First-time buyers accounted for almost half of home sales in the final three months of last year, according to new figures from the land registry office Kadaster.

In total, almost 60,000 homes changed hands—the highest total since 2020—and 28,000 went to people getting their first foot on the housing ladder. That is a rise of almost 28% on a year ago.

The Kadaster said one of the main reasons is the number of cheaper homes in the big cities coming onto the market, due to changes in rental housing legislation. More rent controls and higher taxes are leading small landlords in particular to sell when a property becomes vacant.

The big four Dutch cities, as well as student cities Delft, Eindhoven and Leiden, were in particular demand. In Amsterdam and Utrecht, first-time buyers accounted for 66% of the transactions in the final three months of last year.

“We expect the number of first-time buyers will increase even more in the coming period,” Kadaster spokeswoman Lianne Hans told news website Nu.nl. “Interest rates have come down, which makes buying a home more attractive. But renting out property has become more expensive for landlords, so more are being sold.”