Daniel Vakulov, a PhD candidate at Applied Physics and one of the new residents of Aurora since July 1, says that he is acting as spokesman for the majority of the residents of Vestide’s new residential tower block. Vakulov explains that the residents find it unfair that the costs for the use of the joint washing machines and dryers do not come under the service charges.

This is felt even more so, says Vakulov, because at 262.58 euro per resident per month the service charges are rather high anyway. “It means that our service charges alone are often as high as many rents in Eindhoven.” Vakulov himself pays another 386.43 euros in basic rent, which brings his total housing costs to some 650 euros per month.

According to the PhD candidate, no mention was made at the time when the tenancy contracts were signed that an additional payment had to be made for washing and drying. Allegedly, some of the future occupants were told that those costs were included in the rent, says Vakulov.

The residents also indicate that the number of washing machines (five) and dryers (three) is not nearly enough and it is feared that during weekends in particular this is going to cause problems. Vakulov says that the residents’ group bases this argument on its own experiences in the space cabins, where there were ten washing machines and ten dryers for some two hundred users.

TV connections versus washing machines

Hannie de Groot, spokeswoman for Vestide, says that the service charges include the depreciation for the furniture, the fittings and upholstery among other things, and that they also cover the costs for the use of electricity, gas and water, the Internet and TV connections, and the maintenance and cleaning of the common rooms.

"According to Vestide it is better not to encrypt the use of the washing machines and dryers in those costs, because some residents make more use of those facilities than others. So the rule for this is that the user pays for each time he uses these appliances”, De Groot adds.

According to Vakulov residents now pay for a TV connection as well, when many of them do not even have a TV set in their rooms. “Can’t the costs for those be set off against those for washing and drying”, he wonders.

De Groot says that Vestide is prepared to meet up with the residents to discuss the use of the washing machines and dryers. “Before long they will get a message from us to tell them where and with whom they can register to take part in such a meeting. If they then still have questions, they can ask them, of course.”

As for the number of appliances, she adds that the washing and drying facilities in comparable housing complexes have been taken into careful consideration. “It has become apparent that five washing machines for a complex the size of Aurora is quite a lot. Very often those machines are not being used. Still, you only really find out how things work when people are actually living there. We shall keep monitoring developments closely.” She adds that the new machines only need half the time of the old ones for a washing.

Last week the washing room in Aurora was suddenly closed, when the machines were already being used, according to Vakulov, and the residents were forced to go back to the old washing facility at the space cabins. De Groot says that the washing machines and dryers in Aurora were first tested, but are not fully ready for operation yet. “By the end of this week they will be ready for use and then the residents can do their laundry there.” For which they will need to pay.

On Wednesday August 24 Maria Scholten, one of the student managers of Aurora who is employed by Vestide, will bring the student accommodation company up to date about the issue. Vakulov says that he will await the outcome of that meeting, “but if it does not yield anything specific we will start a petition so as to dissuade Vestide in that way. There is no doubt that this petition will be signed by nearly all of the residents of Aurora, but we are going to take it into the university as well, for we would also like to know what position is adopted by the university in this matter."