Finding a new home can be an exciting but also challenging experience. Especially when you are moving abroad. We are here to help you out.
The rental market in the Netherlands has been tightening for years and this is reflected in the rental prices that have risen sharply. In the larger cities such as Rotterdam, Amsterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, the rental prices are the highest and the space is generally the smallest. We therefore advise to consider a higher rental price and smaller living space than you are used to in advance, so that you are not disappointed during your search.
The Dutch housing market offers a variety of accommodation types for individual residents, house sharers or families. It is ultimately up to you to choose which type of property suits you best, where you feel most at home and what fits within your budget.
There are two rental sectors in the Netherlands: the private sector and the social rental sector. Most internationals who come to the Netherlands look in the private sector because the social rental sector has long waiting lists and strict socio-economic criteria to qualify. When you start searching in the private sector, you will notice that properties can be rented furnished, partly furnished, or unfurnished. We advise to discuss this with your landlord beforehand to avoid any misunderstandings.
The average rental prices in the Netherlands are relatively high, due to the unfavorable market conditions. To give an idea, below you can find an the average bare rental prices in the largest cities in the Netherlands based on 1 square meter in Q1 2022 (Pararius, 2022).
| Rotterdam | € 17,10 |
| Amsterdam | € 24,29 |
| The Hague | € 17,10 |
| Utrecht | € 19,55 |
Besides your monthly rent, it's also important to consider other additional costs. First of all, you will have to pay a deposit for the first month's rent, often existing of one- or two-months' rent. Secondly, you will have to come to an agreement with the landlord about the payments for gas, water, electricity (utilities) and internet. Sometimes the landlord takes care of the management of the utilities, meaning the costs are included in your monthly rent. Sometimes you have to arrange the utilities yourself. Thirdly, as a resident you are obliged to pay annual municipal taxes, depending on the size of your household. These amounts vary per municipality, but in 2020 tenants had to pay around 390 euros on average per year.
For a list of available rental properties, we recommend using two major platforms: Funda and Pararius (both available in English). Most rental properties on these sites are offerend by rental agencies, who rent out on behalf of the landlord. Are you interested in a property? Reach out to the rental agent as soon as possible after the advertisement was placed on the website. Keep in mind that competition can be strong, so react quickly and be flexible in your availability for a viewing.
You can choose to search for a home yourself or with the help of a rental agency. If you hire a real estate agent to help you, the agent can help you make arrangements for the viewings, attend the viewings, and help you with the contracts. Since most rental agents have good contacts and a lot of expertise, it can put your worries to ease and increase your chances of finding a home faster. You could even rent a property before moving, by means of digital viewings, so that you can move into your home immediately after you arrive. Do note that for the assistance of real estate agent you will have to pay service costs, which are often similar to about one month rent. Also keep in mind that the quality of the rental agents may vary and can be experienced differently by everyone.
Do you want to start your search for a house after arrival in the Netherlands (by yourself or through a rental agency)? Then you can choose to live in temporary accommodation for a few months first. This way you will have more time to find suitable permanent accommodation and it might be less stressful. The larger cities in the Netherlands offer a lot of serviced apartments with registration options with the municipality. Note that short stay via a hotel or Airbnb often do not offer an option to register, which means that you cannot apply for a citizen service number (BSN) at the municipality. Once you have found a permanent home, it is often possible to register right away.
If you work at EUR, you can get a discount at a number of short-stay apartments in Rotterdam. HR International can provide you with the discount codes to use when booking.
Contact
If you have questions about housing in the Netherlands, please get in touch with HR International.