Half of buyers cannot find affordable home

Every second person looking to buy a home in the Netherlands has trouble finding one that fits in their budget, according to a study conducted by the I&O-research among more than two thousand Dutch people. One-quarter of them indicated that they are currently looking for a new home< RTL Nieuws reports.

Half of the potential buyers said they had difficulty finding an apartment where the rent was lower than 750 euros per month or, alternatively, an owner-occupied apartment for under 400 thousand euros.

The reason why housing prices remain high, despite the economy struggling during the pandemic, is that there are not many houses on the market, RTL Nieuws reports. Currently, there are slightly less than 28 thousand houses available. In 2009, during the financial crisis, that number was more than 122 thousand.

Low mortgage interest rates and the fact that the pandemic does not affect all sectors equally also play a role in why housing prices remain high. The housing sector is not as impacted by the pandemic as, for example, the culture or hospitality sector.

Two-thirds of respondents believe that housing corporations are not doing enough to ensure that the housing market remains fair. They believe especially more consideration should be given to people with a middle-income. That means more housing also in the rent range between 750 to 1100 euros per month.

After health care, housing issues are the number one concern among respondents in the upcoming elections. Worries about the housing market have doubled in the past three years. In 2017, 14 percent claimed that housing was the most important topic; now that number has risen to 28 percent.

Two-third of people who partook in the study said that more housing needed to be built otherwise prices would continue to rise. Another attractive solution for many was to use vacant company lots and offices for housing purposes.