Thousands of privately rented homes move to the sales market
Private landlords owned 22,000 fewer rental homes in 2024, while the private rental sector as a whole contracted.
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The private rental sector in the Netherlands contracted in 2024. According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS) figures, private landlords owned 22,000 fewer rental homes; many of these moved into the owner-occupied sector.
On 1 January 2025, there were 3,000 fewer homes in the private rental sector than a year earlier. That difference is smaller than the decline among private landlords, because companies and other organisations together added 19,000 private rental homes. CBS based the figures on data from the Land Registry (Kadaster).
The figures concern changes in the housing stock by owner, not the number of homes physically built in a year. A home that moves from private renting to owner-occupation disappears from the supply available to tenants but remains part of the total housing stock.
Show the figures
| Private rental homes | |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 25,425woningen |
| 2022 | 37,080woningen |
| 2023 | 27,150woningen |
| 2024 | -3,200woningen |
The development reverses the trend. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, the number of private rental homes according to CBS and the Land Registry still grew by 25,425, 37,080 and 27,150 homes respectively. In 2024, the change for the private rental sector as a whole was minus 3,200 homes.
At the same time, 10,000 housing association homes and 66,000 owner-occupied homes were added. Those figures do not mean that all home-seekers benefit from them: owner-occupied homes are not automatically accessible to households unable to obtain a mortgage, and housing association homes are intended for a specific target group.
The development fuels the debate about rental policy, taxation and mid-market rents. The CBS figures point to a shift in ownership, but do not in themselves prove which measure caused it. For tenants, less private renting may reduce choice; for buyers, sales by private landlords may instead mean additional supply. The scale of both effects may vary by region and type of home.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The private rental sector contracted by 3,000 homes in 2024.
- Private landlords owned 22,000 fewer homes.
- Companies and other organisations had 19,000 more private rental homes.
- Housing association homes increased by 10,000 and owner-occupied homes by 66,000.
Left
Arguments Emphasises that rental homes have a public function and that sales by private landlords can reduce the supply of affordable rented housing.
Values Housing security, affordability and access to housing.
Consequences Would generally argue for stronger rent regulation, more social housing construction and measures to retain homes for renting.
Centre
Arguments Sees the figures as a signal that policy must support different forms of ownership at the same time and monitor regional effects.
Values Evidence-based policy, feasibility and a balance between renting and owning.
Consequences Emphasises that regulation, tax rules and housing policy should be assessed together rather than identifying a single cause.
Right
Arguments Emphasises that private landlords sell homes when regulation, taxation and risks make returns too uncertain.
Values Ownership, investment capacity and a predictable business climate.
Consequences Fears that stricter rules will further reduce the supply of rented housing, even when intended to protect tenants.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
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 figures for the private rental sector, housing association homes and owner-occupied homes appear in the CBS publication. The text distinguishes between shifts in ownership and physical housebuilding and makes no unsubstantiated claim about the cause.
- confirmed On 1 January 2025, private landlords owned 22,000 fewer rental homes. — CBS explicitly cites this decline. source
- confirmed The private rental sector as a whole contracted by 3,000 homes. — CBS reports this change compared with a year earlier. source
- confirmed Companies and other organisations added 19,000 private rental homes. — This appears in the same CBS publication. source
- confirmed The changes from 2021 through 2024 were 25,425, 37,080, 27,150 and -3,200. — CBS publishes this series with CBS/Land Registry as the source. source
Editor's note
The shifts in ownership and the figures are taken directly from CBS and Land Registry data for 2024. The figures do not show a direct cause and say nothing about regional differences or affordability for individual households.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- De Telegraaf — „woningmarkt huurwoningen”
- AD — „woningmarkt huurwoningen”
- de Volkskrant — „woningmarkt huurwoningen”