Thousands of people living in rent controlled property have complained to their housing corporation about the extra rent increase based on their income which comes into effect on July 1.

The three million people living in social housing with a current rent of up to €681 a month face an increase of at least 4% this year. Tenants with an annual income over €33,614 have been given a 4.5% increase and those earning over €43,000, a 6% boost. Rents will rise again by the same percentages next year.

The protests largely concern the fact the increase is based on incomes dating from 2011, website nu.nl reports. Others are angry about the fact combined household income is used as the basis. The income of everyone over the age of 23 in the household is included in the calculations.

Shock

A spokeswoman for housing corporation Ymere, which rents out 77,000 homes, said people who could prove their income had gone down in 2012 and 2013 would not have to pay the extra increase.

‘Tenants are used to their rent going up in line with inflation only,’ Guido Lodders of housing corporation De Alliantie (60,000 homes) told news agency ANP. ‘This is a shock to them.’

The aim of the increase is to encourage high earners to move out of the rent-controlled sector and to generate income for housing corporations, which have to pay an extra €1.9bn levy to the state.