More Dutch unhappy with their homes

Last year more Dutch were dissatisfied with the homes they live in than the years before, Statistics Netherlands said on Friday. Especially tenants were less happy with their homes, but homeowners were also more dissatisfied. Though the vast majority of Dutch are happy with the home they live in.

Last year 71 percent of tenants said that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their homes, compared to 81 percent in 2009. The proportion of satisfied to very satisfied homeowners decreased from 97 percent in 2006 to 93 percent last year. The Netherlands counts around 4.5 million households in an owner-occupied home, 2.1 million households in social housing rentals, and 910 thousand households in private rentals. The proportion of tenants satisfied with their homes is the same in both social housing and private rentals.

The stats office also asked Dutch about specific characteristics of their homes. The proportion of all households that think their home has sufficient outside room, like a garden or balcony, decreased from 67.5 percent in 2012 to 60.8 percent last year. Last year 87.4 percent of households liked the vibe of their home, compared to 90.6 percent in 2012. And proportion of households who think their home is well maintained decreased from 79.7 percent in 2012 to 75.6 percent last year. Though the proportion of households who like the layout of their home increased from 84.6 percent to 86.1 percent.

Among the medium sized and large Dutch municipalities, with 100 thousand or more residents, homeowners in Rotterdam were least satisfied. Last year 87 percent of homeowners in Rotterdam said they were happy with their home. Den Bosch and Ede scored the best with 97 percent satisfied homeowners. Among tenants, The Hague scored the worst with 62 percent satisfied tenants. Amersfoort, Alphen aan den Rijn and Ede scored best with 80 percent.