Single people will be able to get a higher mortgage than they currently can, including those with a student debt, housing minister Hugo de Jonge has confirmed.

Singles earning at least €28,000 a year will be able to borrow an additional €16,000 from 2024, so that more possible new homes are open to them, De Jonge said.

According to family spending institute Nibud, singles have lower costs than couples, which is why they should be able to borrow a little more. Earnings are also going up because of high inflation.

Former students too will have more leeway to expand their borrowing because their current debt, not the total sum will be the starting point for calculations, Nibud said.

The institute has also drawn up new guidelines for energy efficient homes and people borrowing to buy a house with a high energy label will also be able to borrow more from next year. The extra loan will begin at €5,000 for energy labels D and C, rising to €50,000 for people buying a home with an A++++ label and a 10-year energy performance guarantee. 

Home hunters will also be able to borrow more to pay for energy efficiency improvements.

Nevertheless, the increase in borrowing capacity will not help people on an average salary of €41,000 who still face a maximum mortgage of around €160,000. The average house price is currently around €400,000. 

More than half the people looking for a new place to buy or rent are running into difficulty because of the lack of choice, high prices or because what is on offer is unsuitable for their needs, according to research by housing association umbrella group Aedes. 

“The housing crisis must be a top priority for the next cabinet,” said Aedes director Martin van Rijn.  

The cabinet estimates the shortage of homes in the Netherlands to be around 390,000 and aims to build 900,000 by the turn of the decade. But high costs, expensive land, the nitrogen crisis and government plans to expand rent controls have led developers to scrap or delay plans. 

Some 70% of people who took part in the survey said political party standpoints on housing are essential in their choice of who to vote for, particularly those under the age of 40. 

Meanwhile, research by home buyers lobby group VEH has found that around half the people who have bought an apartment are disappointed with the quality of the homeowners association running their property.

And one in 10 say the problems with the VVE are so complex that they wish they had not bought the property in the first place.