Dutch houses have never been so expensive: Here’s why we’re breaking records

Affordable homes? Nee, not here!

The Dutch housing market has been hit with the largest price increase in two years: owner-occupied homes are now 11.2% more expensive than they were last year. 📈

And just how large was that price increase? Well, according to figures from CBS (the Dutch Bureau of Statistics), the average price of an owner-occupied house reached a staggering €466,207 this August. Ouch!

What is an owner-occupied home?

This refers to a type of occupancy where a person owns the house in which they live. Owner-occupied homes can refer to houses, as well as flats or condominiums.

The housing market is “overheated”, says experts

In a video released last month, CBS chief economist Peter Hein van Mulligen compared the current housing situation to that of 2021.

Both cases involve an “overheated” housing market, where prices increase rapidly thanks to sky-high demand and limited supply.

Dutch-owner-occupied-homes-shortage-due-to-housing-crisis
The issue in a nutshell? Well, it’s about as obvious as you’d expect. Image: Freepik

As RTL Nieuws notes, it’s this last factor that continues to fuel the present housing dilemma: the sheer lack of accommodation for sale.

Building new homes is an urgent priority

With the housing crisis hitting critical levels, it’s certainly no coincidence that the Dutch government just announced that it will be allocating a sum of €5 billion to combat the issue.

Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning Mona Keijzer states that it “should be possible to build 100,000 homes in the coming year.” Municipalities will also receive a fixed sum for each affordable home that they build.

READ MORE | Why is there a housing shortage in the Netherlands? The Dutch housing crisis explained

In addition to building new houses, Keijzer has noted that she intends to focus on “making better use of existing buildings.”

How hopeful are you in the latest measures to combat the housing crisis? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Feature Image:Dreamstime
Liana Pereira 🇱🇰
Liana Pereira 🇱🇰
Liana juggles her role as an Editor with wrapping up a degree in cognitive linguistics and assisting with DutchReview's affiliate portfolio. Since arriving in the Netherlands for her studies in 2018, she's thrilled to have the 'write' opportunity to help other internationals feel more at home here — whether that's by penning an article on the best SIMs to buy in NL, the latest banking features, or important things to know about Dutch health insurance.

2 COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related posts

Latest posts

Gourmetten: A ‘gezellige’ evening of classic Dutch dining

You haven't celebrated Christmas in the Netherlands properly if you haven't done gourmetten. Gour-what-en? Exactly. If you're the foreigner in a relationship and this is your first...

7 things you didn’t know about The Hague

Ah, The Hague. The international city of peace and justice, the home of many international institutions, and the seat of the Dutch government. Already...

This Dutch municipality is paying off its poorest residents’ debts

The Municipality of Arnhem is trying out an innovative poverty relief scheme: it's offering to pay off the debts of sixty households from its...

It's happening

Upcoming events