Minister of Home Affairs Kasya Ollongren has reported to the country’s parliament that the lack of supply of residential space is being exacerbated by the current downturn of the Dutch real estate market. She warned that the Netherlands has a deficit of 331,000 homes, or 4.2 percent of the housing stock. The goal, she said, is to reduce that to just two percent by 2035, when the Netherlands is expected to have a population of 18.8 million. Housing construction will have to accelerate not just to make up for the current shortage, but also to meet growing demand.
Last year, a total of 71,500 new homes were built, and another 10,000 were made by converting existing buildings. The number of new homes is expected to fall to 55,000 this year and a further 50,000 in 2021. This is largely due to problems with nitrogen emissions, PFAS and lack of construction sites. Complications stemming from the coronavirus pandemic have only served to complicate matters.
