Social housing rents could increase 5.8% next year; 4.9% increase in free sector

Social housing tenants could see their rents increase by 5.8 percent next year, Housing Minister Hugo de Jonge reported to parliament on Tuesday. In the private sector, rents could increase by up to 4.9 percent.

Dutch landlords can increase the rents for their properties every year in July. The Cabinet sets a maximum increase based on inflation and average wage increases.

The increases De Jonge released on Tuesday are preliminary estimates. The government will determine the final maximums in December. Landlords can also decide to increase rents by less than the maximum allowed, which could mean that the actual increases tenants face next year may be lower.

This year, rents increased by an average of 2 percent, less than the 3.1 percent maximum set by the government. About 600,000 households even received a reduction this year because they had a low income, resulting in social housing rents only increasing by 0.1 percent in total this year.