The number of rental homes available for new tenants in Netherlands fell 28% in the first quarter of 2024, when compared to the year-earlier period, according to the latest report by rental platform Pararius.

At the same time, the average square metre price of a flat in the unregulated sector rose 8.6%, Pararius said on Wednesday.

In total, almost 17,800 homes became available for renters in the first three months of year, down almost 6,000 on the previous quarter. This, said Pararius chief executive Jasper de Groot, is another sign that homes are being shifted from the rental sector and sold off.

In Amsterdam, the rents for new tenancies were up by an average of 5%, and new tenants are now paying around €27 per square meter. In The Hague prices were up 6.6%, in Rotterdam 9% and in Utrecht 4.2%.

Pararius also notes that fewer people are applying to view each property that comes on the market. In Amsterdam a vacant property generates an average of 18 responses, compared with 34 a year ago. The number of responses halved in Eindhoven to 18, and the trend was also down in the other big three cities, although not as strongly.