If you and the SSH can not come to some solution, you can always submit your complaint to an independent Dispute Commission because you feel that your complaint was not handled properly for instance, or perhaps because you don't agree with the solution proposed by the SSH.

SSH Dispute Commission
The Dispute Commission is made up of external experts from a variety of social organizations, and is completely independent of SSH. Having a complaint handled by the Dispute Commission is free of charge.

Who is entitled to go to the Dispute Commission?
SSH tenants, those looking for a room, but also SSH organizations and ISHA (the International Student Housing Assistance) are entitled to submit a complaint.

Are all complaints dealt with?
It is not always possible to be heard by the Dispute Commission, because before it can deal with your complaint, certain conditions must be met.

For instance, the Dispute Commission will only agree to deal with a complaint if it was handed into the SSH in writing, and if in turn, the SSH also reacted to the complaint in writing. If more than a month has passed since you submitted your complaint in writing, and you have still not received a reply, you are entitled to go to the Dispute Commission. Then you have to make sure that you submit your complaint to the Dispute Commission within a reasonable amount of time. To be precise: within two months after a written reaction from SSH, or within three months if SSH has not reacted at all.

Some complaints do not belong within the domain of the Dispute Commission. The Dispute Commission will tell you where you can get help. Complaints that have already been dealt with by another organization are not part of the Dispute Commission's domain either.

General Procedure Dispute Commission
The general procedure followed by the Dispute Commission is recorded in The Dispute Commission Regulations (Reglement Geschillencommissie).

Submitting a Complaint
You can write a letter to the Dispute Commission in which you explain not only what your complaint is, which steps you have taken with regard to SSH, and what reaction you got, but also why you are not satisfied. Within one week after receiving your letter, you will be sent a confirmation of receipt from the Dispute Commission SSH, stating further procedures. If you have not yet submitted your complaint to the SSH, or if SSH is still busy trying to solve the problem, the Dispute Commission will first refer you back to the SSH.

Hearing both sides
When the Dispute Commission takes your complaint into consideration, it asks SSH to explain their side of the story. You are also asked to come and elucidate. If you wish, you can bring someone to help you. Within a minimum of seven days you will receive an invitation for this closed meeting, which will be attended by at least two Commission members.

The Verdict
The Commission will advise the Management of SSH of the result of their deliberation within four weeks after the complaint was attended to. You will receive a copy of this. Although their advice is not binding, if the Management does not follow this advice, they will have to come up with some powerful arguments within two weeks. SSH will inform you whether or not they have taken the proferred advice.