During the internet consultation from February 17 to March 16, everyone can respond to the proposed changes in the housing law. Additionally, the minister asks municipalities and provinces to map the implications of the draft bill for implementation. The minister will then review the responses and may adjust the proposal, after which a final draft bill will go to the Council of State for advice. A proposal will then follow to the House of Representatives.
“With this draft bill, we will treat everyone in the Netherlands equally in their search for social housing,” says Minister Mona Keijzer (VRO). “Status holders will no longer have priority over a home compared to other housing seekers. This addresses all those housing seekers who feel the consequences of scarcity in the housing market, from the younger person wanting to leave home to the older person searching for a suitable home.”
Status holders will still be able to register for a social rental home after the bill comes into effect, but will be placed on the waiting list like other housing seekers. Furthermore, status holders can live with family or friends or rent or buy a home outside the social rental sector. Private landlords generally do not work with waiting lists. Other living arrangements such as room rentals, shared housing, and room renting are also options. The Minister of Asylum and Migration is also working on realizing transition locations where status holders can start their housing careers in the Netherlands in the short term. Preferably, non-independent living spaces will be created at these locations.