Election programs do not address housing shortage enough, experts say
The proposed measures in political parties’ election programs do not provide sufficient measures to combat the shortage on the Dutch housing market, according to mortgage advisor company De Hypotheker after an analysis of the different proposals presented by political parties.
The mortgage advisors focused on seven aspects: the appointment of a Minister of Housing, regional vs urban development, the construction of new housing opportunities, mortgage interest rate reduction, first-time homeowners and senior citizens, an open housing market and lastly, sustainability.
They concluded that especially first-time homeowners and the elderly have trouble finding affordable housing.
Currently, the Netherlands faces a deficit of more than 285 thousand houses, De Hypotheker said. And various parties have proposals to address this, but they offer no immediate solutions to the current housing market situation.
For example, the CDA wants to help first-time homeowners by making start-up loans more attractive and lowering the influence student debt has on getting a loan. Multiple parties are in favor of securing a percentage of affordable housing for the elderly.
Nevertheless, the mortgage advisors state that the lack of housing is so great that it cannot be dealt with in one Cabinet period. They warn that more drastic measures are needed to find a sustainable solution to the housing market situation.
