Biggest rent increases in Amsterdam

Following the historically low rent increase of 2.0 percent in 2005, house rents in the Netherlands rose by an average 2.7 percent on 1 July 2006 compared with 1 July 2005. Rent harmonisation accounted for 0.3 of a percent point of this increase.

Rent increases and inflation

Rent increases higher than average in Amsterdam 

Out of the four largest cities in the Netherlands - Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht - rents in Amsterdam rose by most: 3.4 percent. Nearly one quarter of this increase was caused by rent harmonisation.
The increases in the other large cities were around 2.7 percent. In The Hague and Rotterdam the effect of rent harmonisation was relatively large. In Utrecht it had a surprisingly small effect on rent increases.

Rent increases per province and in the four large cities, 2006

Largest increases in Flevoland and North Holland

In 2006 house rents rose by most in the provinces Flevoland and North Holland, 3.1 percent. In North Holland in particular rent harmonisation played a larger part in the total increase.
In the province Zeeland rents went up by 2.2 percent, the smallest rise. In provinces Drenthe and Limburg, too, rent increases were below the national average, at 2.4 percent.

Commercial landlords put up rents by more

In 2006 rents for nearly 55 percent of homes let by commercial landlords  increased by between 3.0 and 3.5 percent. Non-commercial landlords increased their rents by between 2.0 and 3.0 percent for just over 55 percent of their houses. In the Netherlands as a whole, rents rose by more than 3.5 percent for just over 3 percent of rented dwellings.
Rents were not put up on 6 percent of rented homes. Commercial landlords did not increase the rent on 14 percent of their houses, for non- commercial landlords this was 4 percent.

Rented dwellings by rent changes (excl. rent harmonisation), 2006
 

Karine Tanis and Bert van Zanten