News item | 08-12-2025 | 5:15 PM
The Dutch housing market faces major challenges, but also visible progress. This became clear today during Public Housing Day, where policymakers, housing associations, market parties and residents’ representatives met to take stock.
State of Public Housing
The meeting started with the presentation of the State of Housing 2025. An expected 77,600 homes will be added in 2025, after the 82,400 homes from 2024. The previously predicted construction dip for these years is therefore reflected in the figures. Due to better economic conditions, housing construction will pick up again in the coming years. The goal of 100,000 new homes per year is thus within sight. It also appears that fewer and fewer tenants have rents that are too high compared to their income. And that the sustainability of homes, buildings and areas in the Netherlands has continued. For example, because there are more natural gas-free homes and fewer homes with poor energy labels E, F and G.
Intensive collaboration between Woontop partners
Today was also the administrative meeting of the national Housing Top partners – the government, provinces, municipalities, corporations, market parties and social organizations. Tangible results have been achieved since the 2024 Housing Summit. For example, agreements between the market and the municipality in Stougjeswijk and an administrative agreement in Lisserbroek make the construction of 5,000 homes possible. 208 million euros have also been pledged in the Central Holland region, which makes the construction of 14,000 homes possible – 8,000 of which are in Cortelande (Zuidplas). Nationally, a total of 3.4 billion euros has been made available for housing construction, accessibility and area measures, good for approximately 273,000 homes.
In addition, work is being done on 50,000 affordable homes in NPLV areas (between 2024 and 2029), from 2026 there will be a government contribution of 7,000 euros per affordable home through the Realization Incentive, and the STOER program will remove unnecessary rules to, for example, speed up permit procedures. And the collaboration with the Woontop partners does not stop there. On the contrary. For example, a group of professionals will start in January who will be trained in the methodology of parallel planning and in March an inspiration guide will be published on how you, as a municipality, corporation or developer, can involve the voices of home seekers in housing construction plans at local level.
Progress and bottlenecks
Despite these positive developments, structural bottlenecks remain for the Woontop partners. Municipalities are faced with limited capacity when granting permits, objection procedures take too long, the financial feasibility of projects is a point of concern and the investment climate for mid-priced rents and the necessary modernization of building regulations also require continued attention. In addition, issues such as nitrogen, network congestion, space, soil and water influence progress.
The Housing Top Parties have agreed to focus in the coming period on setting up regional acceleration tables where they are still lacking, better use of existing buildings, standardization of rules and stable policy to maintain the pace of the construction task.
Significant challenges
Public Housing Day also provided an opportunity to celebrate new agreements and signatures.
Minister for Housing and Spatial Planning Mona Keijzer closed the day: “Today I saw and discussed good new opportunities to help our home seekers find housing more quickly: think of splitting and sharing homes. We must therefore make better use of the spaces that already exist. The housing construction challenge also requires a long-term approach and continued cooperation. The government, local authorities, corporations, market parties and organizations in the construction and development sector have already joined forces to 100,000 homes per year. But we are not there yet, the lives of home seekers are often on hold. Together with our partners, we therefore work every day to quickly offer more prospects for the many home seekers in the Netherlands. But there is still a long way to go before all challenges in the housing market are resolved.”