Ban on temporary rental contracts may be scrapped less than a year after implementation
Less than a year after its implementation on 1 July 2024, the ban on temporary contracts for rental homes may be scrapped. A parliamentary majority asked Housing Minister Mona Keijzer to see whether the ban should be amended, AD reports.
The parliamentarians supported a proposal by NSC MP Merlien Welzijn, who argued that the current ban is “experienced as an obstacle” to putting homes on the market. For example, if someone is considering renting out a room but does not want to be stuck with a disagreeable tenant long-term.
Housing Minister Keijzer has wanted to tackle the current legislation for landlords for some time now. According to her, too many laws have been passed in recent years that make landlords reluctant. She therefore welcomes the wish from parliament to re-examine the ban on temporary contracts. “You now see that people with space do not rent it out because they are afraid - to put it bluntly - that they will never get rid of the tenants.”
Keijzer will send a proposal to strengthen landlords’ position to parliament next month. She is not only looking at the ban on temporary leases, but also the taxes that private landlords pay and the Affordable Rent Act.
Proponents of the ban on temporary rental contracts fear that adjusting it now will only return tenants to the old situation. ChristenUnie MP Pieter Grinwis pointed out that many tenants had to constantly move from one temporary home to another without any certainty about the future. GroenLinks-PvdA MP Habtamu de Hoop argued that the housing shortage must not be used as an excuse to deteriorate tenants’ rights.
