Real estate brokers fear new delay in solving housing shortage

The Dutch Association of Real Estate Agents (NVM) fears that solving the housing shortage in the Netherlands will be delayed due to a Council of State ruling on Tuesday that scrapped the construction exemption for emissions rules. The decision will not only negatively affect people who are looking for a house to buy, but also rental housing tenants, according to the organization.

Construction projects may no longer automatically receive permission from the highest administrative court to temporarily emit nitrogen oxides, the Council of State said in regards to a a case about the Porthos project in the port of Rotterdam. This means that the nitrogen problem the construction world faced a few years ago will return.

The NVM is afraid that investors and project developers will become more reluctant when it comes to investing in new homes, both for owner-occupied and rental properties. And this is happening at a time when it has already been exceedingly difficult to get projects concerning the construction of new homes in the Netherlands off to a good start, NVM believes.

Those looking for a house will have very little to choose from, the NVM speculated. “If the supply shrinks further, it will not get any better,” said one disappointed NVM spokesperson.

He pointed out that construction costs have also risen sharply due to high inflation. Building materials, for example, are much more expensive than a few years ago.