News item | 10-04-2025 | 17:00
Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning Minister Mona Keijzer takes measures to retain middle rental homes and to prevent landlords from selling their homes. It concerns four measures that are primarily aimed at homes of private landlords and that can have a quick effect. In the home valuation system (WWS), the WOZ value with a new contract will count heavier in the rental price. For small monuments, a higher rental price may be requested from a new contract and the lack of outdoor space no longer produces negatives. In addition, all students are given the opportunity to conclude a temporary lease. The proposals are in a letter that the minister sent to the Lower House on Thursday.
The measures follow on monitoring the effects of recent rental regulations and tax changes to the rental market. On July 1, 2024, both the Affordable Rent Act and the Permanent Rental Contracts Act started. Figures from the Land Registry show that more than 30,000 rental homes were being exhausted in 2024. In addition, new homes have also been added, for example due to new construction. At the bottom of the line, the private rental market in 2024 shrunk with 413 homes, while the supply should grow in view of the high demand for affordable rental homes. Private landlords in cities in particular sell their houses, because middle rental has become less profitable for them and selling the property at the market price is more. This increases the large shortage of affordable rental properties in the Netherlands.
Minister Mona Keijzer: “The aim of these measures is to ensure that the number of middle rental homes will grow again. It is important that tenants pay a fair price and landlords have sufficient returns and flexibility to continue to rent their home instead of selling user prices, this has rightly been used to protect tenants. Landlords, especially in large cities, can no longer make a good time with these measures.
WWS adjustments
Three of the four measures fall within the WWS, the points system with which homes are valued in order to achieve a fair rental price.
For the current WOZ-CAP, which limits the counting of a high WOZ value in the rent at popular locations, a storage will apply. As a result, landlords can request the maximum rental price at the original point total for a new tenant, without these homes getting to the free sector above the middle rental. Now rental properties fall back to 186 points and a maximum rent of € 1184.82, the upper limit of the middle rental, if the points from the WOZ value make up more than 33% of the point total of the house. This does not fit in with the high market value of many houses in the Randstad. By counting the WOZ value heavier, the lessor decreases the difference between the yield from rental and sales at market price, which makes it less attractive. For example, with 200 points, a rent of € 1277.85 could be requested. In this way, landlords get more room to keep renting and new tenants will pay a price that better fits the popular place where they will live, without losing rent protection. If the WOZ-CAP were completely released, the house would soon cost the double amount per month with 200 points.
Small national monuments will soon be more appreciated in the WWS. With new contracts, this can save between € 40 and € 70 monthly, depending on the size and WOZ value of the home. Small national monuments in cities are popular, but that is not clearly reflected in the maximum rental price through the current WWS. The limited area of these homes also yields a limited number of points from the WOZ value.
The 5 negatives for the lack of outdoor space are also deleted in the WWS. In many urban areas, outdoor space is difficult to realize due to the limited space. In addition, plus points are already being awarded for houses that do have an outdoor space. That stays that way. The scrapping of the negatives leads for new lease contracts per month for around € 33 more rent.
Landlords can only increase the maximum rental price to the new maximum if a new lease contract is concluded. For existing tenants, the rent may be increased annually by the permitted statutory percentage. For these tenants, the rent can therefore not suddenly be increased to the new maximum rent.
Students
For all students it must be possible to conclude a temporary lease contract. Currently, only students who move to the city where they are going to study can get a temporary contract. Temporary contracts offer landlords more flexibility and thus reduce the chance that houses are being deported. Students who already live in the city also get more chance of a room. Nationally, around half of the student residences are in the hands of private landlords. Since the commencement of the Permanent Rental Contracts Act, the lease has been the standard for an indefinite period of time, with the exception of some specific groups.
Taxation
In addition to rental regulations, taxation also plays a role in the choice of landlords to pound. The State Secretary for Taxation, Tax Authorities and Customs sent a letter to Parliament on 2 April about what possible options there are for adjustments to the box 3 proof to the contrary scheme. Other measures to make housing rental tax more attractive are already known. As of January 1, 2026, the transfer tax for rental properties will be reduced to 8%. Furthermore, with the entry into force of the Act, the Cabinet wants to make a Box 3 actually return to real estate from 2028. This means that landlords only have to pay tax on the increase in value of the property if it is sold.
Monitoring and evaluation
More time is needed to monitor the structural effects of the rental regulations on the rental market. The minister continues to inform the Chamber regularly about this. The full evaluation of the Affordable Rent Act will follow in 2027.