Hundreds of thousands of Dutch homes at risk of foundation collapse
The issue of sinking homes in the Netherlands, primarily due to foundation damage, is allegedly escalating into a national crisis. According to a new report from the Foundation Knowledge Center for Addressing Foundation Issues (KCAF), between 487,000 and 537,000 buildings are now at risk of foundation damage. This includes not only properties with wooden pile foundations but also those with shallow foundations, which are increasingly vulnerable to ground instability, according to AD.
The report, presented at a congress in Harderwijk on Thursday, highlights the mounting pressure on the Dutch housing market. Climate change, low groundwater levels, and soil subsidence—particularly in peat and clay-rich areas—are causing significant damage to foundations across the country. The financial cost of repair is estimated to reach an alarming 55 billion euros by 2050.
The KCAF and the Vereniging Eigen Huis are sounding the alarm over the slow response to this growing threat. While much discussion has taken place since the Dutch Council for the Environment and Infrastructure issued a warning last year, little substantial action has been taken. Ferry van der Kwaak, director of KCAF, stressed that the problem is getting worse because too much time has passed without meaningful intervention. "We need a government that allocates resources to tackle these issues," he told AD.
The cost of repairing foundations, which can exceed 70,000 euros per home, is a heavy burden on both homeowners and housing corporations. The longer the government waits, the more expensive the repairs will become. "At the Ministry of Housing, the focus is understandably on increasing the number of new homes, but insufficient attention is paid to foundation problems," van der Kwaak added. "If hundreds of thousands more homes develop foundation issues, the task will become even more daunting."
Housing corporations are also feeling the pressure. With the need for more affordable housing, these corporations are now faced with the added challenge of setting aside significant funds for foundation repairs on their existing properties. According to Aedes, a number of housing corporations have calculated that a quarter of their properties are at risk of foundation damage, and the repair costs could run into the hundreds of millions of euros. Aedes President Liesbeth Spies pointed out that "every euro spent on foundation repairs" is money that cannot be used for new construction or sustainability initiatives.
Although a government-backed "Fonds Duurzaam Funderingsherstel" (Sustainable Foundation Repair Fund) is available, it only offers loans, not grants. The Vereniging Eigen Huis has called for a more comprehensive "rescue plan" to address the scale of the problem.
Karsten Klein, director of public affairs at the Vereniging Eigen Huis, likened the situation to the earthquake issues in Groningen. "It is a ticking time bomb," Klein told AD. "We must not let it reach the point where homes become uninhabitable. Only with a decisive approach can we prevent this latent problem from turning into the next housing crisis."
