An increasing number of people are finding it very difficult to pay all their housing costs, according to research by Den Bosch city council.

The research shows 26% of the city’s households have to pay more than the accepted 30% of their net income in rent and energy bills – or 20% for very low-income households.

And if action is not taken, almost four in 10 households will pay more for housing and bills than considered the norm by 2018, the council says.

‘This must apply to other cities as well,’ local alderman Jeroen Weyers is quoted as saying by the Volkskrant.

Tenants

Earlier research for the Dutch tenants’ association Woonbond suggested 700,000 households are paying more than the guideline for somewhere to live.

Den Bosch council plans to work with local housing corporations and tenants groups to try to reduce their costs by helping them move to cheaper houses and introducing temporary rent reductions for tenants in financial difficulty.

‘This could help people in a temporary dip, such as freelancers who have lost their contract,’ Weyers said. Housing minister Stef Blok would have to give permission for such a move.

Extra insulation could also reduce energy bills, Weyers said.