It will be easier for local residents to find housing

In accordance with the proposed amendments to the Housing Act 2014 (Huisvestingswet 2014), municipalities (gemeenten) in the Netherlands will be able to reallocate up to 50% of housing for sale or rent to local residents. Currently, municipalities have the right to distribute no more than 25% of such housing. Depending on the passage of bureaucratic procedures, the new rules are expected to come into force on January 1 or July 1, 2023.

The bill on the relevant changes was sent to the House of Representatives in April. Now the deputies are actively considering it, and it is expected that amendments to the Law on Housing in 2014 will be adopted in the near future.

Minister for Housing and Spatial Planning Hugo de Jonge, who submitted the bill to Parliament, believes that the amendments will make it easier for Dutch people living in the respective municipalities to find suitable housing. The amendments are especially important for people who do not have a high income: teachers, nurses, police officers, elderly people who want to move to smaller houses.

The following changes are planned to the Housing Act 2014:

1. Residents of a municipality or Dutch people who are strongly associated with a particular municipality will receive priority in buying or renting a home over foreigners. According to de Jonge, this is extremely important, as people who buy a home for the first time will be able to stay in their home municipality and work for its benefit. Now it is not easy to find affordable housing in your region because of the great competition with foreigners. In this way, municipalities will be able to distribute to local residents up to 50% of all housing that appears on the market.
2. In addition to local residents, people of specific professions will be able to get priority when occupying housing. The municipalities will compile a list of professions that are important to the region, and specialists will be able to more easily find housing in their area of ​​work.
3. Residential buildings purchased for personal residence will also fall within the sphere of influence of the municipalities, provided that their value does not exceed 355 thousand euros.

It should be noted that the proposed changes are not welcomed by everyone. The broker associations NVM and Vereniging Eigen Huis have already said that the new rules seriously infringe on the rights of homeowners who decide to rent or put it up for sale.

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