Renting in a popular neighbourhood? Better save up. Minister Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan has new plans that would allow landlords to increase rent prices in major cities.
The housing minister has proposed changes to the Affordable Rent Act. Since its inception in 2024, the act has been responsible for reducing the rent for about 300,000 homes by at least €190.
Why does Boekholt-O’Sullivan want to undo the accomplishments of the Rutte cabinet?
Simply put, renting isn’t profitable anymore. (Yes, even at monthly rents as high as €2,200 in Amsterdam). The minister aims to lure private landlords back into a market they have been steadily exiting.
Although the parliament still needs to sign off, Boekholt-O’Sullivan expects the changes to take effect by January 1, 2027.
What exactly would change?
At the moment, the Affordable Housing Act grants points to a rental unit based on its energy rating, area, kitchen facilities, and so on. The quality of the accommodation then determines its rent.
First, if Boekholt-O’Sullivan gets her way, she would scrap the WOZ-cap safeguard. Homes with a high WOZ value (property tax valuation) would then be able to justify higher rents.
According to AD, this change alone could affect around 25,000 rental homes.
@zoecailas Expectations vs reality
♬ Just Give Me a Reason (feat. Nate Ruess) – P!NK
Second, the rent deduction applicable to homes without a balcony, garden, or outdoor area would be scrapped. Meaning, landlords no longer need to hold back on rental prices if their home has no outdoor space.
Third, owners of rijksmonumenten (nationally listed heritage buildings) would gain more flexibility to charge higher prices. This change could affect as many as 10,000 renters.
Meanwhile, landlords of newly renovated homes would be allowed to apply a 10% surcharge for longer than they currently can. If you rent a newly-done property, you have our sympathies.
Temporary contracts could make a comeback
The cabinet also wants to loosen the rules on temporary rental contracts, which were heavily restricted in recent years.
As opposed to an indefinite contract, a temporary one has a clear date of termination, usually within 24 months. This allows landlords to change rents, skirt permanent squatting, and kick out their tenants at their will.
The new proposal would make such temporary contracts possible again.
In the 19 largest student cities, private landlords own nearly half of all student accommodation: that’s almost 160,000 homes which could be affected.
To prevent landlords from selling up
However, it’s difficult to have affordable housing if there isn’t any housing at all.
Approximately 1.2 million homes in the Netherlands are owned by private landlords and investors as of 2025. If these parties continue selling their properties, the rental crisis might get worse.
Or at least, that’s the thought process of the new cabinet.
To sweeten the deal further, the government is also planning to cut the overdrachtsbelasting (transfer tax) for investors buying property with the intention of renting it out.
Are you worried about what these changes mean for your rent? Let us know in the comments below.
Please show us your sources, we can’t find this info in dutch media?
Hi there! As you can read in the article, several sources confirm the information, including AD. Further sources include Het Parool, NRC, and more. Hope this helps!