Politics remains divided over sale of rental homes
Landlords warn of further sales as the cabinet seeks to keep mid-market rentals available.
Vastgoed Belang has again warned of a wave of rental-home sales. The debate centres on whether regulation of mid-market rents is driving landlords out of the market or is necessary to keep homes affordable.
According to industry association Vastgoed Belang, private landlords are selling homes because income from regulated rents is allegedly no longer enough to offset taxes, maintenance and financing costs. Earlier this year, the organisation warned that, in its view, easing the rent rules had not done enough to stop the sell-off of rental properties.
The figures circulating in the political debate have not all been independently established. Parliamentary questions submitted in September ask the minister whether almost 10,000 more rental homes were sold in the second quarter of 2026 than in the same quarter a year earlier. They also ask about a higher total since the introduction of the Affordable Rent Act (Wet betaalbare huur). At the time of the source consulted, no substantive answer to those questions had yet been given.
The cabinet has announced measures. Minister Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan wants to adjust the housing valuation system in several areas, giving landlords in certain popular locations more room within the mid-market rental sector. Work is also under way on a temporary tenancy agreement for students and on extending the surcharge for new-build homes.
According to the cabinet, those measures should prevent rental homes from disappearing without abandoning tenant protection. The government points out that landlords may be given more room with new contracts, while existing tenants will remain subject to the annual maximum rent increase.
For tenants, a sale may ultimately mean having to move when a home is sold to an owner-occupier. For first-time buyers, the supply of homes for purchase may increase, but that effect says nothing about the availability of affordable rental homes. The outcome also depends on whether sold homes are replaced by new construction.
The heart of the conflict is therefore not only a disagreement over returns, but also over the desired role of private landlords. As long as current figures on sales, new construction and the rental-housing stock are not brought together in a single independent overview, statements about a nationwide wave of sales will remain partly dependent on the source and measurement method chosen.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Vastgoed Belang warns of further sales of rental homes.
- The cabinet has announced easements and changes to the rent rules.
- The scale of the nationwide wave of sales is the subject of parliamentary questions.
Left
Arguments Stricter rent regulation protects tenants from unaffordable rents and prevents homes intended for middle-income households from becoming available only as properties for purchase.
Values Affordability, housing security and housing as a basic necessity.
Consequences Landlords may achieve lower returns, but tenants retain greater stability and affordable homes remain available for longer.
Centre
Arguments A workable mid-market rental sector requires protection for existing tenants as well as sufficient returns for maintenance, sustainability improvements and new construction. Policy changes should therefore be tested against the figures.
Values Balance, feasibility and a stable housing market.
Consequences A compromise can limit sharp price rises while also preventing investment from disappearing altogether.
Right
Arguments When regulation and taxes make letting structurally unattractive, private landlords withdraw. According to this view, more supply is created primarily by respecting property rights and returns.
Values Ownership, market forces and investment certainty.
Consequences Giving landlords more room may encourage supply and maintenance, but may also lead to higher rents.
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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The text separates established policy measures from unconfirmed figures in parliamentary questions. The consequences for tenants and buyers are described as possible effects, not established outcomes.
- confirmed Vastgoed Belang warns that the wave of rental-home sales is not being curbed sufficiently. — This is stated in the industry association’s publication about its survey of landlords. source
- confirmed The cabinet wants to adjust the housing valuation system in certain areas. — The Dutch government describes the proposed changes and their intended implementation date. source
- confirmed Parliamentary questions mention figures on the sell-off of rental properties, but no substantive answer was yet available. — The official page shows the submitted questions without an answer. source
- confirmed A sale may ultimately force tenants to move. — This is a direct consequence of a sale to an owner-occupier when the tenancy ends; the text presents it as a possible effect. source
Editor's note
The warning from Vastgoed Belang and the cabinet measures are certain. The sales figures mentioned in the parliamentary questions had not yet been confirmed by the cabinet in the source consulted.Sources
- Minister zet maatregelen door voor meer middenhuurwoningen — Rijksoverheid
- Aangekondigde verhuurversoepelingen remmen uitpondgolf met slechts 6 procent — Vastgoed Belang
- Kamervragen over de aanhoudende uitpondgolf van huurwoningen — Tweede Kamer
- Reële huurverhoging woningen; sociale- en overige verhuurders — CBS
More on this in Dutch media
- NRC — „huurwoningen middenhuur”
- NU.nl — „huurwoningen middenhuur”
- De Telegraaf — „huurwoningen middenhuur”