Priority rules for social rental housing work, but the system can be clearer

The research was conducted by the municipality, housing corporations, the Federation of Amsterdam Tenants Associations (FAH), and Arcade. It focused on the rules that give people priority for a social rental home via WoningNet.

Housing shortage

Due to the severe shortage of homes, it is difficult for everyone to find a social rental home. Many people think they have no chance without priority. And that almost no homes are assigned to people without priority. That is not true.

Also a home without priority

On average, 45 percent of the homes are offered without exclusive priority. People without priority can also respond to these homes. If no one with the correct priority responds, the home goes to someone without priority. In 2024, 720 housing seekers without any form of priority were assigned a home.

Balanced distribution

The research also shows that the scarce social rental homes are fairly evenly distributed. All groups have a reasonable chance, and people in vulnerable positions receive extra help. The rules basically work well, and no major changes are needed.

Suitability criteria

Especially the rules that ensure a home fits someones income, household size, or disability, the so-called suitability criteria, work well. Almost all family homes went to families.

Possible improvements

However, there are areas for improvement. The research shows that families with children currently have less chance than other groups. We want to explore how we can better help this group. For seniors, there are many different priority rules, giving them relatively more opportunities. This is sensible. When older people move to a smaller home, a larger home becomes available for a family.

Next steps

The biggest challenge is clarity. The number of priority rules is too large, there is overlap, and the rules are often too complicated and unclear. We therefore want to work with corporations and tenant organizations to see if the system can be simplified.

Removing regulations

We will investigate whether overlapping or hard-to-explain regulations can be removed. Sometimes a regulation is redundant because the goal has already been achieved, such as with youth retention. We will also work with corporations to better explain the priority rules. This way, we create a clearer, more understandable system in which every housing seeker in Amsterdam knows what the rules are, how they work, and how to make use of priority.

Also read

• Thousands of additional student homes in Amsterdam in the coming years
• Easier to rent out an extra room with a social assistance benefit
• Landlord reprimanded for discrimination