Large inheritance helps recipients move into bigger homes
Statistics Netherlands finds more moves, owner-occupied homes and solar panels among heirs receiving at least €50,000.
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People who inherit at least €50,000 from a deceased parent move more often and are more likely to end up in a larger or detached home. This is shown by new research from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) into more than 30,500 children of deceased older people.
CBS followed children of parents from the 1936–1945 birth cohort who died in 2018 without a surviving partner. The researchers compared them with children of parents from the same cohort who died four years later. In this way, the statistics office sought to identify the effect of an inheritance on housing circumstances.
Of the children whose last parent died in 2018, 31 per cent received an inheritance registered with the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration. The median value of those inheritances was €43,000 net. For 14 per cent of all children in the study group, the inheritance was at least €50,000; 6 per cent inherited at least €100,000.
Of those who inherited €50,000 or more, 21 per cent moved within three years of their parent’s death. In the comparison group, the proportion was 14 per cent. Among movers with a large inheritance, the share living in a detached home rose from 15 to 29 per cent.
The floor area of the home also increased more often. The share of heirs with a large inheritance living in a home of at least 150 square metres rose from 27 to 46 per cent. In the comparison group, the increase was smaller: from 30 to 39 per cent.
The inheritance also appears to make it easier to move into an owner-occupied home. Among heirs receiving at least €50,000 who moved, the share living in an owner-occupied home rose from 72 to 83 per cent. In the comparison group, that share rose from 71 to 73 per cent.
CBS also found solar panels more often among this group. The share of homes with solar panels rose from 10 to 25 per cent. Mortgage debt fell by an average of €13,000, but the statistics office warns that not all spending is visible. The study therefore says something about correlation, but not about every individual financial decision.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- In the CBS study, large inheritances are associated with moving more often and living in larger homes.
- The study concerns specific cohorts and the period 2018–2021.
- Not all spending by heirs is visible in the data.
Left
Arguments The figures show that family wealth distributes opportunities in the housing market unequally. Larger inheritances could therefore be taxed more heavily, with the proceeds invested in affordable housing.
Values Equality of opportunity, solidarity and reducing wealth inequality.
Consequences More redistribution could help first-time buyers without wealthy parents, but would reduce the amount families can pass on directly.
Centre
Arguments The findings are primarily relevant to policies that improve access to housing. Inheritance tax, housebuilding and financial guidance should be considered together.
Values Evidence-based policy, practicality and a balance between family wealth and the public interest.
Consequences A combination of more construction, better lending rules and targeted tax measures could mitigate the effects without treating every inheritance in the same way.
Right
Arguments An inheritance was built up by parents and should in principle remain within the family. The solution to unequal access lies in building more homes rather than in higher taxation.
Values Property ownership, family responsibility and limited government intervention.
Consequences Lower costs and greater supply could make the housing market more accessible, but would not fully eliminate differences in parental wealth.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The amounts, percentages and periods used were checked directly against the CBS publication. The text clearly distinguishes between statistical association and individual causation.
- confirmed CBS followed more than 30,500 children of parents from the 1936–1945 birth cohort. — Described in the CBS methodology and research design. source
- confirmed The median value of the registered inheritances was €43,000 net. — CBS states this for the group whose last parent died in 2018. source
- confirmed Twenty-one per cent of heirs receiving at least €50,000 moved within three years, compared with 14 per cent in the comparison group. — CBS table on moves following the parent’s death. source
- confirmed The share of detached homes among moving heirs with a large inheritance rose from 15 to 29 per cent. — CBS reports this change over 2018–2021. source