Resultsaccommodatesurvey
Uilenstede2015-2016
VerenigingBewonersUilenstede
5september2016
VerenigingBewonersUilenstede
Uilenstede346a,1183DBAmstelveen
Telefoon:06-83147714
E-mail:[email protected]
Website:www.vbu.nl
Tableofcontents
1.Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
2.Results....................................................................................................................................................3
2.1.Availibityofroomsandsearchprocess...........................................................................................3
2.2.Signingthecontract.........................................................................................................................6
2.3.Theroom.........................................................................................................................................8
2.4.Generallivingexperience..............................................................................................................22
2.5.Communication(ofDUWO)...........................................................................................................34
2.6.Thetenantsorganisation(VBU)....................................................................................................47
2.7.Backgroundinformationoftenant................................................................................................51
3.Conclusion............................................................................................................................................61
1
1.Introduction
Thisdocumentcontainstheresultsoftheaccommodatesurveyof2015-2016.Thisisanannualsurvey,
whichwecreatedincooperationwithDUWOandtheothertenantsorganisationsofDUWO.Thesurvey
wassendtoallstudentswholivedatUilenstededuringtheacademicyearof2015-2016.Intotal188
studentsfilledinthequestionnaire,whichconsistedof49questionson7differentthemes.Theanswerson
the49questionsweredownloadedinExcelandeditedinSPSStoshowtheresultsgraphically.Fromthese
resultswehavedrawnaconclusionwiththethreemoststrikingitemsandgavesomesuggestionsfor
DUWO.
VerenigingBewonersUilenstede
2
2.Results
Belowtheresultswillbepresentedpertheme.Openquestionsaregroupedonanswerswiththesame
subject.Ifagraphcontainsazerovalue(s),thismeansthatthequestionisnotfilledinbyrespondent(s).
2.1.Availabilityofroomsandsearchprocess
1. Howlongbeforehanddidyoustartsearchingforaroom?
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1
2
3
4
5
noanswer
1month
2months
3months
morethan3months
notapplicable,theuniversityappliedmearoom
1,1%
7,0%
13,9%
21,4%
19,8%
36,9%
3
2.Howdoyouratetheinformationsuppliedabouttheavailablerooms(1=insufficient,5=sufficient)?
0
1
2
3
4
5
0,5%
13,4%
20,9%
31,6%
22,5%
11,2%
4
3.Whatkindofinformationwasinsufficient?
0
1
2
3
4
5
Priceinformation
Informationabouttheroomsize
Photographsoftheroom
Inventoryoftheroom
Locationoftheroom
Other
9,1%
15,0%
5,3%
49,7%
18,7%
2,1%
5
4.Howdoyouratethediversityinpricebetweentheavailablerooms(1=notdiverse,5=diverse)?
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2
3
4
5
7,5%
20,9%
41,2%
23,5%
7,0%
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2.2.Signingthecontract
5.Howdoyouratetheprocedureofsigningthecontract(1=good,5=bad)?
0
1
2
3
4
5
1,1%
5,3%
5,9%
17,6%
30,5%
39,6%
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6.Ifany,whatissuesdidyouencounterwithregardtosigningthecontract?
Subject
Information
Answers
• Imissedtheinformationthatthemoneyhastobepaidatthattimeintheofficeandthatmostof
thecards,expecttheDutchonesarenotaccepted
• IhadtosignacontractonaroomIknewabsolutelynothingaboutotherthantheprice
• NobodyansweredmyrequeststhoughtheDUWOpagebeforeIsignedthecontractandIhada
limitedtimetosignit,otherwiseIwouldhavelosttheapartment,soIhadtosignthecontract
withoutalltheinformation.
• WhenIsignmycontract,therewasnothingtherethatsaidthatIwouldn'tbeabletosleepafter
7:30amforamonth.
Payment
• Problemintransferring3keurosallatonce
process
• TheyaskedmoremoneysayingthattheyhadnotreceivedthewholemoneyalthoughI'mpretty
sureIsenttheexactamount.
• Theadministrationfeebeforesigningisquiteexpensive
• Paymentforthenon-EUstudentswithlimitationonthefinancialtransactionisarealburden.
• Moreover,paying3monthrentpriceinadvanceissomewhatchallengingforlow-incomepeople
likestudents.
Signing
• Itwasn'tpossibletosignitonline,soIhadtowritemanyemails.
process
• Thereshouldbemore"official"invoicesas.pdffilesfortaxpurposes
• Therewasaproblemwiththecontractendingdate.Itwaswrittendifferentthanwhatwe
agreed.
• Ihadafewproblemswithsigningandpayingfortheroominthebeginning.
• Itisverydifficultforinternationalstudents,atleastfromtheU.S.
• DidnothaveanAdobeprogramthatcouldallowmetosignitautomatically.
• Signingthecontractandpaymenthastobedonebeforecominghere.
• DUWOtryingtoconvincestudentsitwasadifficultprocesstosignacontractwhenitdoesn'ttake
morethan30seconds
• Justfewhoursduringtheweekisopenforit
• ThedifficultyinsingandpayfromoutsideEurope.
Shorterstay
• IthadtobeforoneyearbutIwasgoingtostayonlyfor10months
thanpayment
• MostinternationalstudentsfinishschoolinJune.Anoptiontosignaleasefor10or11months
wouldbecool.
• ThefactthatIhadtopayrentforJune-August15whichdoesnotsuitinmyfavour.
• Thattherewasnopossibilitytoendthecontract,subrenttheroom
• Thecontractwaslongerthanneeded,butitwasnotpossibletosignitforthetimethatIneeded
it.
• Ididn'tneedtostayoneENTIREyearandcouldnotgetanymonthofrentback!
Other
• Verytimeconsuming(ittookatleast1,5h).
• Notonlythetenant,thelessorshouldsignaswell
• Mybirthdatewaswrittenwronglythereandittookmeabout10e-mailsand2weekstogetit
fixed.Notthemostcompetentcustomerservice.
• KeydeliverywasdelayedandIneededtostaysomewhereelse
• Emailproblems
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2.3.Theroom
7.HowwelldidtheroomfitwiththedescriptionontheInternet(1=notfit,5=fit)?
0
1
2
3
4
5
0,5%
6,4%
16,0%
20,9%
36,4%
19,8%
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8.Howcleanwasyourroomwhenyouarrived(1=dirty,5=clean)?
1
2
3
4
5
28,3%
23,5%
23,0%
15,5%
9,6%
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9.Didyouhaveanycomplaintsabouttheroomuponarrival(1=yes,2=no)?
1
2
60,4%
39,6%
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10.Ifyouhadanycomplaintsuponarrival,whatkindofproblemsdidyouencounter?
Subject
Cleaning
Answers
• Dirt,dust,myfloorwasworsethanthestreet,mywallswerefulloffootsteps.
• Theroomwasdirtyashell,Ihadtowaitforthepeopletocomeandcleanbeforeentering
• Extremelydirtyfloor
• Verydirtykitchenandtoiletandalsotheroomiskindofdirtywithalotofspotsfromdeadinsects
onthewallsandceiling.
• Itwasverydirty,inventoriesweremissing,sheetswerenotclean,wallswereextremelydirty,the
balconyhadnotbeencleanedatall.
• Thelightwasnotenoughandtheroomwasdirty
• ItwasnotverycleanwhenIarrived.
• Thekitchen-fumewasreallydirtyandIneverwasabletouseit.
• Theroomwasverydirty.Thelasttenantleftalotofrubbish
• Gavemethewrongkey;notthecleanest,especiallythecommonareasandhallways;wishI
would'veknowntobringhangers.
