Homeowners will spend over €1,000 in municipal housing costs next year
Municipal housing costs for homeowners will increase by an average of 3.9 percent next year, the Dutch Homeowners’ Association (VEH) calculated based on a survey of 106 municipalities, a third of the total. “The property tax (OZB), sewage levies, and waste collection will cost an average of €1,001 per household in 2026, exceeding the €1,000 threshold for the first time,” VEB said.
The average increase is relatively limited at 3.9 percent, but there are significant outliers. In Alphen aan den Rijn, Voorst, Rozendaal, Heemskerk, and Maasgouw, for example, municipal housing costs are increasing by between 10 and 18 percent.
OZB, the most significant component of municipal housing costs and the only tax rate that municipalities can hike to cover other expenses, is rising by 4.6 percent on average. The average property value (WOZ), which forms the basis of the OZB, increased by 9 percent to over €415,000 this year.
Property taxes increased by more than the national average in about a third of the municipalities. Alphen aan den Rijn is again the outlier, with an increase of almost 40 percent more than last year. Voorst and Maasgouw saw OZB increases of over 25 percent. The highest property tax is in Roozendaal at €855, mostly due to high property values in the wealthy municipality.
In 15 municipalities, the OZB will decrease next year. The largest fall is in Aa en Hunze at 10.1 percent. In Deurne and Gulpen-Witten, property taxes will decrease by 8.7 percent and 5.3 percent, respectively.
Surveyed municipalities indicated that OZB hikes are partly in anticipation of 2028, when the national government is cutting its budget for municipalities. Other explanations include budget pressure, budget cuts, and the cost-recovery nature of levies.
Waste and sewage taxes will increase by an average of 3.7 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively. These rates are legally limited to covering costs, and municipalities are not permitted to use this revenue for other expenses.
“We are seeing a worrying trend in municipal taxes in the coming years and call on the new government to come up with a structural solution,” said VEH director Cindy Kremer. “First, by making sufficient funds available to municipalities so they can properly perform statutory duties such as youth care and Social Support Act (WMO) without further property tax explosions. Homeowners should not be the bottom line in municipal budgets."
