Housing shortage the central theme in election programs

The housing shortage in the Netherlands is a central theme in the political parties’ election programs for the parliamentary elections next month. Finding ways to solve the housing crisis is evident in their plans for the housing market, but also in other issues like migration and the labor market, RTL Nieuws reports after studying the election program of the largest parties.

The Netherlands currently has a shortage of 390,000 homes. To fix that shortage and meet future demand, the country must create approximately 900,000 new homes by 2030. Another 1 million will probably be needed in the decade after that, outgoing Housing Minister Hugo de Jonge recently said.

All parties agree that more homes need to be built. But their plans for achieving this vary widely. The VVD wants to leave the matter to the market. Left-wing parties want the government to take control. The SP wants to create a new ministry for it. GroenLinks/PvdA wants a special housing fund. D66 wants a fund specifically for “topping up” or dividing existing homes.

The BBB wants to relax the rules for permits, including sidelining nitrogen regulations in favor of “major public interest.” The PVV also wants to simplify “obstructive rules.” The two right-wing parties also want to give Dutch people priority for social housing.

Tackling sky-high rents is another topic in all the large parties’ election programs. The SP and PVV want to reduce rents in the coming years. The PVV proposes increasing the rent allowance. The other parties don’t want to decrease rent, but the VVD, D66, and GroenLinks-PvdA all plan to limit further increases. GroenLinks-PvdA intends to regulate all rental properties.

According to political reporter Fons Lambie, the stalled housing market will be a headache for the new Cabinet because there is no single way to solve the housing shortage. The housing market doesn’t exist in a bubble. Limiting rent increases won’t create more homes. There needs to be enough nitrogen space in the climate file to allow for construction, for example. And economic developments like staff shortages or expensive building materials are issues the government can do little about.