• Cleanlinessandtrash.Thebedsheetandpillowinmyroomweren'tchangedandI'dthoughtit
wasfreshandnew.ItwasonlyamonthlaterthatIrealiseditbelongtotheprevioustenantwhich
I'vesleptinforamonth!!!Andtherewereabagoftrashinmyroomwheniarrived.Andthechair
wasleftinthebalconywetanddirty.ievenhadtowashitownmyown.Also,mycontractstarted
intheweekends(satIthink).iarrivedonasundaywhichiswhenmycontracthasalreadystarted
buttheofficewasclosedandihadtofindsomewhereelsetostay.soitdoesntmakesenseformy
contracttostartonasaturdaywheretheofficeisclosedandican'tcollectmykeysforchecking
in.itskindaofridiculousthatistillhavetopayforthat2dayswhereicouldntevencheckin,and
imaninternationalstudent,iwouldn'tknowanyonewhowouldbeabletocollectmyroomkey
formeinadvanced.it'skindaridiculous.
• Markingsonwallanddrawingsonrefrigerator
• Noonenevercleanedmyfloor
• Roomnotcleaned,fullofrubish,
• Dirtandspotsespeciallyaroundthekitchen;verybadsmell(stillpresent)inthetoostrictly
confinedcorridors;veryhightemperaturegradientbetweenfloorcorridorsandcommonspaces
(stairsareaandlaundryroom)
• Theroomwasfilthy,electricplugsocketsnotfittedproperly.Floornotfittedproperly.Window
filthy.Generallytheroomwasdisgustingandinawfulcondition.
• Everywherewasdirty.Kitchenwasfullofoilfrompreviousresidents,thecurtainsandwallswere
stained
• fungusandreallydirtykitchenhoodandbathroom
• Iwasn'tclean.Ihadtowaitbeforeitwascleanedand,afterthat,itwasn'tperfectlyclean.
• Superdirtyroom
• Ididn'tpassthemon.Butitwasn'tclean.thexommonareaswereverydirty.Alsomanybulbs
didn'twork.
• Theroomwasnotclean.
• Shouldbecleaner,fridgeandwindowsverydirty.
• Verydirtywindow,whichwasn'tcleanedinyearsIguess.Nothinghappendedhere.Andmy
showerheadwasbroken,Idirectlyreceivedanewone.
• TheroomwasdirtyandIhadtotakeitemsoutthattheprevioustenanthadleft.
• Theroomwasverydirty.Myfloorwasnotglueddown.Thelightwasbroken.Inthebathroomthe
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Brokenitems
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toiletseatandlaundrymachinewerebroken.
Theroomandthebathroomwereextremelydirty
Uncleantoiletbowl
Everyroomshouldhavebeencleaned.
Roomwasverydirty.Therewasasmashedglassonthefloor.Whitepowderonmycouch.The
lightdidn'tworkinthetoiletandthetoiletseatwasbroken.Otherthanthat,thatroomwas
insanelydirty.
Dirtybalcony,dirtyroom,brokenshower,missingitems,etc.
Everythingintheflatwasdisgustinglydirty.Therewasmold,cloggedairfilters,trashleftbehind.
Leftoutfood.Itwasunacceptable.
Apondofpeeinthehallwayrightbeforemydoor
Themicrowavewasimpossibletobeusedbecauseitwasextremelydirty,lampsthatweren't
workingandablockageinthedrainoftheshower,heatingsystemwasn'tworking
ItwasfullyinfestedwithcockroachessoIasktobetransferred
Roomverydirtyandwiththingstoberepaired
myroomhadn'tbeencleanandwasinfestedwithgnats
Reallydirtyroom.
Roomhadnotbeencleaned.
Dirtyroom.
Iwastoldtheroomhadbeencleaned,butitstillwasquitedirty.
Dirtywallsandbathroomsmallerthenannounced
ItwastooTOOdirty.Manythingsweremissingsuchasmydesklampandmytrashbin.My
wardrobewasbroken.Therewerefootprintsonthewallsandthefloorwasworsethanthestreet
andIwasnotsurprisedwhenIlearntthatitwas15yearold.Howcanyouallowpeopletoliveina
roomthatitsflooris15yearold.Justunbelievable.
Notclean,defectutilities
Theroomwasdirtyandtheheaterdidn'twork.
Apileoftrashesfromprevioustenantwasleftinfrontofthedoor
TheentirespacewAsdirty.Theprocessofgettingtouilenstedeandgettingmykeyswerevery
difficult.
Theroomwasnotproperlyclean
Theroomwasnotclean.
Myitemswereeithermissingorbroke,
Brokenfridge,nolightinbathroom,lowwaterpressure
Thesinkneededtobefixed
Toiletsinkandshowerweredrainingthewater
Alsoonelambwasbroken.
brokentable,
Thecookerstopheatingtwice.Thecaretakerschangedthemverysoon.
Lampsnotworking,missingbin
Thestovewasn’tworking
Brokenlight
Brokenshowerhead
Showerroombroken
Doorwasnotinstalled,constructionmaterialswasleftinthebathroom,balconywasdirtyandfull
ofsand,thefloorwasnotprepared,thehandleofroofwindowwasbrokenandcouldnotbe
replacedbecauseitwasanoutdatedmodel(theproblemthatpersiststilltoday)
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Missingitems
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Theovenwasbroken
Somelightsnotworking
Thefrightdidn’tworkproperly
smokedetectorwithexhaustedbatteryafter2daysofmyarrival,roomabitdirty,balconydoor
doesen'tcloseperfectly
Therestofthehousewasfilthy
Thelampdidn’twork
Theventilationandtheshowerheadwerebroken.(Ventilationstillnotfixedafter9months!))
Sinkwasblocked
Mylightdidn’tworkatfirst.
Theshowerwasbrokenandtheytooklongtorepairit
Showerlightwasspoilt.
dirt,brokenlamp
dirt,brokendoorbell,brokenfaninthebathroom
Verydirty,brokenshower
Brokenoutlet,onelightnotworking
Brokenstuffintheroom
ThebathroomlightdidnotworkandittookonemonthforaDuwoOnderhoundtocameandfix
it.
lightdidn'tworkinthebathroom
Thepowerplugwasnotconnectedproperlytothewallsoicouldseethewires.Thecupboard
doorswerebrokenandcouldnotbeclosedorlockedproperly
Heatingnotworking
Ididn'thavehotwaterforthefirst2weekeds
Noiseshower
destroyedmopandbin
Someofthelightswerenotworking,andtherewerestainsonthefloorandwalls.
Manyofthelistedthingswerenotintheroom,electricityplugsneedtobefixed(itisdangerous).
Oneofthekeysdoesn'tfit.Letterboxkeywasmissing.
Ididnothaveanybedlinen.
Alsotherewerenosheetsinmyroom.
Nochairintheroom
Missinglights,changedfloor,windowhadopeningthatletairin.
Ihadnobedlinenandpillowsavailable.
Didn'thadalltheitemstolditwouldhave
Onechairwasmissing.
Missingkitchentools,andtilesinthebathroomwerebroken
myfurniturewasfallingapart,therewerestainsalloverthewalls,theroomwasnocleanedwhen
iarrived(forexample,soapscumalloverthebathroomfloor),myroomwasmissingfurniture,
thefloorwashingmachinewasnotworking
Notworkinglight,bedframebroken,veryoldbrokenmattress
ThekeythatwasgiventomewaswrongsoIshouldbackagaintotheoffice,hardlyconvincedthe
DUWOstaffthatmykeywaswrong!
Missingitems
Fewthingsmissing,loudventilation
brokenfurniture,thingsnotclean,nothingwasclearanditwasneverfixedaftermultiple
attemptstoaskforit
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Notcontent
with
furniture/
apartment
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Common
room
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theshowerflooded
Nolights
Noshowercurtain,reallydirty,lightsnotworking
lackofpromisedequipments/goods
Lackofbedsheets
Therewerenotallitemsaccordingtoinventorylist,nolightinthemainroomandbathroom,no
showerhead.Allthesewasmissingaftertheroomwascleaned.Seemsthatwithoutlightno
cleaningwasdone.
