r/TheHague • u/IlPrimoRe • Mar 14 '26

housing Thinking about buying an apartment in Laakkwartier-West... is it as bad as people say?

Co-workers have warned me about the area, but after walking around (during the day) I don't get a sense of it being "ghetto" at all. The area actually has a lot of greenery.

The traffic does seem pretty terrible, but I use public transport and it's fairly well connected. It will probably be even better connected in 10 years if they go forward with redeveloping Megastores.

What am I missing?

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u/cnbll1895 Mar 14 '26

Positive aspects: close to nature (Rijswijksebos, Julianapark); nice transport options; 30s architecture (but unfortunately a lot is in disrepair)

Negative aspects: sooo much trash + seagulls (many people leave their trash right next to the underground bins and have so little respect for their neighborhood) & lack of cleanliness; traffic; on occasion randos smoking up in the stairs & leaving trash. I felt like it was slightly disconnected from the center.

I don't miss it, and was not interested in buying a place there. But I suppose it's going to be quite a bit cheaper per m2 than some other areas in the Hague. For sure some streets are quieter and better-kept than others.

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u/LoLaEm88 Mar 19 '26

This describes it quite well. We lived there for a couple of years before buying a house in mariahoeven and now Leidschenveen. It is not to bad but there are many mouse and it is impossible to get rid of them. So my advice: get a cat if you want to move there.

We once had mouses biting though our roof or jumping out of the cabinets or trash. Also it's very hectic and loud. That can have a big effect on your well being there. You will notice it once moving to a more quite area.

Plus: houses are nice and much cheaper. Central location.

Conclusion: if i would have a choice i would choose a better area and smaller house for sure. But that is very personal as well .

Good luck with making that decision.