Social housing wait average is over 7 years; Over 25% rented to tenants with "priority"

Roughly 27 percent of all rent controlled social housing properties in large and midsized municipalities in the Netherlands were given out last year to tenants with some form of urgent need or a priority placement that allowed them to rise higher on the waiting list. An analysis by NOS showed that the waiting time for the lower-priced housing units stood at an average of over 7 years.

The wait time was highest in Amstelveen and Haarlemmermeer, at about 19 years, with Amsterdam at about 12.5 years. The analysis matched previous reports showing that the capital's housing corporations rented out just 22 social housing units last year to tenants who did not have some form of priority placement.

There is no unified definition for urgency, as municipalities are allowed to determine who gets priority access to the waiting list. This includes people who receive refugee status and a right to residency, with about nine percent of all social housing rentals going to that group last year. At the same time, in Groningen, about 51 percent of all social housing went to someone with a priority status, including 25 percent that went to refugees. Almere similarly gave 49 percent of their social housing placements to priority residents, including just under 10 percent to refugees.

Priority status can also be given adults with small children who separate, social housing residents whose homes are torn down, and mental healthcare in-patients who are soon to be released from an institution. Some cities also give priority access to healthcare workers and teachers.

Those wanting a social housing rental in Utrecht could expect to spend about 11 years on the waiting list, while those in Zwolle or Oss could even see waits of over seven years. The waiting time was among the lowest in Ede and Enschede at about a half-year on average, the broadcaster said. The latter has a far more limited system in place that puts some prospective tenants above others.

There are currently 2.4 million social housing rentals in the Netherlands, according to social housing lobby organization Aedes. There were 57,000 fewer social housing units compared to what existed in the year 2000.