The number of non-rent controlled homes available in the Netherlands has plunged again, one year after new legislation was introduced to lower rents, rental platform Pararius said.

Just 12,000 properties came on the market in the past quarter, down more than one third on the same period in 2024. At the same time, 40% of homes listed on Pararius now cost at least €2,000 per month, compared with just 18% a year earlier.

“The free sector was a safety net for people who needed housing on a flexible basis, but it no longer functions,” director Jasper Groot said. “There is a growing group of people who earn too much for social housing but not enough to access the non-rent controlled sector. People on average incomes are stuck.”

Pararius focuses on homes offered by private landlords, rather than institutional investors such as pension funds. Around 60% of the Dutch housing market is rental, with 25% controlled by housing corporations and 15% by private landlords.

Many private landlords have been selling off their cheaper homes, which now fall under rent controls, due to restrictions on rental income and higher taxes.

Legal aid insurer Achmea Rechtsbijstand said this has led to a sharp rise in disputes between landlords and tenants, particularly over evictions. “Private landlords in particular are trying to end rental agreements,” spokeswoman Eva Jongenelen said. “And this is leading to conflicts between landlords and tenants who are protected by the law.”

The organisation now handles around 2,700 cases every six months, half of which involve rental law and that figure has risen 30% since the new rent controls were introduced. In most cases, selling a property does not affect the rights of sitting tenants.

Tenants’ rights group Woonbond has also seen a rise in phone calls from tenants facing pressure to move out so landlords can sell their homes. “They use threatening language and sometimes physical violence,” spokesman Mathijs ten Broeke told RTL.

Enforcement

He urged city councils to step up enforcement. “Landlords are abusing their position, but there is also a lack of enforcement,” he said. “Councils have an important role in tackling this abuse.”

Earlier this month it emerged that the number of student rooms has also plunged because of changes to rent controls.

Data analysis by the NRC showed that the number of available student rooms has plunged by 30% in a year and more than 40% in Amsterdam and The Hague, two of the cities with the largest student populations.