The Robin Hood of the housing sector fighting landlords
for Trouw
Shane in a studio apartment in Amsterdam that, according to his calculations, is grossly overpriced
Private landlords in The Netherlands are notorious for overpricing their rental properties, even if many of those properties by law should be rent controlled.
Shane, a 37 year old Irish expat, has made it his mission to help tenants who pay too much rent start cases against their landlords at the Huurcommissie.
Under the name ‘Rent Buster’, he finds and posts overpriced properties on his growing subreddit. He also sends new tenants a letter, explaining how they can start a case against their landlord and offering his help in this rent reduction procedure.
It has basically become a fulltime job for him, which he does for free or on donation basis. It gained him the nickname ‘Robin Hood of the housing sector’. Shane:“I don’t necessarily work for the poor, but definitely against the rich.”
Armed with a checklist, a laser distance meter and a calculator Shane inspects an apartment.
‘Bankrupting landlords since 2022’, reads the letters Shane sends to new tenants.