Dutch plan refocuses home-buying restrictions on neighbourhood liveability

The Dutch government plans to refocus its home-purchase protection scheme on neighbourhoods where liveability is under pressure, rather than using it primarily to help first-time buyers. Housing minister Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan is preparing legislation, which is due to go out for consultation by the end of 2026.[1]

Under the proposed changes, municipalities would have to explain why the scheme is needed in the areas they designate. The government also proposes limiting it to homes with a property value (WOZ) up to the municipality’s average. The ministry has not yet set out the details of how the revised rules would work.

Introduced in 2022, the scheme allows municipalities to stop investors buying homes in designated areas to rent them out. About 70 municipalities have used it since its introduction, the government says.[1]

The ministry says a recent evaluation found that the scheme’s main practical benefit was helping preserve neighbourhood liveability, rather than achieving its other original aims. It says the scheme is not an effective way to improve first-time buyers’ chances in the current housing market, while the Good Landlordship Act offers a better way to tackle rogue landlords.[1]

The proposed shift follows an agreement in the coalition deal. The government says owner-occupiers tend to move less often, which can support social ties in a neighbourhood, and argues that residents should be able to move between different types of housing without losing those local networks.[1]