For the first time since 2020, prices for rental housing in the free sector rose in July, August, and September in a peak that has been attributed to — drumroll please — expats. 😬
In the Netherlands, average rents in the free sector soared for years in a row, but that changed once the coronavirus pandemic hit and restrictions limited international travel. Not that the general Dutch housing situation is ideal anyway. 😒
But now that the coronavirus measures are more relaxed, the rent in the free sector has risen by 2.5% compared to a year earlier, the NOS reports.
“Rental homes that would normally be taken remained vacant and were reduced in price to allow them to be rented out,” explains the director of rental company Pararius, Jasper De Groot. Well, talk about an add-on to an existing housing crisis.
City dependent
The rise also varies depending on the city. Amsterdam, for example, saw rental homes become 1.6% more expensive compared to last year. Coming as no surprise, this marks the Dutch capital as the most pricey city when it comes to rent in the Netherlands, NU.nl reports.
Meanwhile, Eindhoven and Utrecht saw rents rise by between 5.2% to 8.1% — whereas Drenthe’s and Zeeland’s rents fell in the free sector. 📉
This rise in rent is expected to continue if the supply of rental housing in the private sector doesn’t change, according to De Groot. In his opinion, investors should not be hindered from building houses and regulating the free sector.
What do you think of the latest rise in rents? Tell us in the comments below.
Feature Image: poznyakov/Depositphotos