Housing rents have gone up sharply in the big Dutch cities over the past year, with average rises of 7% recorded in Amsterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, according to new research by housing platform Pararius.

Rotterdam topped the list with an average rent increase of 9%, compared with a national average of 2.3%. Sharp rises in rents were also recorded in smaller cities such as Apeldoorn, Groningen, Leiden and Den Bosch.

In Amsterdam, the average rent of €20.68 per square metre has never been higher, Pararius said.

Pararius puts the rent rise down to growing demand for liberalised sector rental properties, particularly among dual income families, coupled with a shortage of supply.

In addition, people who want to get a foot on the housing ladder are finding it more difficult to get a mortgage and this too is boosting demand, Pararius director Jasper de Groot said.