Dutch government to pay municipalities €7,000 per affordable home starting 2026
The Dutch government will begin providing municipalities with 7,000 euros for every affordable home whose construction starts, beginning in 2026. Housing Minister Mona Keijzer (BBB) announced the new program, called the Realisatiestimulans, designed to accelerate affordable housing construction across the Netherlands.
According to official statements released Monday by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, a total budget of 2.5 billion euros is allocated for the scheme through 2030. The program aims to support every municipality with housing obligations by linking payments to the start of construction, thereby incentivizing faster development of affordable homes.
The affordability threshold is set at 405,000 euros for owner-occupied homes in 2025, establishing the price point under which a house qualifies for the subsidy. Municipalities will be able to register affordable homes with construction underway from spring 2026 onward. Payments will be made in the fall of the same year. The program will run until 2030, with the final contributions paid for homes started in 2029. The government will provide further instructions to municipalities later this year.
Minister Keijzer stated, “Housing shortages affect every municipality in the country. The Realisatiestimulans supports every municipality building affordable homes. We have established a low-threshold system and will start this year.”
Of the total 2.5 billion euros, 900 million euros is reserved for housing projects in vulnerable neighborhoods where challenges exist in education, poverty, health, housing, and safety. Examples include Zaandam and Heerlen-Noord.
Part of this 900 million euros will also fund the construction of care homes and mixed residential formats for seniors. Additionally, funds will strengthen municipal and provincial administrative capacity to support these projects. This additional support aims to cover higher costs and the resulting negative financial gap, often faced in these specific areas.
The program also applies to homes created by better utilizing existing buildings—through splitting units, adding extra floors, or converting spaces. Flexible homes (“flexwoningen”) also qualify.
Homes that have previously received government subsidies will not be eligible for the Realisatiestimulans, as those projects are considered financially covered.
