Dutch homes created through building conversions fall for fourth year in a row

The Netherlands added 6,400 homes by converting existing buildings in 2025, 19% fewer than the year before and the fourth consecutive annual decline, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) says. The conversions accounted for 7% of all homes added to the housing stock, down from 9% in 2024.

The fall was driven largely by fewer homes created in former offices: 1,690 in 2025, compared with 2,765 a year earlier. Conversions of former shops rose slightly, to 1,253, but remained well below the 2,165 recorded in 2023.

New construction remained the main source of additional homes. It added 69,200 in 2025, while other additions, including subdividing existing homes, contributed 11,900.

Private rental conversions fell particularly sharply, dropping 36% from 5,700 in 2024 to 3,700 last year. CBS says the decline may be related to the Affordable Rent Act, which took effect in July 2024 and, it says, can make private letting less financially attractive to landlords. Housing association conversions moved in the opposite direction, rising from 635 to 1,010 homes. Private rentals still made up 58% of converted homes, compared with 16% for housing associations and 26% for owner-occupied homes.

The picture varied by region. South Holland recorded 1,285 conversions, down 35% on 2024; Rotterdam’s figure fell by 64%. Amsterdam, by contrast, saw conversions double from a low point in 2024 to 475, though that was still less than half its 2023 total.

A preliminary estimate puts the number of homes created through conversion in the first half of 2026 at nearly 3,000. CBS says the figures come from research commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.