Housing corporations completed about 15,000 new homes last year

Housing corporations built 15,199 new homes in the Netherlands last year. That's a lot more than the year before, said umbrella organization Aedes. Most of the homes are social housing and built in places where, according to Aedes, many people are looking for affordable homes.

In 2013, when the landlord levy was introduced, housing corporations still built almost 30,000 homes. After that, they did not get close to reaching that number again. Corporations pay the landlord levy, an annual tax, on the possession of the most affordable rental housing. 

Earlier this year, a coalition of 34 organizations in housing, construction, care, and welfare agreed to build 1 million houses over the next ten years. This must make more affordable rental and owner-occupied homes available to first-time buyers and those who move to bigger homes for all incomes and generations. The housing corporations want to increase their production to 25,000 new homes per year. 

The organizations recorded these proposals and agreements in the Housing Action Agenda. Together with the next Cabinet, the parties want to implement the plans quickly. According to the coalition, the Netherlands is already more than 330,000 houses short, and housing threatens to become unaffordable to many people.