Four in five tested letting agents allow scope for discrimination
New monitor shows awareness is growing, but unequal opportunities in the rental market persist.
Follow-up to: Moroccan names again lead to fewer rental viewings Wednesday, 4 November 2026, 17:38
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In 78.5 per cent of the letting agents tested, there was direct or indirect scope for a discriminatory request from a landlord. This is shown by the fifth national monitor on discrimination in the letting of homes, which Minister Boekholt-O’Sullivan sent to the Lower House (Tweede Kamer), according to the ministry.
Researchers used mystery calls in which actors posed as landlords seeking to exclude certain groups of prospective tenants. In 78.5 per cent of the conversations, agents did not immediately reject the request or left scope to proceed with it. That percentage is almost unchanged from the previous monitor, when it was 77.5 per cent.
Over the longer term, however, there has been a decline. In 2020, 84 per cent of the letting agents examined allowed scope for a discriminatory request. The new monitor covers 2025 and 2026 and was conducted by the Verwey-Jonker Institute.
Show the figures
| Direct or indirect scope | |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 84.0% |
| 2024/2025 | 77.5% |
| 2025/2026 | 78.5% |
The correspondence tests also show that unequal treatment has not disappeared. Prospective tenants with a Moroccan-sounding name were invited to fewer viewings. The net discrimination rate was 14 per cent for men and 16 per cent for women. The researchers compared fictional prospective tenants who were as similar as possible in other respects.
At the same time, letting agents recognise discriminatory requests more often than before, according to the ministry. That awareness therefore does not always lead to a clear refusal. The monitor also does not claim that every landlord or estate agent discriminates: it concerns the outcomes of practical tests involving specific requests and profiles.
The ministry says it intends to continue monitoring developments annually over the next two years and has announced a national campaign for landlords, agents and prospective tenants this autumn. According to the ministry, municipalities can take action against landlords who breach the rules, including through fines. Rotterdam is also running a pilot in which homes are allocated anonymously and on the basis of objective data.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- In 78.5 per cent of mystery calls, a discriminatory request was not immediately rejected or there remained scope for it.
- In the practical test, prospective tenants with a Moroccan-sounding name were invited to fewer viewings.
- The government intends to continue measuring annually, and municipalities can enforce the rules.
Left
Arguments The results show that legal rules and awareness are insufficient as long as landlords and agents can influence selection in practice. Supporters of this perspective will emphasise stricter enforcement, greater public oversight and objective allocation.
Values Equal treatment, protection against exclusion and solidarity.
Consequences Without additional oversight, prospective tenants with certain names or backgrounds will remain structurally disadvantaged; stricter rules could make access fairer.
Centre
Arguments The monitor points both to improvement and to a persistent problem. From a political-centre perspective, an institutional approach involving clear guidelines, annual measurements, training and targeted enforcement would therefore be the obvious course.
Values Equal opportunities, feasibility and careful governance.
Consequences A combination of prevention and enforcement can reduce discrimination without fully regulating every individual selection in advance.
Right
Arguments Landlords should be able to select on the basis of reliability, affordability and suitable conduct, but origin or other protected characteristics must not become a substitute for those criteria. The emphasis is on clear rules, evidence of concrete violations and professional responsibility.
Values Property, legal certainty and individual responsibility.
Consequences Overly broad oversight could make letting more complicated; targeted enforcement against demonstrable discrimination keeps the rules clearer and easier to implement.
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, research period and method were checked directly with the national government. The additional context about a fair letting pilot comes from a publication by Volkshuisvesting Nederland.
- confirmed 78.5 per cent of letting agents allowed direct or indirect scope for a discriminatory request. — Mentioned in the fifth national monitor. source
- confirmed The percentage was 77.5 per cent in the previous monitor. — The comparison appears in the national government publication. source
- confirmed In 2020, the figure was 84 per cent. — Long-term comparison from the same monitor. source
- confirmed Men with a Moroccan-sounding name had a net discrimination rate of 14 per cent and women of 16 per cent. — Figures from the correspondence tests in the fifth monitor. source
- confirmed The monitor was conducted by the Verwey-Jonker Institute. — Mentioned by the national government. source
- confirmed Rotterdam is running a pilot involving anonymous allocation based on objective data. — Described by Volkshuisvesting Nederland. source
Editor's note
The figures and research design from the fifth national monitor are certain. The practical tests measure behaviour in response to specific requests and profiles and are not a measurement of the behaviour of all landlords or estate agents.Sources
- Meer bewustzijn over woondiscriminatie, maar nog geen gelijke kansen voor iedereen — Rijksoverheid
- Als verhuurbemiddelaar moet je in bepaalde gevallen gewoon nee zeggen — Volkshuisvesting Nederland
The story so far
- Wednesday, 4 November 2026, 17:38 Moroccan names again lead to fewer rental viewings
- Thursday, 5 November 2026, 17:12 Four in five tested letting agents allow scope for discrimination (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „woondiscriminatie huurmarkt”
- Trouw — „woondiscriminatie huurmarkt”
- NRC — „woondiscriminatie huurmarkt”