The rules for receiving housing benefit – a social security payment for low-income tenants – are to change next year, clearing the way for more people to make a claim.

Currently housing benefit is only payable to people who live in social housing, that is rental housing which costs less than €933 a month from next year.

However, from 2026, low income households will be able to claim the benefit over the first €932 of their rent, as long as they don’t have much in the way of savings. Some 170,000 households are expected to be able to claim.

Youngsters aged 21 and 22 will also be able to claim housing benefit up to the higher level, rather than just €500 as at present.

At the same time, however, housing benefit will only be paid towards the net rent, so service charges will no longer be included in the calculations. This means some people will get less money.

Some 1.6 million Dutch households currently claim housing benefit. For example, a single person living in a €900 a month rental property with an annual income of €30,000 will get €362 a month in housing benefit.

The aim of the new regulations is to help people who were forced to rent outside the social housing sector because of the shortage of homes.