Minister Keijzer: “The housing shortage remains high. The measures we are implementing now will yield results in a few years at the earliest. Every step is a step forward. A key focus is removing obstacles for new construction, such as overlapping local regulations and procedures, and better utilization of existing buildings. At the Housing Summit, we made the first move with stakeholders. This year, we will continue with this effort.”
Increase in Construction Pace
The number of building permits granted has been increasing since early 2024. On a national level, there are almost enough construction plans to meet the housing demand: provinces have plans for 1,021,500 new homes by 2030. The goal is a planning capacity of 130% of the need, as plans may face delays or may not proceed. Five provinces have sufficient plans. Nationally, the planning capacity is 126%. Provinces still need to create plans to maintain the realization pace of 100,000 new homes per year after 2030. In addition to new construction, 15 to 20% of the housing task is realized through splitting, transformation, and other forms of renovation; in 2023, this was 14,518 homes.
Affordable Housing Costs
The annual State of Housing also addresses the affordability of housing and housing quality. The affordability of housing costs is most pressing for tenants with lower incomes and for younger middle incomes in the more expensive private rental sector. For homeowners, housing costs decrease over time due to mortgage repayment and house value increase. The number of households facing energy poverty has decreased to 400,000 since 2021.
Sustainability: Housing Quality Improves
The sustainability of homes and buildings in the Netherlands is progressing well. The share of natural gas-free homes has increased from 7.2% to 10.1%, and gas consumption has decreased by 25% since 2021. Additionally, the proportion of homes with poor energy labels has decreased by 11.2% since 2021, leading to lower energy bills. Homeowners are also more often able to finance sustainability improvements due to better loan and subsidy options. Approximately 98% can finance the sustainability of their home, compared to 86% in 2020. CO2 emissions in the built environment have decreased by more than 20% since 2021, partly due to energy-saving measures and changes in heating behavior at home and in the office.
The livability and safety in the 20 focus areas of the National Program for Livability and Safety (NPLV) are also improving. Between 2025 and 2029, an additional 10,000 homes will be added in the focus areas, on top of existing plans. Additionally, 40,000 homes will be completed faster.
Annual Report
The State of Housing is an annual publication of the Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning that shows how housing in the Netherlands is developing each year. The report addresses construction, affordability, and quality of the housing stock.