Unclear whether the Affordable Rent Act will be implemented on July 1

It is not clear whether the Affordable Rent Act will be implemented on July 1. The Senate does not want to be rushed by outgoing minister Hugo de Jonge (Interior Affairs), who asked the Senate to treat the bill as quickly as possible. De Jonge wants the Law to come in on July 1. The Law will ensure that some of the rents currently falling under the (more expensive) private sector are reduced.

It became clear on Tuesday after discussions in the Senate that a majority wants to discuss the Law carefully, which could mean that July 1 is not a realistic date. BBB made an attempt to declare the bill controversial, which would then leave the finalizing of the Law to the next Cabinet, but the largest faction in the Senate was not given enough support for that.

The lower house of the Dutch parliament, the Tweede Kamer, approved the Law on April 25, but only with significant adaptations. Therefore, the Senate may consult the Council of State about the effect of the amended bill.

On Tuesday, it was decided that the factions would ask the minister all their questions about the bill in two weeks. Depending on the answers, several possible written questions may still need to be answered before the Senate will consider the bill.