Do you remember that old magician’s trick where Houdini would emerge from a sealed box? For just €200,000, you could relive it daily when exiting your 14-square-metre flat in Haarlem. 

That’s right: the apartment of 4.04 metres by 2.74 metres, plus a generous few metres of terrace and storage space, is on the market for a whopping €198,500 — that’s €14,179 per square metre. 

The magic behind this special trick is called ✨ the Dutch housing market ✨.

Even the agent is not convinced 

The “house” (we use the term loosely) offers its own kitchen, bathroom, toilet, and even overlooks the Spaarne river — but it was literally a storage room.

The agent selling the apartment, André van Regteren, doesn’t sound particularly enthusiastic about the space, either. 

The asking price for this Haarlem listing is “a try-out,” Van Regteren tells RTL.

After all, the property has been sold at an unusually high price before.

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Just three months ago, the current owner bought it for €145,000, more than 11% more than the original asking price of €130,000.

It was meant for his daughter, who was supposed to start her studies in Haarlem this September.

However, he decided to sell after a change of plans, and this charming all-in-one living (surviving?) space is back on the market. 

Not an isolated case 

These numbers would have been unimaginable in the past, but with the current housing crisis, they are not too far off the average asking price in big Dutch cities.

In places like Amsterdam or Utrecht, paying €12,000 to €14,000 per square metre is not unusual. 

Apparently, this new normal is spreading to mid-sized cities like Haarlem as well. 

Have you come across outrageous housing ads in the Netherlands? Our comment section is spacious enough to fit all your stories.

The stats about this year’s rent increase are in, and they’re looking bad. In 2024, rents went up by an average 5.4% in the Netherlands — that’s the highest increase since 1993.

The data, published on September 4 by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), also shows variations across cities and provinces, with some surprising results. 

Also trouble outside of the Randstad

The podium for the cities with the highest rent increases is entirely occupied by Randstad cities — few surprises there.

Rotterdam saw the sharpest increase, with rents rising by a whopping 5.9% in just one year. 

This was followed by Utrecht, which saw an increase of 5.8%, The Hague with 5.3% and Amsterdam with 5.2% 

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However, the grass isn’t greener outside of the Randstad.

Data shows that, believe it or not, the fastest growing provinces in the Netherlands were actually Drenthe (5.8%), Overijssel (5.7%), and Gelderland (5.6%). 

Yep, not North Holland. 

Social housing sees the highest increases

Interestingly, those of us looking to rent in the social housing sector saw the sharpest increase.

In this sector, rents rose by an average 5.7% compared to 2023.  This is an increase of 0.7% more than rents for privately owned homes. 

In a country where two-thirds of homes for rent are owned by social landlords, this means that many tenants were hit by an even worse price increase than suggested by the general statistics. 

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And what’s worse is, social housing tenants are expected to be hit even harder next year. Data forecasts a 6.5% rent increase for social housing in 2025, reports NOS.

How is this allowed?

According to the Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning (VRO)  this year’s staggering rent increase is “not unexpected”.

Rather, it is a natural consequence of this year’s particularly high average wage increase.

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However, it is also partially the product of a legal loophole. While Dutch law protects current tenants by setting yearly increase limits, this mechanism doesn’t apply to new contracts. 

Have you been affected by this year’s rent increase? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

The Dutch cabinet is planning to introduce an additional bracket in income tax. Minister of Finance Eelco Heinen is considering the decision before Budget Day next Tuesday.

The coalition agreement had already suggested the idea as part of a goal to distribute billions for tax relief. Sounds good, right?

Well, not everyone is convinced the measure will benefit the right groups, de Telegraaf reports.

What’s the plan?

While the coalition wants to focus on lower-income and middle-class workers, this new bracket would also benefit high-earners. That’s because everyone would pay less tax on the first part of their income.

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Currently, there are two income tax brackets in the Netherlands.

In the first bracket, people pay just under 37% of tax on their income of up to approximately €75,000. Earnings above that amount are taxed at 49.5%.

The cabinet’s new tax rate for the initial income is still being discussed, and the specific rate and income threshold for this bracket are not clear yet.

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Alternative, targeted options that could increase the purchasing power are also still being considered in the budget talks. However, these kinds of measures are often trickier and, well, messier to implement.

A simpler system could be complicated again

The number of tax brackets was reduced to two just four years ago by the Rutte III Cabinet to make the system easier to understand.

Adding another tax bracket back in again would be a complex decision.

The cabinet should conclude its budget talks this week as the national budget for 2025 will be approved. This is presented on Budget Day next Tuesday.

What do you think of having an additional income tax bracket? Let us know in the comments.