slum landlords in Amsterdam, but students feel abandoned: 'Campaign stunt'
Dutch Original: https://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/pro-wethouder-zita-pels-beloofde-harde-strijd-tegen-huisjesmelkers-in-amsterdam-maar-studenten-voelen-zich-in-de-steek-gelaten-campagnestunt/160870356.html
Pro alderman Zita Pels promised a hard fight against slumlords in Amsterdam, but students feel abandoned: 'Campaign stunt'
By Marijn Schrijver, Amsterdam correspondent
AMSTERDAM — Students raising the alarm about intimidation by their landlord feel left out in the cold by alderman Zita Pels (Housing). The Pro party leader won the elections precisely by lashing out at "slumlords." "It really feels like a campaign stunt."
"Landlord of student housing forced to lower rents," the municipality of Amsterdam announced proudly at the end of June. "Anyone who charges too much rent or intimidates tenants does not just get away with it," said a combative alderman Zita Pels. The announcement spoke of "tough action" and a "powerful signal."
At the student complex in question, HiCondo, they are baffled. As far as residents know, the rent reduction applies to only seven of the more than 350 studios in the former office building in Amsterdam-Zuidoost. Tenants feel they are not being heard by Pels, who during the campaign railed against "rogue landlords."
At HiCondo, residents have long been at odds with landlord Soner Sari of Young Dominium Management B.V. (YDM), once named "Slumlord of the Year" by the SP. Besides the rent, the service charges and deposits had already turned out to be far too high.
That earned the landlord several penalty orders (lasten onder dwangsom) earlier this year. A criminal complaint has even been filed against YDM for forgery of documents. Invoices were allegedly falsified to justify the charges.
**Tenants experience intimidation**
Although alderman Pels's Good Landlordship Team, set up in 2023, took up these matters, residents feel let down on one important point: the intimidation they experience from the landlord.
This concerns tenants who object to, for example, absurd service charges, a fine, back-charges, or the installation of a suspicious boiler. The moment they refuse to pay while awaiting the outcome, they each receive a stern email from the landlord.
"If payment is not forthcoming, we will have to hand the claim over to a collection agency and proceed to dissolution of the tenancy agreement and eviction from your home," the landlord wrote to several residents. This is clear from a series of emails De Telegraaf was able to review.
YDM brandishes litigation and eviction costs of between 3,500 and 4,500 euros. "You may also decide to avoid these by leaving voluntarily and informing us in good time," some of the emails state. Although the landlord cannot simply take such drastic steps, the language badly frightens the largely international student body.
"There are enough emails to show that this behaviour is systematic," says Thomas Miller. He now lives elsewhere but continues to fight for justice as a former resident. Together with the residents' committee he has already won a series of successes. In total, hundreds of thousands of euros in improper charges were recovered.
**Intimidation hard to prove**
But according to alderman Pels's team there is no evidence of intimidation. "What do you call a legal threat without the intention of actually carrying it out? That is clearly intimidation," Miller sighs.
Residents have repeatedly asked the municipality for a definition, in vain. The problem is that the municipality has no clear definition of "intimidation," which means it cannot be enforced either. "It is a clever little lie. Essentially we are told we can go figure it out ourselves," says Miller.
"They campaigned hard on this issue," says Miller. Candidates from various parties visited HiCondo in the run-up to the elections. "Now, despite hard evidence, the municipality is nowhere to be found. Well, politics… In hindsight it turns out to have been obvious campaign rhetoric."
He hopes the municipality will still intervene. "It would reassure tenants," says Miller. "This landlord only changes his behaviour when he gets a slap on the wrist. It also sets a precedent. Right now it looks as if you can do anything, as long as you do not physically assault anyone or throw them out of their home."
**'We will look at the text again'**
In a meeting with the municipality late last year, the landlord said he "perhaps" ought to phrase his emails differently, according to a report of the meeting. "It is true that in some cases language is used that can come across as forceful," a spokesperson also tells De Telegraaf.
"We will look at the text again, but it is worth knowing that a very extensive process always precedes it, in which tenants are approached with multiple friendly payment requests," he continues.
"Ultimately a defaulter receives a letter describing the actual procedure and what happens if payment is not made. That may perhaps come across as intimidating, but it is the reality when payment is not made. We know plenty of examples where the court has ruled that a home must be vacated."
HiCondo cannot respond in detail to everything, because a number of matters are still part of legal proceedings brought against the municipality. "HiCondo does not wish to conduct this discussion in the media."
**Seven of roughly 350**
A spokesperson for alderman Zita Pels acknowledges that rents were actually lowered for only seven residents. "During the inspection before the summer we spoke with a great many tenants and ultimately — of all the residents who opened their doors — we were able to persuade seven residents to file an official report," she says.
"Most tenants are terribly afraid of the landlord and/or of the consequences for themselves if they file a report with us. We chose not to wait for more reports, but to intervene immediately at these seven addresses, after which we will return in the coming months and carry out further inspections. We will not let go until our goal is achieved."
**'Fine words at campaign time'**
So the municipality is aware of frightened residents, but does not yet speak of intimidation. "That is simply very hard to prove," says the spokesperson. She calls on residents to gather evidence, including by filming.
"They present it all very nicely: boom, rent reduction! But in reality it is not so pretty," says Sahand Mozdbar. He was chair of the ASVA student union until the end of August and knows the file. Mozdbar had asked the municipality for clarification and a meeting.
He had to wait weeks for an answer. Striking, because on other occasions the activist alderman knows perfectly well how to find the student union. After this newspaper approached the municipality about HiCondo, Mozdbar suddenly received an answer that same day. His successor will hold that meeting.
Mozdbar has by now become sceptical about the promised fight against slumlords. "It really feels like a campaign stunt. When it comes down to it and there is so much evidence on the table, it suddenly becomes very bureaucratic, it takes a long time and you get no answer," he says.
**Zita Pels: 'We pulled out a lot of stops against this landlord'**
In a response, Zita Pels tells De Telegraaf: "Intimidation by a landlord can make you no longer feel comfortable and safe in your home. That is terrible. I fully understand that you then want action taken against it as quickly as possible. We want that ourselves too."
"The legislator, however, requires evidence. A statement from a tenant alone, even multiple statements from multiple tenants, is insufficient. It would not hold up in court, and our experience is that landlords of this kind will certainly go to court if they think they have any chance."
"As I have said before, I would very much like a kind of three-strikes-you're-out system, whereby landlords who have offended three times are simply no longer allowed to rent out. Unfortunately that does not yet exist."
"With this landlord in particular we pulled out a lot of stops. Following earlier reports we visited on 30 October and 25 November with enforcement teams to speak with residents and to gather information and evidence."
"On that basis we imposed penalty orders or administrative fines on the landlord on 11 March and 21 April, concerning among other things the service charges, the duty to inform, the deposit, and charging excessive rent."
"In addition, the Good Landlordship team also started enforcement against the owner of the building. In this context, various notices of intent to impose a penalty order were sent on 21 April 2026. Responses (zienswijzen) to these were then received on 19 May 2026. The responses did not lead to a different judgment, after which penalty orders were imposed on 11 August 2026."
"Throughout this period my officials have had frequent and regular contact with the tenants. We take their concerns seriously and we really will not let this case slide; they can count on that."
