Proposed changes for (rented) homes

Online consultation on the ‘Appropriate Tenancy Agreements’ Bill 

For example, an online consultation on the ‘Appropriate Tenancy Agreements’ (in Dutch: Passende huurcontracten) Bill is running from 2 July to 28 August 2026. The aim is, on the one hand, to offer tenants rent protection more quickly, whilst, on the other hand, to provide students and migrant workers with the option of entering into a temporary tenancy agreement. 

Under the bill, short-stay lettings are limited to a maximum of 30 days. This means that short-stay lettings without rent protection can effectively only be used for holiday lettings. 

Students, however, will be given the option to enter into a temporary tenancy agreement for a maximum of two years. This is already possible if a student moves to another municipality to study. If the bill is passed without amendment, this will also apply to students who already live within the municipality. It will also become possible to enter into a temporary tenancy agreement of up to two years with a migrant worker. 

Please note! The government is open to resolving other issues that have arisen following the entry into force of the Fixed-Term Tenancy Agreements Act (in Dutch: Wet vaste huurcontracten) on 1 July 2024. In response to the online consultation, anyone can submit ideas on this matter. 

Legislative amendment to encourage subletting 

To make letting rooms more attractive, a legislative amendment has been tabled in the House of Representatives to encourage the letting of rooms (in Dutch: hospitaverhuur). The aim is to make it possible, with effect from 1 January 2027, to: 

• Enter into a temporary room-let tenancy agreement for a maximum of five years, with a nine-month trial period. The notice period during that trial period will be three months. 
• Terminate the room rental contract in the event of the (forced) sale of the property, the death of the landlady, or the relocation of a landlady who lives in a rented property. 
• At the landlady’s request, not to include the room tenant’s income when calculating the income-related rent increase. 

Rented properties must have at least energy label D from 2029 

Owners of rental properties are obliged to improve the sustainability of their properties so that, by 1 January 2029 at the latest, they have at least energy label D. Rental properties may then no longer have energy labels E, F or G. The draft decree setting out these statutory minimum energy performance requirements for rental properties was sent to the House of Representatives and the Senate on 10 July 2026. 

Please note! As a private landlord, you can apply for the Subsidy Scheme for the Sustainability and Maintenance of Rental Properties (SVOH) (in Dutch: Subsidieregeling Verduurzaming en Onderhoud Huurwoningen) to make your rental property more sustainable. 

Simpler procedures for adding storeys, subdividing and sharing homes 

The government intends to make it legally easier for local authorities to facilitate the addition of extra storeys, the subdivision of properties and shared accommodation in existing buildings, and to remove obstacles. This should make the planning permission processes less complex and time-consuming. 

Please note!The government has stated that local authorities do not need to wait for the legal implementation of this proposal. Local authorities can already obtain support through the National Centre of Expertise for Housing Construction (NEW) (in Dutch: Nationaal Expertisecentrum Woningbouw).