Destination services update: The Netherlands housing market

The demand on the rental market continues to outweigh the current supply levels, therefore the rental market is still severely strained all over The Netherlands.

As the demand continues to be on the rise, we prepared this update to shed some light on the current situation.

Housing budget 2023

Due to the high demand, overbidding is on the rise. The below guide reflects the current housing prices in The Netherlands’ major cities to assist with establishing a budget to plan for an upcoming relocation.

City District Studio 1 bedroom 2 bedroom 3 bedroom 4 bedroom 5 bedroom
Amsterdam Center Rare 1800-2250 2100-3500 4000-4500 5000-6000 Rare
South Rare 1800-2250 2100-3250 3000-4500 4250-7000 Rare
Other areas Rare 1750-2250 2000-3250 3250-5000 5000-7000 Rare
Amstelveen All areas Rare 1750-2250 2000-3200 2500-5000 3500-6000 5000+
The Hague Center 1100 1500-1700 1800-2000 2200-2750 3000-3500 Rare
Other areas 1000 1400-1500 1600-1800 2000-2500 2500-3000 3500+
Utrecht Center 1000-1150 1350-1750 1675-2000 1900-2400 2500-3750 3000-6000+
Other areas Rare 1250-1500 1450-1900 1675-2100 2000-3250 3000-6000+
Eindhoven Center 900-1000 1200-1500 1400-2000 1800-2500 Rare Rare
Other areas Rare 1100-1500 1400-1850 1650-1900 1650-2500 2200-5000+
Groningen All areas 750-1050 1100-1300 1300-1500 1500-1750 1800-2200 Rare
Rotterdam Center 1350-1500 1550-1650 1650-1950 1950-2250 2500+ Rare
Other areas 950-1050 1350-1450 1500-1650 1750-1950 2000+ 3000+

When one is looking for housing, the square meter of the property will be noted on the listing, as well as the total number of rooms. This number will include living rooms, dining rooms bedrooms, however kitchens and bathrooms are not mentioned as a room. For example, a four bedroom property would be listed as 4 (3 bedrooms). This would indicate a living room and 3 bedrooms.

Furnishing guide

Houses to rent are available in three different levels of furnishing:

Furnished

This type of housing is typically fully furnished, and it doesn’t only include your larger items of furniture such as the bed, sofa, dining table and chairs, white goods, but it also includes crockery, cutlery, bed linen, cleaning equipment and the likes – so it is a proverbial plug and play.

Fully furnished options are rather limited and are more expensive than the alternatives that are detailed below, as a fee for furnishing is payable to the landlord.

Semi-furnished

The fittings of such accommodation will include everything in the ‘bare necessities’ category. This means window, wall and floor coverings, light fittings, kitchen appliances and sometimes, but not always a washer and dryer. There is no one size fits all as to what a semi-furnished accommodation will include, this will very much depend on the actual property. This is probably the most common setup when it comes to properties that expats rent.

Unfurnished

As the name suggest, this type of property comes with no furnishing. This means that there are no carpets, curtains, light fixtures, however usually there is a fitted kitchen, where one may find built-in appliances such as a cooker and a fridge or dishwasher.  This type of property is very uncommon for expats to rent due to the high investment needed for the setup of the property.

Rental contract information

There are two types of rental contracts that are generally used in The Netherlands:

Model-A

This is the most usual type of rental contract, which is characterized by a minimum rental period of 12 months, after which an extension for an indefinite period is possible.

Model-B

This is a rental contract with a definite period of 2 years. After this period the contract will be terminated.

According to Dutch Law verbal and/or written agreements are legally binding. Verbal and/or written agreements made by the tenant with third parties should only be made if the tenant is sure that they are willing to rent the property. When making a verbal or written agreement and the tenant has a change of heart afterwards, the contract/offer is already legally binding if it was accepted and as such all further financial responsibilities are borne by the tenant – it is worth keeping this in mind when offering on a property and our consultants guide assignees during the home search process accordingly.

Utilities update

Due to the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, The Netherlands has seen a large increase in utility price such as gas and electricity. As a result, it was not possible to contract a fixed price for gas or energy accounts.

As of 1 January 2023, the Government of the Netherlands have introduced a price cap for gas and electricity for energy bills – this is for private households and for small businesses.

The cap is applicable until 31 December 2023 to all small consumers of energy up to a certain consumption level:

Maximum consumption  

Maximum price

Gas 1 200 m3 €1.45 per m3
Electricity 2 900 kWh €0.40 per kWh

 

Everyone who consumes more energy than the maximum amount will pay the tariff of their existing energy contract.

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