Theroomwasmissingsomethingslikeatrashbin,andthefridgewasnotworkingproperly
Missingfurniture
Thebiggestproblemhowever,isthehouseitself.Thedecorationconsistsmostlyoutoffurniture
wefoundinthegarbage
Theroomhadusedolddoorsandwindows.Thewindowisnotsoundproof.
Thelightsweretoodim,themirrorinthebathroomistoohigh(heightdiscrimination),thecloset
doorsdonothavelocksandwerelose(oneofthemalreadycameoffandnooneeverputanew
door)
Everytimesomeonewouldclosetheirroommydoorwouldmoveandmakenoiseevenifclosed.
WallsanddoorstoothincanhereEVERYTHING
Thewallpaperneededtobereplaced.
Therearesomeproblemsinthesharingpublicplacelikethekitchenandthebathroom!Imean,
manythingsareveryoldandneedberenewed!
strangerscampingoutinmylivingroom,kitchenwasamess/hadnotbeencleaned
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11.Ifyoucomplainedabouttheproblems,howareyourcomplaintsdealtwith(1=notatall,5=problems
weresolvedsuficiently)?
0
1
2
3
4
5
18,2%
13,9%
17,1%
19,8%
15,5%
15,5%
16
12.Howdoyouratethefurnituresuppliedwithyourroom(1=badcondition,5=goodcondition)?
0
1
2
3
4
5
0,5%
5,3%
16,6%
27,8%
31,6%
18,2%
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13.WouldyouliketofurnishtheroomyourselfinsteadofheavingitfurnishedbyDUWO(1=yes,2=no)?
0
1
2
1,1%
18,7%
80,2%
18
14.Howdoyouratetheamountofspaceinyourroom(roomistoosmall,roomisbigenough)?
1
2
3
4
5
3,2%
7,0%
18,7%
32,1%
39,0%
19
15.Howdoyouratethequalityoftheinternetservicesprovidedinyourroom(1=unstable/slow
connection,5=stable/fastconnection)?
0
1
2
3
4
5
1,1%
8,6%
11,8%
16,0%
34,8%
27,8%
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16.Howdoyouratethepriceofyourroominrelationtothequality(1=negative,5=positive)?
0
1
2
3
4
5
0,5%
9,1%
23,0%
29,9%
26,2%
11,2%
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17.HowdoyouratethedistancefromyourroomtotheUniversityorothereducationalinstitution
(1negative,5=positive)?
0
1
2
3
4
5
1,1%
0,5%
1,1%
5,9%
24,1%
67,4%
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2.4.Generallivingexperience
18.Howdoyouratethesocialambianceinyourcomplex(1=veryunpleasant,5=verynice)?
1
2
3
4
5
4,8%
9,1%
20,9%
35,8%
29,4%
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19.Howdoyouratethesafetyinandaroundyourcomplex(1=unsafe,5=safe)?
1
2
3
4
5
3,7%
8,6%
11,8%
41,2%
34,8%
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20.Howoftendoyouencounternoisepollutioninyourroom(1=never,5=veryoften)?
0
1
2
3
4
5
0,5%
7,0%
17,6%
16,6%
24,1%
34,2%
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21.Howdoyouratetheheating/coolingsysteminyourroom(1=negative,5=positive)?
0
1
2
3
4
5
0,5%
14,4%
16,0%
19,8%
29,9%
19,3%
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22.Howdoyouratethecleaningofthecommunalareas(1=insufficient,5=sufficient)?(corridor,
stairways,hall)
1
2
3
4
5
40,6%
21,9
18,2%
10,7%
8,6%
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23.Howdoyouratetheavailabilityofthewashingmachines(1=lowavailability,5=highavailability)?
1
2
3
4
5
16,6%
23,5%
24,1%
22,5%
13,4%
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24.Whatdidyoumissinthekitcheninventory?
0
1
2
3
4
5
noanswer
Nothing
Sufficientpots
Sufficientcutlery
Sufficienttableservice
Furnace/microwave
4,8%
4,8%
54,5%
10,2%
13,9%
11,8%
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25.Whatotherfacilitiesdidyoumissorreallylikeinoraroundthecomplex?
Subject
Overall
disappointment
DUWO
Sportcentre/c
afe/copyshop
Answers
• Ireallywouldliketogivecompliments,ifDuwodeservethem.Butespeciallywiththenoiseand
disturbancecausedbytheconstructionofDuwolately,weasabuildingcannotsleepinthe
mornings,havetoexposeworkergazeinfrontofourownproperty.Despiteallthecomplaints,
theydidnotstop.ThisisnotfairatallbecausenobodymentionedaboutthisbeforeweSIGNED
thecontracts.Ofcourseitiseasytodothisaftereverybodymadetheirpayment.IwishDuwoget
whatitdeservesbothpositivelyandnegatively.
• Therearenotenoughgarbagecanintheareas,communalareacouldusesomefurniture,thereis
notenoughsportfacilities,thereisnobakeryandcheaperfoodoptionsavailable,thereisvery
littlepossibilityforcomplaintsaboutthenoise,ilcaferunstillverylateandthesoundofmusic
continuestoirritateandnooneisaccountableforit.Thestepsinfrontofthecomplexturnstoa
garbagedumpsandfullofbearcansintheweakenedandagainnotasigninsighttoprohibit
drinkinginthearea.Maruijnasmokersstraynearthecafeduringtheweekendandnothingcanbe
done.
• Nosafetymeasurestospeakof-anyonecouldwalkintoourapartmentbasically,cleaning
serviceswereuseless,webarelyhadanyutensilsorpropercookingtools,moldinshowerand
toilets
• Theventilationcoverisbrokenandtheycausedbignoiseeverydayforoneyearandahalf!I
complainedmanytimes,noonereallyhelpedme!Couldyouimproveyourcomplaintsystem?It
oftenhappensthatsomestaffsdealingwiththecomplaintshavenoideaaboutwhattheyshould
doandevengivethewronganswers!Feelveryannoyingatthis!IdonotknowtheirstaffID
numbersotheyevendonottoberesponsiblefortheirmistakes!
• Ihaveneverseenthecaretaker.
• IlikedthattherewasaDUWOofficeinUilenstede.IwishpayingonlinewouldbeeasierasIhadto
taketimeoutofmyoftenbusyscheduletogototheofficeandpayinpersoneverymonth.An
ovenwouldalsobereallynice.Iliketheoptionofthebalconyinsomerooms.
• IwouldappreciateitifDUWOcouldprovidewifiinsteadofhavingusbringwireorsetupourown
wifi.Iappreciatethattheroomisalreadyfurnished.
• Ourkitchentvwasn'tfixedformonths.Wecomplainedaboutboththemicrowaveanddrierin
ourkitchen.TheresponsebyDuwotofixtheseapplianceswasappalling.Servicewasveryslow
andtheofficeseemedveryuninterestedinhelpingusout.
• 3monthstohaveaworkingvacuumcleanergivenbyDUWO!
• Cleaningserviceswerenotprovidedwithanyqualityandbarelyshowedupontheirdates.They
moveddirtaround.DUWOdidnotassistmewithanyissuesIhadsurroundingbrokenappliances.
Iwasevenmissingashowerheadforalmostamonth.
• Didn'tlikethatanyoneisabletogetintothebuilding.LightskeptbreakingandDUWOdidnot
bothertofixthese.Sharedareaswerenotcleanedbeforemyselfandtenothersmovedintothe
flat,andthemicrowavewasparticularlydirtywithmouldwhichisahealthriskandis
unacceptable.
• Aboerenmarktwouldbeanicealternativetotheexpensivesupermarket.
