With general elections in two weeks, housing crisis is a big issue, with the far-right Party for Freedom blaming migrants
C
arlos Fernandes is proud of the metalwork he does on Dutch superyachts that sail the world. But the Portuguese migrant worker was surprised to hear he might be paying hundreds of euros too much in monthly rent for his family’s apartment.
“We found it and we moved in,” he said. “It should be between €800 and €1,115 but we are paying €1,380.”
He was one of the first to answer the door during an awareness campaign in Rotterdam this month. Volunteers from the Dutch city’s council have knocked at hundreds of households to inform people about its new powers to combat substandard living conditions, illegal temporary contracts and exploitative rents.
