Little support for mid-market rental plans among major parties

Hugo de Jonge's mid-market rental plans to increase the free rental sector threshold from 141 to 187 points are at risk of being rejected in the House of Representatives. The major parties, currently in the process of forming a government, are skeptical about the effectiveness of the plan.

VVD: Law should be scrapped
VVD spokesperson Peter de Groot uses clear words: 'The VVD is in favor of preventing excessive rents, but the proposed plan goes too far and is unnecessarily complex. This will discourage investors, resulting in fewer available rental homes.'

The VVD representative advocates for a German model where a price ceiling is based on the average rent in a region. 'That is quite different from what is currently on the table.'

PVV: Cumulative measures lead to a decline in available rental homes
PVV Member of Parliament Barry Madlener responds: 'There is a need for mid-market rental homes, but the accumulation of measures leads to an unwanted side effect, namely a decline in the number of available rental homes. That is precisely what we do not want.'

Madlener argues that investors will be demotivated by this measure, leading to a decline in both ROI’s and available rental properties in the free rental sector.

NSC: 'Addressing thieves but not hindering investors'
NSC is speaking out clearly on the law for the first time. Spokesperson for Housing Merlien Welzijn says, 'The implemented policy shifts the scarcity from rental to purchase; the solution is to build more.'

The party clearly wants typical 'slumlords' to be addressed but believes that these measures also affect small investors: 'The thieves need to be addressed, but the harshness of this approach has unintended consequences. Control means intervening where things go wrong and not hindering parties that are doing well by investing in this country.'

BBB: Increase supply, decrease demand
BBB wants to learn more about the law first. Housing spokesperson Cor Pierik says, 'The effects of the housing market policy by Hugo de Jonge and Marnix van Rij have not yet been fully implemented or evaluated. So, we cannot provide a conclusive answer.'

According to the party, the desired effect is straightforward: increase supply, decrease demand. 'If laws and regulations on the table do not achieve this, we will ask critical questions. The details of laws will be crucial in forming an opinion on the law.'

On the question of whether the law could still be declared controversial, vague responses were given: 'That could be a possibility.'

On Wednesday, January 31, a debate will take place in the House of Representatives about the ‘Affordable Rent Law’. This law still needs approval from both the Senate and House of Representatives. The Council of State has also already criticized the effectiveness of the law.