The number of private flats and houses offered for rent in the first quarter of 2014 was down almost 24% compared with the first three months of 2013, according to research by rental housing platform Pararius.nl.

The report focuses on non-rent controlled property, which means the flats and houses have a basic rent of at least €699.48.

The number of contracts signed also fell 9% in the first quarter while average rents rose 0.7%.

‘The climate is totally different to a year ago,’ said Pararius director Jasper de Groot in a statement. ‘Now the housing market is recovering, fewer private owners are renting out their unsold property.’

Demand for properties with rents of between €700 and €1,000 remains strongest, De Groot says.