People bid more for rental property

The NOS has investigated that people are increasingly outbidding on rental properties. For houses we know it for a long time: bidding above the asking price because you have many competitors and you really want a house. Particularly in the Randstad is overbidding on rental properties increasingly common, according to a tour of the NOS at rental agencies and intermediaries. From this tour shows that people offer on average 10% more than the requested rent.

Because of the tightness in the rental market, overbidding has become a way to get a rental property. A maximum rent can help put an end to this. Read the entire NOS report here.

Some 300 economically homeless people have been helped with temporary housing over the past two years. They have ended up in one of Amsterdam’s 150 housing associations. More than half then move on to other housing. Of these, 34% find permanent housing and 27% find temporary housing or rooms. The Temporary Under Shelter project has been extended. It has been agreed to help another 250 homeless people find housing by 2023.

Initiative of five Amsterdam housing corporations

Before housing corporations renovate or demolish houses, they rent these houses with a temporary contract to economically homeless people. They receive guidance from The Rainbow Group during the tenancy. This has resulted in 300 homeless people having short- or long-term housing. The project is an initiative of five Amsterdam housing corporations (de Alliantie, Lieven de Key, Rochdale, Stadgenoot, Ymere), De Regenboog Groep and the municipality of Amsterdam.

HNA wants an end to homelessness

The Huurders Netwerk Amsterdam identifies that there are many problems surrounding homelessness in Amsterdam. In our consultation table Housing Distribution we discuss this topic so that we can contribute to a solution. We are committed to ending homelessness in the city. We call on policy makers to invest in social housing and ensure a fair distribution of affordable housing. In a stable situation, it is easy to rebuild a stable housing situation on your own.

The number of social housing units in the city is increasing, but the growth lags behind the targets. Moreover, the number of people looking for such affordable rental housing is only increasing. People looking for a social rental home in Amsterdam almost only have a chance to find a home if they fall under one of the priority schemes. Last year, only 22 people found a social rental house who did not fall under one of the schemes.

Last year, 9500 houses became available. That’s a lot more than in 2021, when 8,000 homes became vacant. The figures appear in the annual report of the Amsterdam Federation of Housing Corporations (AFWC). On balance, the number of social housing units in Amsterdam, excluding Weesp, increased by 1,499 units over the past three years. “However, it is proving difficult to realize the expansion by 3,000 social rental units. Nevertheless, this is an important break in the trend, which probably would not have been possible without these high ambitions.”

It is notable that the growth of the number of housing units in the medium-priced segment (with a monthly rent between 808.06 and 1175.72 euros) is on track though: the number of medium-priced rental units increased by 1962 units. This means that the targeted growth of the medium-price segment in the period 2020-2023 has already been achieved.

Read the full news article from the Parool here.

The new Good Landlord Act allows the municipality to introduce a rental permit. Alderman Zita Pels believes that even without a permit system, Amsterdam is perfectly capable of protecting tenants from bad rental behavior. After all, the general rules from the new law can be properly enforced as well as enforcement on the already legally required housing quality.

Barring landlords with bad reputations

The rental permit was included in the new Good Landlord Act at the request of a number of large cities. Starting July 1, municipalities can make a rental permit mandatory in certain neighborhoods; in this way, certain landlords with a bad reputation can be barred. However, municipalities must be able to justify why such a permit requirement is necessary and appropriate to maintain the livability of those areas. Corporations are excluded from any licensing system. According to Pels, that permit adds little to existing instruments.

In February, alderwoman Zita Pels (Housing) announced her intention to make joint rentals possible again, but after criticism she is withdrawing her proposal. The goal was to make room rentals easier in the housing crisis, but tenants’ rights are coming under too much pressure.

This article was taken from Het Parool.

With it, the alderman is responding to the criticism and many reactions that erupted after she announced her housing plans three months ago. The most notable measure in it was making it possible again to share one contract with multiple tenants. It was supposed to entice homeowners to take in more people.

But, Pels wrote Wednesday in the updated version of her plans, “Because of the impact on tenants’ rental rights and the negative reactions to this proposal, the condition of individual rental contracts for room rentals will be retained.

Malafide landlords

Her proposal had gone down the wrong track with, among others, the Federation of Amsterdam Tenants’ Unions. They argued that Pels was trying to solve the housing crisis on the backs of tenants. The Woon! foundation was also critical. “You make people financially dependent on each other,” counselor Gert-Jan Bakker said at the time.

Student union Asva was initially positive because the plan could help many students who are currently living somewhere illegally, but later reconsidered for fear that rental rights would be violated too easily. That was also the reason that in 2020, then SP housing alderman Laurens Ivens had banned joint tenancy agreements in the first place, a ban that now remains in place.

Pels is also returning to her wish that landlords must now apply for a permit, with which she wanted to thwart rogue landlords. The Hague and Rotterdam want to introduce this, and in Groningen landlords already have to do it if they rent to students. But on reflection, Pels says it adds nothing to the enforcement options that are currently being tightened nationwide, and creates unnecessary extra work.

Family housing only for families

Initially, the alderman wrote that he also wanted to use temporary leases to control the scarce corporation housing specifically for wheelchair users and large families (more than eight people). “Therefore, we need to offer people suitable housing especially when their children have flown out,” she told Het Parool at the time. “It is true that we want to investigate whether we can eventually apply some form of coercion. For example, by including a clause about this in temporary contracts.”

It led to great outrage and uproar nationwide, which is why Pels now emphasizes that it will not involve temporary contracts. However, she does say she still wants to impose conditions in rental contracts for this type of housing that “in consultation” a new home will be looked at, if someone no longer uses the home for the purpose for which it was intended.

