The number of homes in the Netherlands rented out by private landlords rose by 28,000 to 1.13 million in 2021, according to a new analysis of the Dutch rental market.

The increase came ahead of wide-ranging government plans to reform the rental sector and to boost the supply of affordable property.

In total, the number of properties owned by private landlords rose 2.5%, while the number of owner-occupier homes rose 1%. But housing corporations, which are mainly responsible for social housing, barely increased the number of properties on their books, national statistics office CBS said on Thursday.

The increase in the number of private sector rentals is mainly down to new developments as well as the transformation of existing property such as offices and shops, the CBS said. Some 71% of privately-owned rental property is in the form of apartments.

Private landlords have warned that government plans to increase rent controls to cover 90% of the market will lead them to sell. This, plus higher taxes on property, will make it uneconomic to rent out smaller apartments, particularly in the social sector, they say.