Huge repayment of service fees. Image Resource/Shutterstock These are unusual years for Idealis in terms of service fees, says spokesperson Hellen Albers. This year, the restitution is unprecedented.
‘It began with the 2022 energy crisis that followed the Russian invasion of Ukraine’, Albers says. ‘That caused huge energy price hikes.’
The government offered help to prevent people from being unable to heat their homes. Initially, this help was limited to “small-scale users”. ‘This excluded student housing with communal heating’, says Albers. ‘We joined forces with other student housing providers to lobby for compensation for student housing tenants.’ At the end of 2022, it was still unclear whether their lobby would be successful, which meant Idealis was forced to increase its service fees considerably.
Huge differences
Later, in 2023, the lobby appeared successful, as the government launched a so-called Temporary Reimbursement Block connection (TRB). ‘Idealis applied for this reimbursement for all its tenants’, Albers states. ‘We received over 6.7 million for our tenants for that year, which resulted in lowered service fees from 1 June onward.’ That ensured that a large portion of the total of 6.7 million was returned to the tenants through the remainder of the year. ‘The rest was subtracted from the final service fee bills.’
Although this is the largest reimbursement in service fees ever for Idealis, the sums per tenant differ hugely. Some tenants receive large sums, while others receive just a little. ‘The TRB was provided only for tenants with communal connections. Tenants in other housing complexes received compensation directly from the government.’ Whether a student rented for the whole year or just a part also makes a difference. ‘The TRB was included in the lower service fees from 1 June, which means the restitution will likely be lower.’