• Anormalsupermarketratherthantheextremelyexpensiveandqualitativelypooronethats
thereatm
• Sportcentreandcafe/barrestaurantaregood.Alsosupermarketsarecloseby
• IreallylikedthefactthatthesportcentrumandIlCaféwasnearby
• IliketheclosenessofsportcentreandIlCaffe.
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Household
objects
Room
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TheSportsCentrumandIlcafeareawesomealongwithPortoPescara.Theopengrassisgood
duringsummerandthenewredbenches/firepitisalsoprettysweet.HoweveronethingIwould
suggestwouldbetoaddmedalgrillsthatarecementedintothegroundoutside.Thestudentscan
bringcoaltothegrillsandusethemattheirownpleasure.
Ilikedthemarket,thebarandthegreenareas.Ididn'tliketheelevators,thewaitingtimefor
choosingawashingmachine
Iwasverypleasedtohavethegymcloseby.GenerallythewholeUilenstedecomplexwasan
unpleasantenvironmenttoliveinduetobuildingworks.
Ilikethesportscenterandtheculturecenteraround.
Reallylike:café/supermarketetconcampus
thefacilitiesareveryniceoncampus,nothingtoimprovehere.
Ithinkthefacilitiesavailableareenough.
Thegymisreallygood.Itwillbegoodifthepricesofthegymischeaper.Thesupermarketandthe
snackshopisgoodtohaveaswell.It'llbegreatiftherewasastudyorreadingareaofsomesort.
Sportcenterisnice,small-sizedopenairfootballpitchwouldbegood.
Reallylikedthegymandsupermarket.HugemissingisanATM!
Ireallyliketohavethesportcentrumthatclose.
thesportscentrumisgreat!Wishiuseditmorethough
Electricstove
Chairinmyroom,TVcables
Oven
BrokenTV
Oven
Anovenwouldhavebeenveryuseful.
Wishwehadanovenandthatthecleanersactuallycleanedtheapartment
Thereisnotoasterorformofanoven.Therefrigeratorwasfilledwithleftbehindmouldyfood
fromtheprevioussemester.
atoasterwouldhavebeennicebuttheamountoflivingroomfurniturewasnice.
Anoven,cleanerswhowillactuallycleannotjustsignthepaper,anATM(whyistherenoATM?)
Imissedoveninthekitchenandproperlightinginmyroom
Oveninthekitchen
Theroomdoesnothaveanysunlight.Thewindowsarenotsoundproof.Therearemosquitoes
frequentlypreventingustoopenthewindow.Wedonothaveaccesstothewindowattheroof.
Theshowerspaceinnewroomisinsufficient.
WhenIarrivedthekitchenfaucetwasbroken(therewasnohandle)andhadtowait1-2weeks
forsomebodytocome.Also,thekitchenandfridgewerereallydirtyandnobodycametocleanit
(wecleaneditourselves).However,eventhoughtherewerenotmanythingsinthekitchen
inventory,after2weekswereceivedthem.Thecleaningcompanydoesn'talwaysdotheirjob,
sometimestheycomeanddon'tevencleanthekitchen(onlywipethesinksandmirrorsinthe
bathroom)
ILOVEmybalcony.IhatehowEXTREMELYDIRTYthekitchenis.
Thebalcony,Hatethetoiletintheshower.
Radio/speakerswouldbenice.Itwouldalsobenicetobeabletoleavesomestuffforthenext
tenantifshe/hewouldliketouseit,forexamplebedsheets,towels,dryingtrack,foodlikepasta
orricewhichdoesn'tgobad,etc.
Blanketwasmissingintheroomalsotheclothcoverforthebedwasnotenough.
Ireallylikethefields.
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Iliketherenovatedcomplexwithlotsofopenspaces.Informationdisseminationaboutgarbage
disposalneedsalotofimprovement.Inmyexperience,internationalstudentsdonotknowhow
todisposewasteproperly.Forinstance,well-informedtenantsknowthatplasticwastemustbe
putoutonaparticularscheduleandtheyareusuallyjustlefthangingbytheresidualwaste
containers.Theuninformedinternationaltenantsoftenseethisasasignthatthecontainers
mightbefullsotheysimplyhangtheirresidualwastealongwiththeplasticwaste.Intheend,
theirresidualwastewillbehangingoutforweeksuntilsomeoneputsthemintheproper
containers.Anotherthing,whichappliestolazytenants,istheproperdisposalofpaperwaste.
Theysimplydonotbothertoflattenorcutthebigcardboardboxessothattheyfitproperlyinto
thepaperwastecontainers.Whattheyoftendoistojustleavethembesidethecontainersuntil
strongwindsblowtheseboxesintoanotherneighbourhood.Pleaseimprovetheinformation
disseminationespeciallytointernationaltenants.Itisalwaysnicetoliveinacleancampus.
Wherearethenearestchildrenplaygroundandcommunitycenter?
Ireallylikethegreenareaswithgrass.Maybeyoucouldprovidemorewoodentablesandchairs.I
thinkthenewmetaloneswillbetoohottositoninthesummer.
IlikethelocationofthecampusbutIhatetobewakenupbydrillingnoiseorsawamanoutside
ofmywindow.
Musicroomsaregreat,VUsportscenteraswell.It'snicethatthereisnowabbqplacejustin
frontofthesportscenter.However,itsuseshouldberegulatedbecausesometimespeoplestay
verylateandmakealotofnoise,whichpreventspeoplelivingclosebyfromsleeping.Bike
parkingsandrecyclingstationsarereallyhandy,howeveritwouldbenicetohaveplasticand
greenwasterecyclingaswell.
Wehaveproblemswiththenoise.Theventilationinthebathroomisverynoisy.Thereisalotof
noisewhentheneighboursopenthebathroomtap.Itishardtofindsuppliesforlightsetc.Lastly,
theadjustmentoftheheatingisveryannoying.Whenitisnottouchedfor2-3hours,thelimit
goesto15degrees.Itisveryinefficientaswell.
Ireallydislikethelaundrysystem:theyshouldbefree,thereshouldbemorewashingmachines
andevenwiththepresentendowmentthebookingsystemisconfusionary,misleadingandmany
timesalsothecardhasproblemsbeingrecognisedorthemachinetopayisstuck.
Thewashingfacilitieswereincrediblybadandoverpriced.Theyalwaysleftstainsandnooneever
didanythingtofixit.
Ourwashingmachineneverworkedproperly,andwecomplainedsomanytimes,andstillnoone
cametofixit.Itwasfloodingwithwatereverywhereallthetime..
Commonareas.Notenoughwashingmachines
Drycleaningwouldbegood.Cheapersupermarketalso.
ACASHMACHINE!!!!!!!
Theinternationalatmosphereoftheflat.
Imissplacestohangout(notinacafé)
Ventilationsysteminthecorridors
The102buildingsarereallyniceingeneral.Theroomsarebigandtheareaisniceandfairlyquiet.The
providedfurniturecouldbeimproved,asthefakeleatherfurniture(sofaandchair)isquiteuncomfortable.
Also,itseemsthatthetopfloorhasheatinginthefloor,whichmeansthatthekitchenisalwaysveryhot.The
kitchenisalsoverydarkasthereisonlyonelightandnowindow.
Ilikedthateveryonehadhisownfridgeintheroom.Oneofourfridgesinthekitchenwasveryold.Iguess
somepartsofthekitchen(e.g.windows,corners)weren'tcleanedforyears.
ATMmachine
MoresocialeventsinthesquareinfrontofIlCaffé
CommonRoomforstudying
Ballsforgeneralsportactivities
32
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Thenewareasaregreat!
InthecampusiseverythingwhatIneed,it'sreallyperfect!
Ilikedthelocalisationandeverythingisnearthebuilding.Sogreat!
UhmIlikethesportcentrumatUilenstede,alsothenewbenchatthepark!
Thegreenspaces
Ikhebgeenbezwaren.Decultuurcentrumensportcentrumzijnvlakbijdusikhebnietgemist.
