Push for 10,000 new (cheap-ish) homes to help housing shortage

The Dutch housing shortage still has no end in sight, with the Own House Association (Vereniging Eigen Huis) now calling for change, with a petition pushing for more affordable and accessible housing.

Some plans are already in the making at the Dutch Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning, with Minister Hugo de Jonge aiming to build 900,000 new houses over the next eight years.

Yet for now, only two-thirds of De Jonge’s fresh project has to be “affordable” houses, which according to the Ministry, means each house should cost a maximum of €355,000.

That’s not good enough for the Own House Association, which is concerned that the annual income requirement of €76,000 (which one would typically need to afford a €355,000 house) is unrealistic for young people.

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Accordingly, the Home Ownership Association is now pushing De Jonge to limit the cost per house to €260,000.

With this price, buying a house is at least somewhat feasible for young people who are just starting out in this (dreadful) housing market.

Petition at work

The Own House Association’s petition calls on De Jonge to ensure more affordable housing for young starters.

It also requests 10,000 new affordable homes to be built every year, to help deal with the intense housing shortage here in the Lowlands.

At the same time, it’s important to the association that the new houses hold certain standards.

After all, nobody wants to live in a house that looks and feels like a container (*cough* student housing *cough*), so it’s key that cheap (ish) houses still fill their function as a place one can feel safe, happy, and at home.

Have you experienced the housing shortage firsthand? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!

Feature Image:Depositphotos
Juni Moltubak
Juni Moltubak
Juni moved to the Netherlands after realizing how expensive tuition fees in the UK are, and never regretted her choice of studying in The Hague. After three years of Political Science, she is ready for a new adventure — an internship at DutchReview! When you don’t see her typing on her laptop she can be found strolling around Haagse Bos or sitting in her lovely garden scrolling through interior design TikToks.

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