Over 1,000 homes in the rent-controlled sector are lived in by people who own other property and act as landlords themselves, according to research by the land registry agency Kadaster on behalf of the NRC.

In total, 1,055 social housing tenants own 2,344 houses between them, with one person in Friesland topping the list with 59.

Housing corporation umbrella group Aedes says it is ‘unpleasantly surprised’ by the figures, and describes the situation as ‘undesirable’.

‘Given the shortage of housing, it is unacceptable that people on low incomes have to wait so long for a home, while people who own property which they could well live in are occupying social housing,’ a spokesman told the paper.

There is no law to ban people living on social housing from owning property, as long as it is their main residence. In some cases, however, the tenants were living in an owner-occupied home elsewhere but kept their social housing flat on as a pied-a-terre or for their children, the NRC said.

The problem affected property all over the country. In Utrecht, for example, 25 people renting property via the Mitros housing corporation own a total of 99 other properties between them. In Amsterdam, 45 Eigen Haard tenants own 219 private homes.

Social housing has a rent of up to €752 per month and is subject to strict income checks for new tenants.