Last year, 12,500 new homes were created in empty schools, office blocks and retail spaces, according to new figures from national statistics office CBS.

The number of transformation projects contributed 13% of the 71,000 unit growth in the country’s housing stock last year. Almost half of the new homes were in converted offices and 9% had been created in former industrial spaces.

Most of the properties were owned by the private sector and will be rented out for over €737 a month – the limit for the rent-controlled property sector.

Rotterdam was home to the most conversions, followed by Amsterdam and The Hague. Some 37% of all new homes realised in the port city last year were created in buildings which originally had another use.