In 2023, approximately 55,000 permits will have been issued to build new homes reports the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) Thursday based on regional figures. Fewer permits were issued for the second year in a row. In 2022 this was approximately 63,000. Most new-build homes were licensed in the provinces of South Holland (11,000), North Brabant (9,000) and North Holland (9,000).
According to Statistics Netherlands, the number of permits issued for owner-occupied homes has fallen in particular. The decline in the number of permits for rental properties was less significant. In 2023, 26,000 permits were ultimately issued for new owner-occupied homes and 28,000 for new rental homes. This makes last year the first year since 2012 that more permits were issued to rental properties than to owner-occupied properties.
The declining number of building permits issued is problematic given the large housing shortage. The shortage has now risen to 400,000 homes. In order to keep up with the growth in the number of households, the outgoing government plans to build 981,000 houses before 2030. The fact that fewer and fewer new construction permits are being issued is partly due to rising construction costs and high interest rates, which hinder the financing of complicates construction projects.