MP's against gov't plan to relax the rental housing law; Parliament closes for election

Parliament again resisted caretaker Housing Minister Mona Keijzer’s plans to relax the law that regulates rent in the mid-segment of the rental market. On the last day before the Tweede Kamer closes for election recess, a parliamentary majority asked the BBB Minister to withdraw a decision she announced this week on this matter.

Since the Affordable Rent Act came into effect - against Keijzer’s wishes - landlords have been selling their affordable rental properties, reducing the supply. According to landlords, rent regulations plus tax measures make renting these homes out unprofitable. The Minister already wanted to intervene this spring, but a parliamentary majority stopped her then as well.

Keijzer wants to give a home’s property value (WOZ value) more weight in determining the maximum rent. She also wants to stop awarding negative points in the housing valuation system for the lack of a garden or balcony, for example. And she believes students should be able to get temporary rental contracts again.

According to GroenLinks-PvdA, these measures pave the way for significant rent increases, particularly in the large cities where affordable housing is already scarce. The party called on Keijzer to abandon her plans. The former coalition parties NSC and PVV, among others, supported the call.

The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, concluded its final parliamentary week in its current composition on Thursday evening with a long series of votes. Kamer president Martin Bosma recalled that the current parliament was sworn in exactly 666 days ago. “Find your own symbolism.”

He believes that the Kamer accomplished much in this relatively short time. “Sometimes there are things to be said about our performance, but I also think of two words: never boring.” Since the inauguration on December 6, 2023, there have been 486 committee debates, 563 email procedures, 505 written consultations, 347 petitions received, 486 two-minute debates, and 589 internal procedural meetings, he said.

During the election recess, the only parliamentary debate on the agenda is a debate on the European summit, scheduled for October 16. After the election, there will be a special session in which Bosma will address individual MPs. Many will likely not return, either because their party is losing ground or because they decided not to be electable again.

The new Kamer will be elected on October 29 and will take office on Wednesday, November 12.