Ilikethebalconyandthegeneralstructureoftheroomsinthegreenbuilding.IalsolikeIlcafeandthe
sportscentre.
Fine
Ireallylikethatthewashersanddryersarehere,alsotheshowersandsinks.Ialsolikethelivingroomand
everythingitcomeswith.
Ilikedthattherewasagym.
AmstelPark<3
Positives:diversefacilities
Overall,thelocationisgreat,theroomsaremuchcheaperthanIexpectedforwhatyouget,andfrommy
experience,everythingfunctionedproperlysoIhavenothingbutcomplimentsformystay.
Goodqualityfurniture,IwassurprisedtofindevenaTV!
Thebikegarage.Itwasreallynicetofeelsafeaboutmybikebeingsafe:)
Ienjoyedthecommonarea(livingroom)sothatwecouldgatherandhaveachatthere,thefactthatit's
closetouniversity,asupermarketaswellasthepark.Thebikeparkingspotsarereallyuseful;thecafeinside
thecampusisanotherpositivething.Moreover,theactivitiesorganizedinsidethecampusmadetheliving
studentexperiencenicer.
Ithinkthelocationisverygoodandthereareeverythingthatweneedaroundthecomplex
Ilikethatthereisabicycleroom,andthatnewbencheswereinstalled.Also,thebuilding(510)isnewand
modern.
33
26.Whatisyourgeneralopinionoftheservicesthecaretakerprovidedduringyourstay(1=negative,5=
positive)?
0
1
2
3
4
5
20,9%
16,0%
16,6%
22,5%
17,1%
7,0%
34
2.5.Communication(ofDUWO)
27.WastheinformationDUWOsuppliedaboutlivingintheNetherlandssufficient(1=yes,2=no)?
0
1
2
0,5%
74,9%
24,6%
35
28.Whatkindofinformationwasinsufficient?
Subject
Noinformation
given/found
Some
information
missing
Specific
information
missing/incomp
lete
Answers
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Noinformation
given/found
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Noneinformationaboutithasbeengiven
Noinformationatall.
Whatinformationwasactuallygivenus?
Iwentincompletelyblind.IknewhowmuchIhadtopayandthebreakdownofwhatIwaspayingfor.ButI
hadabsolutelynoideawhereIwouldbestayingforsixmonthsofmylifelookedlike--andneitherdidmy
parents.Theywerequiteuneasyaboutthat.Theirdaughterisgoing5000miles(aka7000km)awayfrom
home,andthey'dliketofeelconfidentinknowingtheirchildisgoingtobesafeandinabuildingthatissafe
andclean(myfatherhashighexpectationsforwhatcleanis,andthisplacedidnotmeetthematall).ButI
hadnoideaaboutanything.Quitescaryforthefirsttimeleavingyourhomecountry,wouldn’tyasay?
Ievendon'tknowwhereIcangettheinfofromDUWO
Noinformationweregiven
Manythings
Informationprovidedwasonlyabouttheroom.
Notprecise
Insuranceissues
EverythingwasgoodbutIbelievealittleinformationonplacesclosebytogetfood,hangout,andthingsto
doaroundUilenstedecouldbegiventostudentswhentheyreceivetheirkeysfortheirrooms.
Providesinformationaboutrentbenefits;howhardistakealongtermapartment,whatmeans:provide
alternativesafterthe1yearrent.
Thetaxesforpollutionsandwaterwereunexpected.Therewasnoexplanationonannualriseofrent,no
explanationwasgivenonrequiringamodemforWifi.
Picturescouldhavebeenmoreinformative
Alltheextracosts(administrationfee,havingtobuyownrootertoaccessWifi,havingtopay2monthsof
SummerinadvanceevenwithoutstayinginAmsterdamthatlong)
Transportationinformation,bankinginformation
IhaveaselfcontainedroomandIhadtopay174eurosforwatercleaning.Thisexpensewasnotnotifiedby
duwoandIhaveafixedbudgetforalltheyearbecauseIdonothaveapermittoworkhere,anditwasalot
ofmoneyforme.
Nuisanceduetoconstructionwork
Weweren’teventoldwherethenearestgrocerystorewasorhowtogetthere
Baddescriptionoflivingareas
Howdoesthetrashthingwork,howtorecycleforexample
Howdifficultistofindaroom
WewerenotmadeawareofhowfarfromcitycenterwewereorthattheUniversitywasnotinthesame
locationashousing
DoingBSN
Transportation,location
Documentationneeded.OnlywhenfinalizingthecontractIdiscoveredthatanIncomedeclarationwas
neededbutIhadnoIdeaweretogetit.
Repairservicestookalongtime
Nearlyeverything.IamextremelyunimpressedwithDUWOaltogether.IfIwouldhaveknownwhatDUWO
wasACTUALLYgoingtobelike,Iwouldhaveneverlivedthere.
Whichinformationdidtheyprovide?Ididn'tmissit,butjustwonderwhichinformationismeant.
Noneinformationaboutithasbeengiven
Noinformationatall.
Whatinformationwasactuallygivenus?
Iwentincompletelyblind.IknewhowmuchIhadtopayandthebreakdownofwhatIwaspayingfor.ButI
hadabsolutelynoideawhereIwouldbestayingforsixmonthsofmylifelookedlike--andneitherdidmy
36
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parents.Theywerequiteuneasyaboutthat.Theirdaughterisgoing5000miles(aka7000km)awayfrom
home,andthey'dliketofeelconfidentinknowingtheirchildisgoingtobesafeandinabuildingthatissafe
andclean(myfatherhashighexpectationsforwhatcleanis,andthisplacedidnotmeetthematall).ButI
hadnoideaaboutanything.Quitescaryforthefirsttimeleavingyourhomecountry,wouldn’tyasay?
Ievendon'tknowwhereIcangettheinfofromDUWO
Noinformationweregiven
37
29.WhatisyourpreferredwayofcommunicationwithDUWO?
0
1
2
3
4
5
Noanswer
E-mail
Telephone
Frontdesk
Contactformonthewebsite
Other
1,1%
11,8%
48,7%
27,3%
10,7%
0,5%
38
30.Whatwastheresponsetimeonanonlinesubmittedcomplaint?
0
1
2
3
Noanswer
1-3days
Within5days
Morethan1week
16,0%
38,0%
25,1%
20,9%
39
31.Howdoyouratethequalityoftheansweryoureceived(1=insufficient,5=sufficient)?
0
1
2
3
4
5
4,8%
17,6%
21,9%
24,1%
19,3%
12,3%
40
32.Haveyoubeenatthefrontdesk(1=yes,2=no)?
1
2
77,0%
23,0%
41
33.Whatwastheaveragewaitingtimeatthefrontdesk?
0
1
2
3
4
Noanswer
0-5minutes
5-10minutes
10-20minutes
Morethan20minutes
24,6%
25,7%
29,4%
13,9%
6,4%
42
34.Didyougetananswertoyourquestionorproblemsatthefrontdesk(1=yes,2=no)?
0
1
2
13,9%
63,6%
22,5%
43
35.Didyoucallthecontactcentre(1=yes,2=no)?
0
1
2
0,5%
36,4%
63,1%
44
36.Howdoyouratethewaitingtimebeforethestartoftheconversation(1=negative,5=positive)?
0
1
2
3
4
5
59,9%
4,8
5,9%
13,4%
12,8%
329%
45
37.Didyougetananswertoyourquestionorproblemduringtheconversation(1=yes,2=no)?
0
1
2
31,6%
42,8%
25,7%
46
38.HowwelldoesDUWOcommunicatewithrespecttorequestsforrepairs(1=verybad,5=verywell)?
