Only 21% of those who greened their gardens applied for available subsidies to help

A fourth of homeowners have made their gardens more sustainable and environmentally friendly, but only 21 percent of them applied for a subsidy to help defray costs, according to insurance company Centraal Beheer. The 79 percent completed everything using their own money, even though most municipalities offer subsidies for making gardens more climate-friendly.

This can include work like removing tiles placed in the outdoor spaces. The use of tiles in the garden has been very popular for a long time, but it is not a particularly good idea considering the frequent rain.

“One of the causes of water damage during heavy rainfalls is that the water cannot find its way into the ground in the gardens. By choosing more green in the garden rather than tiles, the water can be displaced more easily,” said Centraal Beheer.

It is not just during heavy rainfall that a green garden is a benefit, but also during days with intense heat. “This is why the government is stimulating Dutch people to do this with beneficial subsidy arrangements. It is a shame if people don’t use these and spend their own savings on it,” said Centraal Beheer's senior manager for homes and road travel, Pieter Roorda.

Along with increasing droughts, extreme weather like heavy rainfall has led to 896.9 million euros in damage between 2007 and 2022, the insurer reported. “This is why we advise Dutch people to see what they can do in their living area to prevent this kind of damage. And especially look at which kind of arrangements your municipality has to help you with this,” Roorda added.