“No one has to

You have become homeless due to job loss or divorce. If so, you have a chance of getting priority for social housing starting in 2024. The municipality plans to add the group, economically homeless, to the list of priority housing arrangements. For several years, healthcare personnel, police officers, teachers, young people, status holders and people with medical urgency have been given priority in the housing market. So now a new group is being added.

Vulnerable groups and certain professional groups are entitled to priority

The priority scheme for these groups is necessary to give vulnerable groups and certain occupational groups in Amsterdam a chance at housing. If you do not fall under one of these target groups then finding social housing has become very difficult. Het Parool writes that only 23 of the 7,000 houses go to people who are not in a priority situation.

Directing distribution of limited housing supply

Alderman Zita Pels wants to maintain control over the distribution of the limited housing supply. Alderman Pels’ proposals will be discussed in the City Council this fall and are now open to input from Amsterdam residents. The measures are part of a broader package, for example, the municipality is devising a new approach to public housing in Amsterdam. Read the entire Parool article here.

The college is drafting a new Housing Ordinance for 2024. The Housing Ordinance contains the rules for distribution, use and modification of housing. It is reviewed every year. This year, too, the college is proposing changes. Anyone can respond to the proposals until July 16. Of course, the HNA will also take a close look at the Housing Ordinance and give a reaction. Of course you can think and discuss with us. In that case, sign up for our meeting.

In brief, the college proposes the following:

Fewer B&Bs in busy neighborhoods.

A maximum number of B&Bs is now set for each neighborhood. The college wants to lower that maximum by 30 percent.

Change priority regulation of rental housing

The college proposes that of all teachers, special education teachers should have priority. Another proposal is that not only working, but also police officers in training will be eligible.

More housing for young people who do not meet ‘bond requirement’

Young people up to and including 27 years of age will have priority on youth rental housing if they have lived in Amsterdam for at least 6 consecutive years in the past 10 years. We call this ‘the binding requirement’. In practice, some young people fall just outside the scheme. For example, because they have lived temporarily outside Amsterdam due to study. The college wants the youth priority to apply to half, instead of the entire housing supply for young people. In this way, a larger proportion of youth housing will also remain available for young people who do not (yet) meet the bond requirement.

Urgency for vulnerable economically homeless too

Economically homeless people are people who have become homeless because they have lost their jobs or divorced, for example. This group is added to the group of people who can be given priority entitlement to social housing.

Looking for a rental house in Amsterdam with a rent between 1000 and 1500 euros? Then you are (unfortunately) not alone. Often you are baiting the same house with about 190 people. The number of rental properties in Amsterdam is declining rapidly while the demand for housing in this price range has increased twenty-fold over the past two years.

Rental market gets stuck

Research by rental platform Pararius shows that the rental market is stalled. The trend that the demand for rental housing exceeds the supply has been going on for some time. Especially the middle-income fall between shore and ship according to Pararius director Jasper de Groot. These people earn too much for a social rental house but too little for an average owner-occupied house. According to De Groot, the government has announced several measures that have the negative effect of causing landlords to sell free-sector rental properties. This will further reduce the supply of housing.

Situation in Amsterdam according to Pararius research

In two years, the average number of responses to a free sector rental property in Amsterdam increased from 7 (Q1 2021) to 29 (Q1 2022) to 50 responses (Q1 2023), respectively.

An extreme shift occurred in the price range between €1,000 and €1,500 per month. In two years, the number of interested parties increased twenty-fold to an average of 188. Free sector rental properties under €1,000 per month can count on an average of 300 interested parties. View the entire Pararius survey here.

In order to have enough space to live, work and study, tall buildings are being built in some places in Amsterdam. The City of Amsterdam has developed a new vision on high-rise building policy. Residents of Amsterdam can read this vision and respond with a comment until July 17.

With high-rise buildings Amsterdam can continue to grow

Building more tall buildings is attractive for the city. This allows Amsterdam to continue to grow within the city limits and still remain a beautiful green city. Some places in the city are a protected cityscape. There will be no high buildings there.

View and comment on the draft vision of the high-rise policy

Would you like to know what the vision on high-rise buildings in Amsterdam looks like? Then visit one of the Stadsloketten in your neighborhood. There you will find the draft Highrise Policy. For more information about this policy and how to submit your comments, visit the website of the municipality of Amsterdam.

On June 12, the association and foundation board of the HNA is organizing a Networking Meeting. Important theme of the meeting is about the Amsterdam Approach to Public Housing. The City of Amsterdam is expected to issue a Nota van Answer in June. In it the municipality describes what they will and will not do with the responses. Of course we are curious what the municipality of Amsterdam has done with our input. During the Network Meeting we want to go through the Nota van Answer and prepare a joint response with all the Consultation Tables and participants of the HNA Network.

HNA thinking along but critical of current proposal

Recently, the HNA has followed the Amsterdam Approach to Public Housing intensively. Where we could contribute ideas or make use of participation opportunities, we have done so. Huurders Netwerk Amsterdam (HNA) is critical of the proposed Amsterdam Approach to Public Housing (AAV) of the municipality of Amsterdam. According to the HNA, the plan offers little protection to tenants. While that is exactly what is badly needed. The HNA has therefore responded with a comprehensive response to this view. To turn the tide and create equal opportunities for house seekers, tenants and buyers, a radically different policy is needed.

Sign up for the Networking Meeting

As a participant or member of the HNA, you can attend the Networking Meeting. Gladly even! Join us in thinking about a good approach to Public Housing. You can register at info@hna.nl. After registering, we will send you the program and the anticipated Memorandum of Reply from the City Council on our views.

Location: House of Watt
(near Amsterdam Amstel Station) James Wattstraat 73 Amsterdam .

Start: 19.30
The meeting lasts until 21.30 after which there is opportunity to have a drink together.