Moroccan names again lead to fewer rental viewings
A new nationwide monitor once again shows unequal opportunities in the rental market, while letting agents are reportedly recognising discrimination more often, according to the ministry.
There is news on this story (Thursday, 5 November 2026, 17:12): Four in five tested letting agents allow scope for discrimination
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People looking for homes with a Moroccan-sounding name are once again less likely to be invited to a viewing. This is according to the fifth nationwide monitor of discrimination in housing rentals, which Minister Boekholt-O’Sullivan sent to the Lower House on Wednesday.
Correspondence tests compared responses to fictional home-seekers. The profiles were identical apart from the name, allowing researchers to assess whether origin, gender or choice of partner affected the chances of being invited to a viewing. Actors also conducted so-called mystery calls with letting agents.
The net discrimination rate was 14 per cent for men with a Moroccan-sounding name and 16 per cent for women with such a name. In the previous monitor, covering 2024/2025, no discrimination was found for the groups examined at the time. According to the government, the new result shows that this improvement is not stable.
Show the figures
| Letting agents | |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 84.0% |
| 2024/2025 | 77.5% |
| 2025/2026 | 78.5% |
A problem also remains among letting agents. In 78.5 per cent of mystery calls, there was room, directly or indirectly, for a landlord’s request to exclude certain groups of home-seekers. In the previous monitor, the figure was 77.5 per cent. Over the longer term, however, there has been a decline: in 2020, the figure was 84 per cent.
The monitor does not say that every landlord or agent discriminates. The correspondence test measures the difference in invitations between comparable fictional candidates; the mystery calls measure how agents respond to discriminatory requests. The research therefore maps patterns, but not the motives of individual landlords.
The ministry says letting agents are recognising discriminatory requests more often, but do not always reject them yet. According to the ministry, municipalities can take action in cases of violations, including by imposing fines. The ministry also reports that the cabinet is announcing a nationwide campaign intended to point landlords and agents towards fair selection and inform home-seekers about their options if they experience discrimination.
The nationwide monitor will continue for the next two years, conducted by the Verwey-Jonker Institute. The central conclusion of the new result is therefore twofold: the scope for discriminatory requests is lower than in 2020, but recent measurements show that unequal treatment in invitations to viewings has not disappeared.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The monitor once again found fewer invitations to viewings for home-seekers with a Moroccan-sounding name.
- The net discrimination rate was 14 per cent for men and 16 per cent for women.
- In 78.5 per cent of mystery calls, there was room, directly or indirectly, for discriminatory requests.
- Municipalities can take action in cases of violations, including by imposing fines.
Left
Arguments The results show that voluntary awareness is insufficient and that stricter enforcement, better reporting options and active oversight are needed.
Values Equal access to housing and protection from discrimination carry considerable weight.
Consequences Without additional measures, home-seekers may be systematically excluded, even when landlords use formally neutral selection criteria.
Centre
Arguments The decline since 2020 indicates that monitoring, information campaigns and existing rules are having an effect, but the recent deterioration calls for targeted enforcement and continuation of the research.
Values A combination of equal treatment, practicality and reliable measurements is central.
Consequences A step-by-step approach can address excesses without burdening landlords and agents with unworkable procedures.
Right
Arguments Discrimination must be tackled, but policy should also take account of landlords’ responsibility to assess tenants’ risks, affordability and reliability.
Values Property rights, legal certainty and proportionate government intervention carry considerable weight.
Consequences Under this approach, tougher rules or fines could lead to less private renting or greater reluctance to offer homes.
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 key figures, date and research design are set out in the national government’s publication. An independent second source confirms the main findings and the percentages for men and women.
- confirmed The fifth nationwide monitor was sent to the Lower House on 4 November 2026. — This is stated in the national government’s publication. source
- confirmed The net discrimination rate was 14 per cent for men and 16 per cent for women with a Moroccan-sounding name. — The percentages are cited by the national government and NLnow. source
- confirmed In 78.5 per cent of mystery calls, there was room, directly or indirectly, for discriminatory requests. — The national government gives this percentage and compares it with 77.5 per cent in the previous monitor. source
- confirmed The share was 84 per cent in 2020. — The long-term comparison appears in the primary publication. source
Editor's note
The new monitor and the key percentages were confirmed by the national government and independently summarised by NLnow. The test measures unequal outcomes and responses to discriminatory requests, not the intentions of individual landlords.Sources
The story so far
- Wednesday, 4 November 2026, 17:38 Moroccan names again lead to fewer rental viewings (this article)
- Thursday, 5 November 2026, 17:12 Four in five tested letting agents allow scope for discrimination
More on this in Dutch media
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