Expats leaving, holiday rental flats empty: what has coronavirus done to Amsterdam’s housing market?

The rental market in Amsterdam has experienced something no one would have thought possible a few months ago: more supply than demand.

Het Parool reports that as a result of the coronavirus crisis, apartments usually rented out to holidayers have been lying vacant. In the months before the social distancing came into effect, rental prices increased slightly in Amsterdam, making the already expensive city just a little more out of the average person’s reach. Now, there are more and more houses being offered for rent to the general public, because no tourists are visiting the Dutch capital right now.

Some expats have also gone home

But there is another factor in this increase in supply: some expats, who were permanent residents, have decided to return to their home countries during the coronavirus crisis. Many of their homes are currently being put on Airbnb, but it’s likely that in the future, their landlords will need to decrease the rent to attract new tenants, according to Jasper de Groot, director of Pararius. “Landlords who can easily rent out to the many expats during the boom, now have to offer attractive rental prices to avoid vacancy,” he says.

People are still looking at houses to rent

In terms of whether permanent residents are still looking to move house, the answer seems to be yes, de Groot says. At the beginning of the crisis, traffic on the site went down, but it has now returned to normal levels. “Home seekers apparently dare to continue their search for a home.” There are more apartments for rent for them to choose from.

And what about house buyers?

Whether the housing market for potential buyers changes depends on how long the crisis continues. Amsterdam has long been one of the most expensive spots in the country to buy a house, with areas in the South East and New West experiencing a particularly marked increase in prices in the last year.

Will the coronavirus bring affordable housing to Amsterdam? Give us your thoughts in the comments below!

Feature Image: Abuzer van Leeuwen/Supplied. 

Ailish Lalor
Ailish Lalor
Ailish was born in Sydney, Australia, but grew up by a forest in south-east Ireland, which she has attempted to replace with a living room filled with plants in The Hague. Besides catering to her army of pannenkoekenplantjes, Ailish spends her days convincing her friends that all food is better slightly burnt, plotting ways to hang out with dogs and cats, and of course, writing for DutchReview.

1 COMMENT

  1. About expats leaving I think we need to do a deeper dive on what the rationale is. People who want to be their family during a pandemic is one thing- they probably will return once this is all over; people who left permanently because they are disappointed and lost confidence in the way the pandemic is handled here is another story.

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