Amendment and Decision on the Housing Management Act Submitted to Parliament

The minister calls on the House of Representatives and the Senate to process the law as quickly as possible so that the Netherlands can start working with it. “With the Housing Management Act, all government layers can better and faster steer on how many, where, and for whom we will build. Shorter procedures speed up the construction of affordable homes. This way, we gain more control over the task of realizing 100,000 homes per year.”

Amendment

The amendment repairs three unfeasible or legally unsustainable parts of the bill that the House of Representatives had added via an amendment. With the amendment, two amended parts of the bill will be removed: the absolute ban on priority for all persons with a residence permit and the handling of building permits by the Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning if municipalities decide too late. Finally, the amendment changes a third amended part of the bill concerning the terms of the pre-emption right on real estate by the government, bringing it back in line with the protection of property rights.

For a fourth amended part concerning priority for homeless families with children, the minister will – separately from the amendment – delineate in a ministerial regulation exactly for whom this priority should apply. This regulation will soon be put out for consultation.

Decision

The decision accompanying the Housing Management Act specifies how the national government, provinces, and municipalities can steer the housing construction task. The decision states that two-thirds of all newly programmed homes must be affordable for people with low or middle incomes, and 30% of all new construction must consist of social housing. This target applies nationally, provincially, and regionally, not per municipality, neighborhood, or project. This allows for local customization. Additionally, care and family homes on private rear yards are permit-free. There is no maximum number of persons for such a home, but all residents must be part of the same household. Finally, the Ladder for Sustainable Urbanization for housing construction is phased out, allowing faster building outside built-up areas.

Following motions and amendments from the House of Representatives, the decision and its explanation have been adjusted. It is now explicitly stated in the explanation that regions must have made agreements about the distribution of 30% social housing and a total of two-thirds affordable homes no later than six months after the law comes into effect.