Permanent housing

In the Netherlands, there is a difference between social housing and renting in the free sector. Social housing is for people with lower incomes. Houses in the free sector can be rented by anyone. In the Netherlands, there are currently fewer available (rental) houses than the number of house seekers.

It is important to know that it is currently very difficult to rent a house. Due to the housing shortage, rents are very high and it can take a long time to find suitable housing. The housing shortage is a nationwide problem. How difficult it is to find housing can vary from city or village. In general, it is more difficult in (large) cities than in villages.

Please note: keep in mind that the odds of being able to rent a home in the private sector are higher than the odds of being able to rent social housing.

As a tenant, you must meet certain requirements. Which requirements apply to you depends on what kind of housing you want to rent. For example, different requirements may apply to social housing than to housing in the private sector. Below are a number of requirements you usually have to meet.

Sometimes landlords in the private sector set requirements that they are not legally allowed to set. If you are in doubt about whether the landlord is making these kinds of demands, you can contact Het Juridisch Loket.