Rents have risen by an average of 2%, less than the rate of inflation because they were pegged instead to wage increases.

Dutch statistics office CBS reports that rental houses in July 2023 were an average of 2% more than in the same month in 2022. Last year, the annual rise was 3%.

Social homes run by housing corporations rose in price by just 0.1% on average in July compared with the year before, while social homes run by other landlords went up by 3.7%.

In the unregulated free market, rents however rose by 4.5%, which was roughly the rate of inflation according to the new CBS method.

The largest rises were seen in Amsterdam, where rents went up by an average of 2.8%. They were lowest in Utrecht, of the four big cities, rising by 2.4%.

Currently, free market houses can be rented with a two-year lease and there is some evidence that rents rise more when there is a change of tenant. Thanks to a private members’ bill passed earlier this year, short-term leases will be scrapped.

The level of rents are impacted by a national housing shortage of around 390,000 homes. There is some evidence that proposed legislation to protect more rents has stimulated private and institutional landlords to sell or consider selling.