Netherlands Housing Research 2012

• Share owner-occupied dwellings stagnating
• Tenants in free sector have highest costs

Last year, more than 7.1 million households in the Netherlands not belonging to the institutional population were living in homes they rented or owned; 59 percent were owner-occupiers. The ratio between tenant-occupied and owner-occupied homes has not changed for the first time since 1986 as the first results of the Netherlands Housing Research 2012 (WoOn2012) show. A more comprehensive analysis will become available on 11 April 2013.

Tenants free sector have highest costs

Nearly 2.6 million households rented houses in 2012 with a rent below the liberalisation limit of 664.66 euros a month. In this segment of the housing market, 82 percent are houses owned by housing corporations and 18 percent are privately owned. Despite a higher value based on the Property Assesment  Act (WOZ), the average gross housing costs (rent after deduction of rent allowance) of the latter type of dwellings are on average 30 euros lower than for dwellings owned by housing corporations.
More than 335 thousand households rent houses in the free sector. With 850 euros a month, they have the highest housing costs. They also have the highest housing costs in comparison to owner-occupiers, who generally live in more expensive houses, but, on average, pay 80 euros less a month.

Netherlands Housing Research 2012

The Netherlands Housing Research is a survey which periodically collects statistical data on the housing conditions (houses and housing environment) of households, including housing costs. The survey was conducted in the period September 2011–May 2012. The reference date for the data is 1 January 2012.

The survey is a joint co-operation between the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) and Statistics Netherlands.

On 11 April 2013, BZK will present an elaborate publication simultaneously with the WoON congress, in which the latest developments on the Dutch housing market based on WoON2012 and the comparison between the WoON2006 and WoON2009 surveys will be specified.