One third of councils plan to get tough on property speculators

Around one third of the Netherlands’ 345 local authorities plan to introduce housing market restrictions designed to keep out private investors, according to research by business broadcaster RTL Z.

In total, 127 councils want to introduce rules requiring buyers to live in the property, or to ban investors from buying up homes in certain areas, RTL Z said.

In Ede, for example, the council says it needs to build 15,000 homes in the next 10 to 15 years. Local housing chief Leon Meijer told RTL Z that all affordable newly-built owner occupier homes must be lived in by the buyer.

‘You are buying a home for your niece or your nephew? Hard luck,’ he said. ‘They have to buy it themselves. This is how we will stop people viewing housing as an investment.’

Amsterdam and other big cities have already introduced rules for new owners to ensure that housing is not bought up by speculators.

Housing minister Hugo de Jonge is also planning to regulate the rents of up to 90% of the country’s housing stock to ensure the country has more affordable homes.

However, this has already led to a downturn in the number of new developments, investors say.