People renting a house in the non-rent-controlled housing sector in Amsterdam now have to pay over €2,000 a month, according to new figures from rental housing platform Pararius.

‘The rental market is unhealthy,’ Pararius director Jasper de Groot said in a statement. ‘Just 5% of Dutch housing supply is non-rent-controlled and that is far too little.’

Rents rose 5.2% across the country as a whole last year, but in Amsterdam the rise was double that, Pararius says.

The average price of renting a home in the Netherlands is now €1,365 a month but in Amsterdam the average has soared to €2,200, the Pararius figures show. In Rotterdam, the rate is around €1,200 and in The Hague, €1,500.

Expats

‘Amsterdam is a popular city. There is a lot going on, a lot of expats who are pressuring prices,’ De Groot said. ‘That, combined with the shortage of rental properties means that prices are soaring.’

De Groot says Amsterdam has become too expensive for people on middle incomes. ‘There is hardly anything for people who can afford between €700 and €1,000 a month,’ De Groot said.

The waiting list for social housing in the Dutch capital is around 10 years.