0
1
2
3
4
5
2,7%
14,4%
23,0%
25,7%
24,1%
10,2%
47
2.6.Thetenantsorganisation(VBU)
39.AreyouawareoftheexistenceofthetenantsorganisationVBU(1=yes,2=no)?
1
2
20,9%
79,1%
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40.HowdoyouknowtheVBU?
0
1
2
3
4
5
Noanswer
InformationofDUWO
Website
Facebookpage
Housevisitbyoneoftheboardmembers
OrganisedpartyinIlCaffè
77,5%
77,0
4,3%
2,1%
6,4%
2,7%
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41.WouldyouliketoknowmoreabouttheVBU(1=yes,2=no)?
0
1
2
2,1%
38,5%
59,4%
50
42.InwhichwayyouwouldliketogetintouchwiththeVBU?
0
1
2
3
4
5
Noanswer
Website(www.vbu.nl)
Facebook
(www.facebook.com/verenigingbewonersuilenstede)
E-mail(newsletter)
Officehours
Housevisit
57,2%
14,4%
11,8%
0,5%
2,1%
13,9%
51
2.7.Backgroundinformationoftenant
43.Inwhichbuildingdoyoulive?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Noanswer
Uilenstede2-16
Uilenstede36-50
Uilenstede88-98
Uilenstede102
Uilenstede110
Uilenstede168-224
Other
0,5%
15,0%
12,8%
35,3%
11,2%
3,2%
17,6%
4,3%
52
44.WithwhichpurposedoyouliveinAmstelveen?
1
2
3
4
5
6
Bachelorstudent
Masterstudent
PhDorspecialprogramme
Postdoc
Guestorresearcher
Other
31,0%
29,6%
17,6%
2,7%
2,7%
6,4%
53
45.Inwhichperioddidyouarrive?
0
1
2
3
4
Noanswer
August2015
September2015
January2016
February2016
1,6%
44,4%
12,3%
20,3%
21,4%
54
46.Whatisyourcontinentoforigin?
1
2
3
4
5
6
Africa
Asia
Australia
Europe
NorthAmerica
SouthAmerica
1,1%
15,0%
1,6%
58,8%
9,6%
13,9%
55
47.Doyouhaveanyadditionstoyouranswersonthisquestionnaireoringeneral?
Subject
Suggestions
Answers
•
Youshouldn'tmixmasterstudentwithbachelororexchangestudents.itisobviousthat
wehavedifferentinterests
•
Aboutquestion13:Iwouldliketohaveminimumfurniture(like1singlebed,1
wardrobe,etc..),butifthenIwanttobuyabiggerbedandtheroomisnotbigenoughfor
bothIwouldlikeifitwerepossibletostockitsomewhereduringthelastingofmystay.
ThisisbecauseAmsterdamhassuchadifficultaccommodationsituationthatyoumight
needtobuyfurnituresyourselfforonetemporaryaccommodation,thenfindanew
alreadyfurnished,thenanotheronunfurnishedetc...
•
Ifitwouldbepossibleitwouldbegreatifyoucouldputbachelorstudentstogetherand
masterstudentstogethereitherinabuildingorjustonafloor.Thereissometimesa
significantagedifferenceandmentalityanditcanclash.
•
Whencontractschangeandsomeonemovesout,thereshouldbesomesafestorehouses
thattenantscanuse-thereisnoneasfarasIknowanditmakesithardtoadjustforthe
movingprocesses
•
It'snotcomfortabletohavetopaytherentforafixedperiod,insteadoffortheperiod
youwillusetheaccomodation.
•
OnlyafewnumberofPhDhouses(i.e.longtermaccommodation)isavailable,whichhas
resultedinalongwaitinglist.
•
Itcouldhavebeenniceifduwohadmadesomehouserulesorfacilitatedahouse
meetingsoitcouldhavebeendiscussedhowtolivetogethersincepeoplehavevery
differentviewsoncommonsenseI.e.Inadditiontocleaning.Forsomeatmyflooritwas
theirfirsttimetoliveawayfromtheirparentssothereweresomebasicthingsthatjust
didn'twork.
•
IngeneralIlikedthestaywithDuwo.Butforthepriceeveryoneispaying,iswouldbe
niceifdevicesinthecommenroomswerenotasoldastheyare,ifthecleaningwouldbe
moreefficientandifthewindowswouldbecleaned,atleastonceayear.
•
Alotofgasiswasted.Thereisnowaytosetthetemperatureoftheroom.Thedoorof
thegreenoweraewalwaysopenedandduringwinterisabigwasteofenergyandit
increasesthepollution
•
Ithinkit'sunacceptablethatstudentshavetopaythesummermonthsJulyandAugust,
sincetheuniversityprogramsstopintheendofJuneandmanystudentshavetopaytwo
monthswithoutbeinginAmsterdamanymore.
•
Idonotliketogettwoone-yearcontractsasatwo-yearmasterstudentinsteadofone
two-yearcontract.Ithinkitisreallyunfairtonothavetherighttoterminateyour
tenancyagreement,becauseofthetwoone-yearcontracts.Ialsothinkitisnotoktonot
beallowedtosublet.Thesetworegulationsmakeitnearlyunpossibleformaster
studentsthatstayinAmsterdamafterthetwoyearstomovewithoutlosingalotof
money.Whydon'tyouallowMasterstudentstomoveoutafterthefirst/thirdsemester
intheendofJanuarywhenthechancestofindotheraccomodationaremuchbetter?
•
Livinghereisniceandtherearepositivethings,buttheconstructionscheduleshouldbe
moreflexibleandconvenient(especiallyduringtestperiods),certainamenitiessuchas
thewashersanddryersshouldbefixedandkeptingoodcondition,andDUWOshould
upholdcertainthingstheymentioninthecontractsuchasgivingtenantscleanlinen
everymonth.
•
Pricesystemseemsunreasonable.Flatfor1personofsamesizejustbecauseofatiny
balconymuchmoreexpensive,butmuchbiggerflatfor2personsalmostthesameprice.
Exceptforthekitchen,thereisnotmuchstoragespace.Insteadoftheclothesrailinthe
wardrobe,moreboardsmightbebetter.
•
Itisverystrangetoincludecostforbedlineneverymonthasaservicefee.
•
Ireallyliketheapartmentsin510.IaminanapartmentthatisfurnishedbyDUWO,and,
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althoughthisisagreathelpwhenmovingtoanewcountry,Idofindthattherecouldbe
anadditionalshelforcupboardintheroom.
Idohaveasuggestion-inmypreviousstudentaccommodation,whenrepairstothe
roomwererequested,wecouldstatewhetherwewouldliketobepresentduringthe
repairs,ornot.Ofcourse,thismeansthatyouentrustthattherepairmenwillnottake
anythingfromyourroom.Somysuggestionisthattherecanbeabookingsystemfor
repairs,sothatwaitingtimeisreduced,sinceIamaPhDstudent,andcannottakelong
periodsofleavefromwork.
Reallybadhousingcompany.Oncecleanfortwoweekwithoutactuallycleanthe
commonarea.Complaindoesn'twork.Wepaymorethanwhatweget!!!!!
OveralldisappointedwithmyexperiencewithDUWO.
Theconstructionandnoiseproblemiscontinuingalthoughtheypromisedtoendit.They
areansweringtheemailsverylateandwithaninsufficientanswer.Wecannotseethe
outcomesofthemoneywepaid,nocleaninginthecommonplaces.Afewpeoplecome
andtheyspendlessthanhalfanhourandleavewithoutdoingapropercleaning.
ThepriceisthelowestthatcanbefoundinAmsterdambutIdon'tthinkitisfairtotake
somuchadvantageofthat..Itbasicallyfeelslikethisplacehasnotbeencleanedbya
seriousprofessionalforthepast10years.
