According to figures from Pararius the free sector housing market is seeing an increase in rental prices outside of the major cities.

Surpassing cities in the Netherlands

High prices in the major Dutch cities have driven renters to look elsewhere, causing an increase in rental prices outside of the cities in the second quarter of this year. Prices in the provinces of Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland increased by 2,9 and 3,3 percent respectively, compared to 2016. This increase almost tripled in Limburg, Overijssel and Friesland, whose prices rose by between 9,3 and 9,9 percent. Groningen and Flevoland however, take the trophy with rental prices blowing up by 17 and 23,5 percent.

Randstad rental prices

Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Utrecht and The Hague still hold the "most expensive rental prices" status, but this appears to be stabilising. Utrecht, however, is the exception to the rule with prices increasing by 7,1 percent.

These cities also have something else in common, namely the most expensive prices per m2 for rental housing with a surface area between 50m2 and 75m2.

1. Amsterdam 26,21 euros/m2
2. Rotterdam 16,75 euros/m2
3. The Hague 15,57 euros/m2

Housing supply and demand

The need for rental properties in the Randstad costing around 1.300 per month is the greatest, yet only 7 percent of all existing housing in the Netherlands falls under this category.

In 2017 the total shortage of rental housing in the Netherlands was estimated at 178.000, this number has already risen to 200.000 for 2018. This is in part due to the fact that too few houses were built during the economic crisis. Moreover, permits cannot be issued quickly enough by municipalities, resulting in delays to construction of housing in the pipeline.