Measures for problems on the housing market

The demand for housing in The Hague is much larger than the supply. In the coming years the city will grow by 4,000 to 5,000 inhabitants per year. To ensure that everyone can live comfortably, certain measures are needed.

In The Hague there are not enough properties available for the number of home seekers.

  • The fact that there are too few privately-owned homes for the number of house hunters is evident from:

  • The fact that there are too few rental properties for people looking for a home is evident from:

    • Higher rents. The rent for a square metre in non-social rental housing rose by 6.7% in the past year. This is evident from research by independent housing platform Pararius (in Dutch). After Amsterdam, The Hague is the city with the highest rent per square metre. Also see Woononderzoek Nederland (in Dutch).
    • Rapidly rising rents and rent increases which are higher than the annual inflation rate. Between 2017 and 2022 the rent rose by an average of 6.2%. Also see Den Haag in Cijfers.
    • For non-social rental housing, tenants often pay more than is appropriate for the quality and size of the property. Also see the Ecosys survey (RIS305820, appendix) (in Dutch).

Everyone should be able to live in comfortable and affordable housing. This way The Hague remains attractive. The municipality is taking measures to ensure sufficient affordable housing. The measures apply to all properties (new and existing).

What is The Hague doing about the housing problem?

The municipality had a goal to build 2,500 homes every year. This goal must now be increased to 4,000 homes every year. There is an extra € 50 million available for affordable housing.

The manner in which the municipality wants to tackle the problems in the housing market can be found in the huisvestingsverordening (housing ordinance) and the Woonvisie 2022 (Housing Agenda 2022). And people who are not using a house to live in often need a permit.

Huisvestingsverordening

A large part of the measures can be found in the huisvestingsverordening (housing ordinance). The measures cover housing permits, allocation of living space, declaration of urgency and locations.

There are also agreements with, for example, housing corporations, developers and investors.

Woonvisie 2022

The Woonvisie 2022 (RIS313365, appendix 1) (Housing Agenda) contains many measures. There are 4 themes:

    • The municipality has implemented an affordable housing permit for the social housing rental sector and the mid-market rental sector. This permit is necessary to be able to rent a property. A landlord is not allowed to rent a property to someone without a permit. As a result inexpensive and mid-market rental homes will go to people with matching incomes.
    • At least 20% of the new homes for rent have a rent below €985 (price level 2020). Half of these mid-market rental homes have a rent below € 880 (price level 2020).
    • In the case of new buildings, 20% of the privately-owned homes must be affordable.

    • The municipality wants to build more homes per year than previously agreed. Even with more homes, there should be 30% social housing throughout the city. The municipality expects housing corporations to be the first to build social housing.
    • The rules for a declaration of urgency will become clearer. Only people who really need it can receive a declaration of urgency.
    • At least 5% of the social housing that becomes available is for first-time home buyers.
    • The municipality wants to ensure that people who have too much space move to a more suitable home. This way more social housing will become available.
    • The municipality sometimes buys or sells land itself for the construction of social housing and starter homes.

    • It is possible to divide 1 property into 2 or more apartments (bouwkundig splitsen) only in certain areas and under certain conditions. The rules for room rentals are also being tightened.
    • For new buildings a maximum of 20% of the homes will be small dwellings (living space of less than 40 square metres in the city centre and less than 50 square metres in the rest of the city).
    • The municipality will reinforce its approach to combat mould. A periodic inspection will be introduced for homes. The VvE balie (for information and advice for homeowners associations) will be expanded to include a rental helpdesk (huurbalie).
    • Stricter rules for holiday rentals improve the quality of life in the neighbourhoods and keep homes available for home seekers.
    • The Hague implemented purchase protection on 1 March 2022. This gives people seeking a home to live in themselves more chances on the housing market.

    • There is a huge shortage of teachers, police officers and health care workers. The municipality wants to help people with these professions to find a home. This should make it more attractive for them to live in The Hague.
    • There will be more space available for caravan sites. There will be extra measures to help students, the elderly, labour migrants, and people with special needs find accommodation.

Permit requirement for converting, dividing, and removing a residential property from the housing supply

There is a permit requirement for:

    Vogelvlucht-aanzicht van Den Haag

    Published: 19 August 2022Modified: 31 January 2023