Thereweremanythingsthatwerebrokenorinsufficientthatwedidn'treportbecause
weknewitwouldbeinvain.IttookTWOWEEKStoreplacealightbulbinoneofthe
toiletrooms.That'sTWOWEEKSofusingthebathroominthedark.Twoofusfileda
complaintaboutit(wedidn'tknowtheotherwasalsodoingit),andIgotanemailsaying
thattheyweregoingtodoitinthenextcoupledays.Andshegotaresponsesayingto
comegetalightbulbtoreplaceitherself.Thatisabsolutelyunacceptable.Godforbid,
whatifshewould'vedonethatandsomefreakaccidenthappenedandshegot
electrocuted?Orevenmorelikely,whatifshewould'veaccidentallydroppedthelight
coveranditshatteredandsheslicedherhandorfootopenonit?Wouldyouguysbe
liableforthatandpayforhertogetbetter,orisitkindoflikeyouroriginalmessage,to
takecareofitherself?Toughluck?Getoverit?Stufflikethisiswhywerefrainedfrom
reportingthingsunlesscompletelynecessary.Likeourdryer,wehadtoturnthewhole
dryertomakeitslightlyfacethewallthenshoveitupagainsttowalltokeepthedoor
shut.Andthewindowinthekitchenlookingoutontothebalconywasbroken.It
wouldn'tclosecompletely.Sointhecoldermonths,therewasnothingwecoulddoto
keepthecoldairfromcominginthroughit.Andwhenwasthelasttimethisplacewas
reallycleaned?Ihavebruisesonmykneesfrombeingdownonthemforfourhours
scrubbingthekitchenfloortheotherday.Iprobablycleanedoffgritandgrimandwho
knowswhatelsefromtenyearsago,easy.Iunderstandthatoncewe'rehere,weare
adultsandshouldcleanupafterourselves.ButforthefloorstobeBLACK?Whenthey're
supposedtobeblue?Also,itwouldbenicetoreplacethecurtainsin12-59because
they'reseethrough.WhileitwasjustkindofannoyingduringthedayifIwastryingto
napbecausetheyletinallofthelight,nowthattherearemenregularlyoutsideofmy
windowonthescaffoldingbecauseoftheobnoxiousconstruction,Isometimesdon'tfeel
comfortablechangingmyclothesinmyownroomevenwhenmycurtainsareclosedin
fearthatoneofthemwillwalkbyandseeme.Icanmakeouttheirfacialfeatures
throughthecurtains,some,beingtheverymodestpersonthatIam,hastoresortto
goingtothewholeothersideofthebuildingtothebathroomtosimplychangeashirt.
Admittedly,it'sdoable,it'snotTHATbigofadeal,butitsurelyisveryannoyingand
frustrating.Furthermore,abouttheconstruction,Iunderstandthatwiththesigningof
thecontracttoliveherewithy'allthatprobablyhadastatementintheresomewhere
aboutpossibleconstructionhappeningatanytime,wedidn'thaveallthatmuchroomto
complain,especiallywithpeople'slivelihoodsatstake,wedidgetanemailfromDUWO
announcingthatthenoisenuisancewouldcometoanendFridayMay27tharound
noon.Twoandahalfworkingdaysafterthesupposedcompletionofthelouddrilling,I
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stillfindmyselfdraggingmypillowandblanketintothelivingroomat7:30every
weekdaymorningtodullthedrillingthat'shappeningrightoutsidemywindow.My
sleepinghasbecomeapublicspectaclemostdays,andthat'sdemoralizingtome.Not
onlythat,butmy,andmanyother's,sanityisatstake.Justtryingtositthere,muchless
tryingtoconcentrateonabookforatestthatcoulddetermineourlives(GPAisforever),
we'redrivenalmostovertheedge,forcedtotearsattimes--everyday!Basically,I
understandtheneedtotheconstruction,andwe'vemadeitthisfar,butpleasekeep
yourword.Theletdownisworsethantheoriginalagony.
TheDUWOservicewashorribleandDUWOhadnorespectforstudyingstudentswhen
planning'urgent'works.Nogoodwordaboutit!
TheconstructionperformedonmybuildingwasabsolutelyabysmalandthesolereasonI
wouldneverliveinaDUWObuildingagain.Theconstructionstartedearlyinthemorning
duringtheweekbeforeexamsandduringexamweek.Ratherthangettingmuchneeded
sleepforourfinalswewereawokenbyloud,incessantdrilling.Theresponsesfrom
DUWOwerecannedandinsincere.Therewasnorespectforthestudentsandwhatwas
goingoninourlives.
Duwoviolatedthetenantagreementmanytimesthroughoutmystay.Theenvironment
wasnotquietorcomfortable.Theconstructionwasawfulandmadesleepingand
stidyingimpossibleduringexamweek.Thecleanersdidnothingbutsigntheirformwhen
theycame.Irecievedonlyonesetofsheetsforthewholesemester.Iwillneverrent
withduwoagain.
Cleaningstuffhardlyeverappears(andthetimeoftheprocedureislessthanhalfan
hourpermonthandthecleaningisinsufficient-Iamnotevensuredetergentsareeven
used-cleaningofthetoiletisflushingandpouringwaterinthesinkandcleaningjust
withtheusedgloves).
Accordingtothelistwepayformanyservices,wehaveneverreceived.Nobodyhasever
cleanedthewindows.Mutationcleaning???andgardenmaintenanceisnon-existent.
Alsothepricesforthefurnitureareexcessivelyhighforwhatweget...
Ididn'tlikethatDUWOneededmorethan1mounthtocleanthesharedbathroomfrom
mould(althoughIemailedthemassoonasIarrived).
Whencleanersarrivedtocleanroomofmyflatmateaftersheleft,theymadeamistake
andenteredmyroomwithoutknockingat8am,andthenimmediatelyleft(sodidn't
eventtriedtocleanhers).WhenlastsummerIwenthomeintheweekthatoldtenants
weresupposedtoleaveandthenewoneswerecoming(andIwasstayinginmyroom)
lotsofmystufffromthekitchendissapeared.Thestaircaseinmybuildinghasconstantly
nolight.
Thecleaningservicewasreallybad.ImnotgoingtorentaroomwithDUWOanymore
andIdon'tsuggestDUWO.
Thegreenbuildingwaskeptinawfulcondition.ThekitchenwasNOTcleaned.Cleaners
merelycameinawipedsurfaceswithanalreadydirtycloth.Disgustingandunhygienic.
IamfairlycertainthattheDUWOcleaningservicestoppedcleaningthefloorIliveon.I
haven'tseentheminmonthsandthecorridor,kitchen,andbathroomsaredefinitelynot
cleanedbyDUWOaswelltheywereinthefirstmonthsoflivinghere.Wehavetold
DUWOemployeesbefore,butnothinghaschanged.
Thecommonareaswereverydirtyonthearrival,andthe'cleaning'Duwopeoplemake
isverysuperficial,theyspendnomorethan5minuteshere.
Ithinkthattheyshouldchangethemattressmoreoftenandthattheyshouldcleanthe
windowsoftheapartmentsofthefirstfloorofUilenstede102
Kitchencleanness
Thelastbuildingisoftendirty,andIthinkitisbecauseofculturaldifferences,andnot
becauseitisnotcleaned.Nevertheless,thecommonareasinthecampusareoftendirty.
Thisissueshouldbetackledwithmoreefficiency,becauseitisnotsafeandhealthyto
liveinadirtyenvironment.Anditworksalsofortheimageofthecampus:Ihaveheard
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lotsandlotsoftimespeoplemakingcommentsabouthowthecommonspacesaredirty.
IarrivedhereinMarch2015.
DUWOwasoneoftheworsthousingcompanies.Fromthestateoftherooms,toactually
gettingcomplaintstakencareof,tothequalityoftheroomwiththeamountwepay.
