Rent freeze social rent success for tenants

 

Rent freeze social rent success for tenants

 

Rents and money The coalition parties want to freeze rents in the social rental sector in 2025 and 2026. The Woonbond is happy with this step.

 

Editorial staff

April 16, 2025

Woonbond / Lina Selg

https://www.woonbond.nl/nieuws/huurbevriezing-sociale-huur-succes-voor-huurders/

 

The Woonbond has worked in recent months to prevent a rent explosion of 5% in the social sector and calls the rent freeze a 'great success for tenants'. However, the union believes that the tax burden on corporations must be reduced so that they can build enough social rental housing.

 

Preventing rent explosion

The Woonbond ceased negotiations with Minister Keijzer in November 2024 because the minister maintained a 5% rent increase for the social sector. The association thought that was too high. Especially since social tenants faced the highest rent increase in thirty years in 2024. Since November, the Woonbond has been working with its members to prevent a new rent explosion. With success, it turns out today.

 

Public investment in public housing

In the discussion about the rent increase, the Woonbond announced that public investment should be made in new construction of social housing. It is unfair to only make social tenants pay for this with high rent increases. A first step would be to cut the profit tax that corporations pay. In this way, they retain the financial leeway to build additional social housing.

 

Mid-market rental and free sector

Rents in the free sector and the mid-market rental may go up in the coalition's plans. By 4.1% and 7.7% respectively. For the mid-market rental segment, it only concerns rental contracts in the middle segment with a contract from 1 July 2024. The Woonbond wants to talk to Minister Keijzer to agree on a moderate rental policy for all sectors for the coming years. Woonbond director Zeno Winkels: 'Ultimately, both tenants and landlords benefit from a predictable rental policy. Now we are running from huge rent peak to rent freeze. For the coming years, more control in all sectors is in the public interest.'

 

Concerns about high rents for slumlords

The union is absolutely concerned about the statements of VVD party leader Yesilgöz. It announces that more rental properties can be rented out without rent protection. The Affordable Rent Act, which was introduced less than a year ago to protect tenants from extortionate prices, should not apply to small landlords. 'That sounds like an exception for ridiculous rents of slum landlords. While the law is intended to protect tenants against that kind of practice.' Asking for higher rents by making the WOZ value count more is also a major step backwards and saddles tenants in the private rental market with high rents.