The financial crisis had a similar effect on housing in the Netherlands as it did in the UK – property was cheap and landlords thrived in an unregulated rental market. Investors have taken advantage of the opportunity to charge as much as possible, and small pre-Second World War apartments have been rented for 1,200 euros a month while every property has attracted 120 prospective renters.
The Netherlands currently has a housing deficit of 390,000 and the country’s second largest city, Rotterdam, has a five year waiting list for social housing which makes up 55% of the city’s housing.
In a bid to build a healthy housing market, the Dutch city of Rotterdam has become the first city in the Netherlands to introduce rules designed to effectively shut down the buy to let sector by banning the purchase of properties by landlords who want to rent them out. Almost all political parties have supported the ban, which aims to help potential home buyers who would otherwise be prevented from entering an affordable housing market due to competition from investors.
Not everyone is happy though. One political party is concerned the ban will constrict housing supply, and a newspaper report revealing a city councillor’s ownership of 23 properties soon led to his resignation.
Both professional and part-time landlords are considered “make a quick buck” investors, and red bordered signs have been erected in some neighbourhoolds in Rotterdam, depicting the words “we are working on a healthy housing market here”. Around one third of the city’s homes are in these areas.
An increasing amount of regulation over several years has affected the financial rewards of letting, causing many landlords to leave the market already.
Stamp duty is one area already changed to encourage home buyers and deter investors. Stamp duty was decreased in 2021 from 2% to zero for under 35 year old live-in buyers – and increased this year to 10.41% for property investors.
Landlords cannot let out property for the first four years if the property has a tax value under 355,000 euros (£304,000). When the legislation was introduced in 2022, there was a 23% reduction in the number of properties purchased by investors. At the same time, first time buyers increased by 14%. House prices were apparently not affected with a rise of just 0.1% in these areas.
There have been some unintended consequences of the ban which has not been entirely without casualties. Younger people in particular are now paying the price of having fewer rental properties, in terms of affordability and having nowhere to live. Estate agents say that the ban has not helped to families to find a home and so is not the answer to the city’s housing problems which can only be addressed by building more houses.
With legislation in the UK reducing yields in recent year, there is some speculation among property investors here that they may one day suffer a similar fate.