Plans to make housing more affordable to come by summer: De Jonge

Mid-market rent could become regulated and social housing will be dramatically increased, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. These are part of Minister for Housing and Spatial Planning Hugo de Jonge’s plans to make housing more accessible and affordable, which will be further elaborated by summer.

“If we leave housing to the free play of forces, the survival of the fittest will apply and people will get stuck,” De Jonge said. “A place to live is a fundamental right, but in recent years it has become an inaccessible privilege for too many people.”

De Jonge said the National Housing and Construction Agenda, which has a total of six programs that are still being developed, will change this. “Public housing is back,” he said. The central government will make performance agreements with provinces, municipalities, corporations and market parties that can be enforced if necessary.

Of the 900,000 homes that are expected to be built until and including 2030, 600,000 must be affordable, according to the new plans. Out of this, 350,000 homes should have a medium rent and be affordable to purchase and 250,000 should be social rental housing.

Homes must also be constructed more quickly, using innovative processes. The regulations will focus on seven urbanization regions, within which two-thirds of the total number of homes must be built. Housing for groups with specific needs and the elderly will also be built.

Other initiatives include the abolishment of the landlord levy, reducing the number of people with excessive housing costs and putiting focus on medium-sized rental homes. By the end of 2022, it will be clear how many homes will be added in each region over the next 10 years.