Ministry Opens Consultation on Housing Priority
The Dutch Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning has started a public consultation on a new draft regulation for the "Wet versterking regie volkshuisvesting." The updated law notably includes provisions to grant priority access to housing for homeless families with children. The consultation allows stakeholders to provide feedback on the implementation of the new housing direction law.
- The current consultation, running from February 16 to March 30, 2026, is for the "ontwerpregeling," a detailed regulation supporting the main law. It focuses specifically on the new priority rules for homeless families and establishes a national average social housing share of 25.6% to steer municipal building targets. - The overarching "Wet versterking regie volkshuisvesting" aims to legally mandate that two-thirds of all new housing construction is affordable, with a minimum of 30% dedicated to social housing on a regional level. This is part of a larger goal to build 981,000 new homes by the end of 2030. - The law introduces compulsory "volkshuisvestingsprogramma's" (public housing programs) for municipalities, provinces, and the national government, granting higher levels of government the power to intervene if local or regional authorities fail to meet housing targets. - A "novelle" (amendment bill) was submitted in December 2025 to remove several legally and practically unworkable amendments that the House of Representatives had previously added. These included a blanket ban on housing priority for residence permit holders and a provision for the minister to take over municipal permit decisions if they were delayed. - The Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) and Aedes, the federation of housing corporations, have expressed concerns that the rigid 30% social housing requirement per municipality does not allow for sufficient local differentiation and could hinder, rather than help, construction in some areas. - This legislation is aligned with the national policy shift towards a "Housing First" model, as outlined in the 'National Action Plan on Homelessness,' which prioritizes providing stable housing as the primary step to combat homelessness. - The law, which amends existing frameworks like the Omgevingswet (Environment and Planning Act) and the Huisvestingswet 2014 (Housing Act), is intended to come into effect on July 1, 2026, pending approval by the Senate.