Whenigotrobbedthecallcentregavenohelpeventhoughiamaninternational
studentinaforeigncountry.DUWOhavealsostuffedupmultiplecontracts.This
includedtellingmetheycouldntmovemetoaroomwhicheveryoneknewtobeempty,
andtheykeptdenyingitwasempty.Anothergirlgotkickedoutofherroomeventhough
shepaidthehousingdepositbutherformdidnotgothroughproperlybutDUWOkept
themoneywithoutinformingher-whichwasbadbusiness.Alsounwillingtogiveany
compromisesandwerejustrude.Thecampusisunsafeatnightandlittlehasbeendone
tochangeit.Inadditionthewaytheytreatinternationalstudentonly1yearcontractno
matterifyouaredoingyourbachelor.Thelackofrespectwasobvious.
IthinkthatDuwodoesnotreallytakewellcareoftheourbuilding(greentower),which
resultsinthebuilding,aswellastherooms,lookingshabbyandbeingdirty(stainsonthe
floorthatwon'tgoaway,paintcomingofthewalls,etc.).Ifindthisverystrange,sinceit
shouldalsobeinDuwo'sinteresttopreservethebuildingaswellastheycan,tomakeit
attractivetoincomingstudents.
Duwoneedstotakemoreresponsibilityforthesafetyandhygieneofitsbuildings.
Yourlackofempathyforinternationalstudentsisunprofessionalandunacceptable.You
startedbuildingworksonourbuildingatthemostinconvenienttimeasalloccupants
hadtheirexamperiodtoworkthrough,andyouthoughtthiswasacceptable.Itwas
unacceptablestartingbuildingworkinthefirstplaceconsideringourrentcontractwas
cutshort"duetorenovations",andthenyouhavethebraverytostartloudbuilding
workduringastressfultimeforalloccupantsofthebuilding.Thelouddrillingpersisted
forweeksandalwaysstartedat7.30amor8amuntiltheafternoon.Whenstudents
politelyaskedyoutostopthisnuisanceyourudelydismissedtheserequests.Evidently
youareanorganisationmoreinterestedinthemonetaryprofitofyourworkers,andthe
luxuriousnessofyouroffices,thanthehealthofyourclients.Ihopeyouimproveinthe
futuresomoreinternationalstudentslikemewon'thavetheirstudyabroadexperience
tarnishedbysuchanunprofessionalandunsatisfactorycompany.
-Theinternetinthekitchenwasdisconnected4monthsago.Iwroteseveralemails-
nevergotareply.Westilldon'thaveinternetinthecommonarea.
Pleaseprovidegoodqualityofpantoeverytenants,andtherefrigeratorisreallynoisy
Duwoshouldpayme65eurobecauseItransferredmoneybymistake.
Ireallymissmorelongtermappartmentsforfamiliesandappartmentswith2rooms.I
stilllookingforone,andseemsthatthe"studentmarket"dontprovidetoomuchoptions
likeforsinglegraduatestudents.
doyouhaveoptionswherecanIfindlongtermaccomodations?Ihavetomoveuntil
septemberof2016.WhatoptionsdoIhave?
Communalareascanbebetterimproved.
2weeksofnon-stopdrillingwasunexpectedandveryunpleasantespeciallyinexam
period
TheDUWOshoulddoomethingwiththewashingmashinesanddryers.Thedryerswere
brokenalot.Andtheyneeded2or3turnstoactuallydrytheclotheswhichcaused
mayorlinesforusingit
Washingmachineisnotbeingfixedformorethan6monthsandIseeadelyintheway
ofhandingthecomplaintandalwaysthereissomekindofanswergivenwhichdoesnot
seemssatisfactory.Thesekindofproblemsshouldbefixedinaweekor2.
I'menjoyingmytimeinAmsterdamandtheaccommodationmakespartofit.Theroom
andthesupportfromDUWOhasbeenveryefficientandpleasant.
Itisnotclearwhenanappartmentwillbeavailable,wejusthave1weekwindowtimein
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studentwoningandatVUaccomodationlistwedontknownothing,sowecan`tplanning
anythingbeforehand.
IreallyappreciatetheserviceofAccommodatebutIhadwishedtogetmoreinformation
abouttheroombeforehand.AllIknewwasthebuildingandsizeandpriceoftheroom,
aswellasthatit'spart-furnished.However,nobodywasabletotellmewhatkindof
furniturewasincludedandwhattheroomlookslike.Knowingtheshapeoftheroomand
existingfurniturewouldhavemadeplanningeasier.Asitwasnow,Iarrived,inspected
myroomandthenhadtomakeatriptobuymissingbitsandpieces.Thiscouldhave
beendonemuchmorecomfortablybeforehandwiththerightinformation.
Internationalstudentsshouldbemoreinformedabouttheothercontractsavailable
otherthentheaccomodate.Moreover,Icannotunderstandwhyithappensthat
internationalslivejustinspecificbuildings,amoremixedenvironemntwouldbenicer,at
leastwith2yearsmasterswhocomefromabroad.Lastly,2yrsmastersshouldbebetter
assistedwhenevertheywanttochangeunitatthe2ndyear,wegotsometroubles
dealingwiththeVU'saccomodationofficeandDuwo.
48.Whatisyouremailaddress?
Notincluded,asitcontainspersonalinformation.
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3.Conclusion
TheoverallconclusionofthissurveyisthatthereisachallengeforDUWOtoworkonthreeitems.
Thefirstitemistheprocessofsigningthecontract.TheVBUunderstandsthatitisdifficulttocreatea
processthatisuser-friendlytopeoplefromallovertheworld.Thetenantsthatencounterproblemsshould
havegoodmeansofcommunicationwithDUWO.Commentslike“justafewopening-hours”are
unacceptable,sinceDUWOisthereforthetenantsanditiscrucialforDUWOthattheprocessofsigning
thecontractisdonesmoothlyandthatproblemscanbeeasilysolved.
Theseconditemisthecleaningoftheaccommodaterooms.Almostallofthe188respondentsmentioned
thattheyexperiencedadirtyroomuponarrival.Numerousrespondentsstatedthattheyhadthefeeling
thattheroomhadnotbeencleanedatall.Therefore,theVBUisinterestedinthepolicythatDUWOhas
fortheapartmentstowardshygiene.Lastyearcleaningwasalsothenumberoneproblem.Itisclearthat
whenastudententersUilenstedewithjustasuitcase,itisunpleasanttohavetocleantheentireflat.
DUWOhiredathirdpartyforthisjob,but,lookingatthefeedbackoftherespondents,theyshould
reconsidertheworkofthisthirdparty.“Everythingintheflatwasdisgustinglydirty.Therewasmold,
cloggedairfilters,trashleftbehind.Leftoutfood.Itwasunacceptable.”Whenyouhavepaidacompanyto
cleantheroomyoushouldatleastexpectthattheydothebasics.TheVBUthushighlysuggeststhat
DUWOchangesitspolicyandthatitwillpaymoreattentiontowardscleaningintheyearstocome.The
followingitem,whichneedstobeimproved,isthatnewresidentsoftenexperiencebrokenitemsupon
arrival.Oftenlights,fridgesorheatingdonotfunctionproperly.TheVBUwouldliketoknowifDUWO
checkstheapartmentbeforethestudentsarrive.Itdoesnotseemso,becausealotofrespondentsalso
mentionedmissingitems
Thelastitemiscommunication;theoverallexperienceoftherespondentsdoesnotseemtobevery
positive.Therearealotofcomplaintsregarding'DUWOOnderhoud'andagain,thecleaning.The
respondentshavemadeusefulsuggestionssuchasseparatingmasterfrombachelorstudents.
Furthermore,asuggestionthatDUWOshouldconsideristhattenantsonlypayfortheamountofmonths
thattheyactuallymakeuseoftheroom.Atthemoment,theyareobligedtopayforJulyandAugust,even
ifthetenanthasalreadymovedoutoftheroombeforethemonthofJuly.
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