On January 31st, DUWO requested our advice regarding their intended proposal for the rent increase effective July 1, 2024. Duwoners has advised critically against DUWO’s proposed plan to increase rents by 5.3% as of July 1, 2024. This advice was formulated after a careful evaluation of the proposal and the absence of a detailed reasoning from DUWO.
Duwoners has previously emphasized the importance of a transparent numerical justification to make an informed decision regarding rent increases. This year, as well as last year, this essential information is missing from DUWO’s proposal, which prevents us from substantively agreeing to the proposed rent increase.
Given the current inflation rate of 3.2%, we are disappointed that DUWO has opted for a significantly higher increase without clear justification. This goes against the Consultation Act, which emphasizes that rent increases should result from negotiations between tenants and landlords, with an equal exchange of information.
We also advise against the implementation of Income-dependent Rent Increase (IAH) by DUWO. This policy appears to disregard both the National and Amsterdam performance agreements, which are intended to promote housing mobility and support investments in quality and sustainability. The application by IAH by DUWO does not meet these criteria, and there has been no accountability for the spending of these revenues.
As a result of this evaluation, we can only agree to a rent increase of up to 3.2%, in line with current inflation figures. We urge DUWO to reconsider the proposed rent increase and adopt a more balanced approach that takes into account the interests of all tenants.