The purchase protection in Amsterdam works well. Since this measure was introduced on April 1, 2022, far fewer homes have been bought by investors who want to rent them out. As a result, more affordable owner-occupied homes are available for people who want to live in them themselves, especially first-time buyers.
A recent evaluation covering the years 2022 to 2024 shows that the number of homes bought for rental purposes has dropped sharply. A great result of Amsterdams purchase protection combined with national measures.
What is purchase protection?
Purchase protection is a rule stating that you may not rent out an affordable or mid-priced owner-occupied home within the first 4 years after purchase. Amsterdam introduced this rule in 2022 to prevent investors from buying homes to rent them out. This gives regular home seekers a better chance to buy a house themselves.
Key results of 3 years of purchase protection:
- In 2024, only 3 percent of homes were bought by investors, compared to 21 percent in 2020.
- More homes are now available for people who want to live in them themselves.
- In 2024, more rental homes were converted to owner-occupied homes than vice versa. 8,246 homes changed from rental to owner-occupied, 3,440 homes from owner-occupied to rental.
- Investors have not massively switched to more expensive homes outside the scheme.
Zita Pels, alderwoman for Housing, is pleased with the results: The housing crisis is severe in Amsterdam. That is why we must do everything possible to keep homes in our city available for Amsterdammers who want to live there themselves. This measure helps with that.
Measure remains
The municipality wants to maintain this measure and shares the results with the national government as input for the national evaluation in 2026.