Fewer empty business properties converted into homes last year

Last year, 9,455 new homes were realized by converting vacant offices, shops, and factories into living spaces. That is the lowest number in seven years, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported. It is also well below Housing Minister Hugo de Jonge’s ambition to create 15,000 homes a year through conversion.

The number of homes created by converting other buildings accounted for 10 percent of the total number of new homes in 2021. Over the past seven years, 76,000 homes have been made in this way.

According to Peter Boelhouwer, a professor of housing at TU Delft, the problem is that suitable vacant buildings are getting harder to find. “Everything that was easy to convert has been done. The low-hanging fruit is gone,” he said to RTL Nieuws. The remaining buildings are unsuitable. “Or office buildings are not in the right place for homes, such as along the highway. Nobody wants to live there.”

The growing economy also means more demand for office- and working space, which means fewer vacant buildings to transform.