Minister refocuses buy-to-let protection on neighbourhood liveability

Minister Boekholt-O'Sullivan of Housing and Spatial Planning is changing opkoopbescherming (buy-to-let protection) so municipalities can use it where liveability is under pressure.

What changes:

• Municipalities must justify why the protection is needed in specific neighbourhoods.
• The proposal limits it to homes with a WOZ value (official property valuation) up to the municipal average.
• A bill is being prepared and should go out for consultation at the end of this year.

Driving the news: The change implements an agreement in the coalition accord. It follows a recent evaluation, which found the protection mainly helps preserve liveability, and less so the other goals set when it was introduced.

The evaluation found:

• In the current market, the protection is not an effective way to improve starters' chances of buying.
• Rogue renting can now be tackled better with the Wet goed verhuurderschap (Good Landlordship Act).

Why it matters: The ministry says the protection keeps homes available for buyers who live in them. This group moves less often, which can strengthen social ties in a neighbourhood. The ministry also says residents should be able to move within their area, for example from renting to buying, so their social network stays intact.

Background: The protection was introduced in 2022 and lets municipalities stop investors from buying up homes in a neighbourhood to rent them out. About 70 municipalities have used it since.