The proportion of social rental housing has fallen from 37 percent to 34 percent in recent years. According to the Central Statistical Office, the proportion of rental apartments in the free sector has now risen from 4 to almost 8 percent.

Between 2012 and 2021, 600,000 apartments were added in the Netherlands, but no social rental housing. Private landlords in particular are now renting out many more apartments in the private sector. During the same period, the number of social rental apartments from housing associations fell slightly.

The proportion of medium-term rental apartments, ie apartments with a maximum rent of 1000 euros, has increased. They now make up 5 percent of all living space.

Amsterdam is the winner: the number of private households there has doubled to 22 percent, while there are less regulated ones. This trend can also be observed in Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam. Eindhoven is an exception: It is precisely there that the number of apartments in the social sector has increased, while the number of rental apartments in the middle price segment has fallen.

Big differences depending on the community

The proportion of social rental housing in the Netherlands varies greatly depending on the municipality. In Alphen-Chaam, Eijsden-Margraten and Veere, for example, it is 15 percent, while in Vlaardingen and Heerlen it is more than 45 percent.

In most municipalities, the proportion of social rental housing construction at the time of the CBS measurement was below 28 percent. This is still below the target percentage set by Minister De Jonge (public housing), which envisages a share of at least 30 percent of social rental housing in the municipalities by 2030.