Some 22,000 homes disappeared from Dutch private rental sector last year

For the second consecutive year, the Netherlands’ private rental sector shrank last year, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported. Over the course of 2025, approximately 22,000 homes disappeared from this sector, leaving a total of 1.16 million private rental homes at the start of 2025. The decline in 2025 was significantly sharper than in 2024, when just over 3,000 homes left the sector.

Private rental properties are homes not owned by housing corporations, but by private individuals, companies, foundations, or associations. Last year’s decrease was entirely due to private landlords selling off their properties.

During 2025, private individuals sold off nearly 37,000 homes, leaving approximately 492,000 privately owned rental homes at the start of this year. Conversely, companies, foundations, and associations saw a net increase of 15,000 homes.

This sell-off was prompted by the government expanding the rent regulation that applies to social housing to also cover mid-market rentals. According to CBS, a total of about 57,000 homes entered the owner-occupied market through the rental sell-off during 2024 and 2025. The most rental properties were sold in the province of Utrecht, followed by Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland.

In September, Vastgoed Belang - the industry association for private landlords - warned that this wave of sell-offs would continue. The organization noted that no measures were on the horizon to improve the investment climate for private individuals in the rental sector. At the same time, the sell-off of rental properties has dampened the rise in home prices over the past few months.

While the private rental sector has shrunk, the owner-occupied market has grown by nearly 81,000 homes. This is due in part to the sale of private rental properties, but also to the completion of new-build projects and the conversion of spaces—such as former offices—into residential units. Housing associations saw their stock increase by more than 14,000 homes in 2025.