Cabinet backs housing minister's plan to ban refugee priority for social housing

Caretaker Housing Minister Mona Keijzer will proceed with her proposal banning municipalities from prioritizing refugees with residence permits for social housing. The Council of State deemed the measure discriminatory and unconstitutional, but Keijzer said, “I see it differently,” noting she now has the backing of the cabinet.

Municipalities currently have the option to give priority housing to status holders, asylum seekers who have been told they may stay. This helps ensure they are not left without a home, as they often face disadvantages compared with others. The Council of State said Keijzer’s bill violates the principle of equality because it ignores these existing disadvantages.

Keijzer disagrees. She argues that the advisory body interprets equal treatment as requiring identical outcomes for everyone. She adds that this is not how equality works in other areas, such as education, where not all students graduate from the highest academic level.

The minister argues that it is unfair that many Dutch applicants wait years for social housing, while refugees with residence permits sometimes receive homes much faster. On average, 6 to 10 percent of newly available social rental units are allocated to these refugees.

Keijzer said on the day the advice was published that she would disregard it. However, she could not act immediately, as the Council of State gave the bill its strongest possible warning: do not proceed. In such cases, the cabinet must review the proposal. Keijzer will now need to advance the bill through the new Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, which takes office on November 12.