It took exactly a year for house seekers, who are dependent on the free rental sector, to catch their breath. In the third quarter of this year, the average square meter price rose again by 2.5 percent compared to last year.
This is evident from figures from housing platform Pararius, where the majority of houses are offered without a regulated rent. It concerns rental properties that become available and have a basic rent above 753 euros per month. The House of Representatives has limited the rent increases for sitting residents for this year, but in the event of a change of residents, the landlords can ask what they want and you could therefore speak of a market price.
Rents rose in the five largest cities in the Netherlands, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Eindhoven and Utrecht. The capital is still the most expensive city to rent a house with an average square meter price of 22.44 euros. An apartment of 80 square meters would then cost almost 1800 euros per month. In Amsterdam last month demonstrations were held against the runaway rents for often very simple, old homes.
Foreign employees knock on the door
Jasper de Groot, director of Pararius, previously expressed the expectation that after the worst low point of the corona crisis, foreign employees (expats) would return and increase the pressure on the free rental sector. “The expat market is running like never before and the short-stay offer that was offered on the regular rental market during the corona crisis is disappearing from the market again.” He is referring to holiday accommodations that are offered to tourists via Airbnb and Booking, among other things.
“This, together with the already existing great scarcity of private sector rental homes, is the basis of the recent price increase,” says De Groot.
The somewhat cooling market is therefore starting to warm up again. “Vacated rental properties were less easily rented out last year, especially in the higher segment. Rental properties were priced more attractively to prevent vacancy and to let homes after all. We see from the English version of our website that the number of contact and information requests from expats has increased enormously. It is only logical that rents have risen again in the past quarter.”
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