Fewer vacant offices converted into homes in 2020

Fewer vacant offices got converted into homes in 2020 than a year earlier. Mainly because of this, there are fewer new homes that previously had a different function. Statistics Netherlands reported this based on research carried out for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations.

Last year, 10,200 homes were created by converting offices, shops, and other non-residential buildings. In 2018 and 2019, there were more than 12,000 per year. The decrease is not only because fewer buildings were converted into homes but also because such renovations resulted in fewer new homes on average.

Buildings converted into housing often concern office space, involving one-third of cases. But in 2020, compared to a year earlier, 2,100 fewer homes were completed that were previously offices. More houses were built in buildings that once had a social function, such as a school or a gym.

The converted buildings accounted for 11 percent of all newly completed homes in 2020. Most new homes came from new construction. Last year, this involved almost 70,000 homes.

Homes that previously had a different function are often relatively small. In 2020, such homes had an average surface area of 76 square meters, where the average home in the Netherlands is 119 square meters.