What can my landlord do if I change rooms or agree to move in with someone new?

Questioner

We have a new landlord who wanted to put us on a joint contract, we were advised not to sign this so we refused. He keeps saying that this would work to our advantage, because every time we change housemates (oldest leaves, people then change rooms, and a new housemate moves in) he can refuse everyone who changes rooms or let another (random) person live in it. This doesn't sound normal, but I can't find anything online about this situation. He also says that he can then increase the rent every time by as much as he wants. He still hasn't arranged normal (per room) contracts, so 2 of the new housemates can't register with the municipality either. We asked for contracts right when we moved, but that was almost a year ago now. On top of that, he says he'll grant me a new contract (I've also moved) but that he'll increase my rent by about 14%. He claims that because this is a new rental situation, the normal maximum allowed rent increase doesn't apply. Can you tell me what is/isn't true about this? Thanks in advance

Lawyer

Legally, almost everything you say is wrong. A (student) room falls under the social housing regime. Rent increases are regulated by law. It seems that the landlord is exploiting the situation of moving to another room, it is best to have all documents, data and facts jointly checked by a lawyer who can then write to the landlord. The problems can also be submitted to the rent assessment committee, but they currently have a considerable backlog. Please contact me via info@rechtinjestad.nl so that I can view the information.