Serious Problem with landlords - plz read

• hey guys,
  
  i really need help, i am so desperate and so are my roommates. we are 6 international students living in tilburg. all first year so the uvt provided housing through an agency for us.
  when we arrived we did not have any hot water for 8 days, we did not have heating for weeks, no fire extinguishers nor smoke detectors until october. the heating is only working sometimes, right now i feel cold in my room.
  they charge us 350€ per month for 16 m³, ok, i know i cannot do anything against that, but did the agency providing me that place break the contract????? i know that if i break the contract they can charge me 200 € a day. lol.
  what i would like to know is if there s any way to get compensation??? i want my august and september rent back. is that a reasonable demand? we also paid for furnished rooms, when i came here my cupboard wasnt put together , garbage was lying on the floor, the place was a construction work. unitl now we dont even have a kitchen table and chairs to sit on.
  the university tryed to help us, but when we had to deal with their secretaries they made fun of us saying our place is quite good compared to others. i couldnt believe what i ve heard, what does my situation have to do with other students ones??? are they kidding me?
  anyways, after talking to the housing director of the university(not to his secretaries), he also said that they(kamerbemiddeling) have to compensate us for the delyas.
  what are my/our opportunities now, plz help us!
  
  
  thank you so much in advance
  
  
  thor
  
  
  p.s. does anyone know how much it is to get a lawyer or does the welfare system provide one since i dont have money?

  03 Oct 2005, 08:04 Anonymous

Replies

• went through the same shit...

  Hey! I know exactly what you are going through because I was at that state last month. Keep pesturing them! That was my strategy. I kept going at it and finaly was ablt to get 2/3 of my money back. I of course did in fact expect university housing to be bad....but this was beyond my nightmares. I was sent to live in a horrible place, I wouldn't even send a dog to live there. I am still amazed that they actually send humans to live in these places. I am wondering if they feel any kind of shame at all. They also were surprised with me not liking the place and also told me that "but it's one of the best ones we'got..." !!!!!!!!
  My place, which was 550 a month, had cracked doors so that all people could see right through, the floors were broken in many places....yet covered with the most horrendous carpet, mice crap all around, and just one small window at the very top of the wall.....just like the Monte Christo prison....!!!!!!!
  Get it? This was 550. Cant' say much about the water or the heat because as soon as I opened the door and took a look, I locked it and never went back. I stayed at a B&B and from where my battle began to get my money back from those housing agents. I complained and complained and complained. I went to several different offices. Do the same. Make them sick of you. Go everyday if you must. At the end you will succeed. I even told them in their face that this whole thing is plain robbery! As for a lawyer, try on your own initially. Group all 6 students together and take turns bugging them about this matter. If this doesn't work then it is possible that all 6 could in fact share a lawyer. What can I say, absolutely GOOD LUCK!!!!

  Anonymous 06 Oct 2005, 06:51 - Report