Dutch rental market shrinks as home sell-off reaches new heights

The number of rental properties in the Netherlands being sold off by landlords is continuing to rise, according to new figures from the Land Registry. While this creates opportunities for first-time homebuyers, it’s also putting even more pressure on the rental market. 

Landlords continuing mass sell-off of rental properties in the Netherlands 

Kadaster, the Dutch land registration office, reported last month that there was a sharp increase in the number of homes sold in the third quarter of 2025. 62.582 homes were sold between July and September this year, the highest number in a single quarter since early 2021, when the coronavirus pandemic led to an upsurge in property sales. 

It was speculated at the time that landlord sell-offs were driving this increase, something that has now been confirmed with new figures from Kadaster that show that private landlords and investors sold far more homes than they bought in the third quarter of 2025. 

Private landlords sold 15.800 homes between July and September, an increase of 37% compared to the same period last year. At the same time, they bought nearly 6.000 homes, meaning that sell-offs are outpacing purchases at a rate of nearly three to one. “Every quarter, more homes are sold than the year before,” housing market expert Matthieu Zuidema of the Land Registry told NU.nl. 

More affordable opportunities for first-time buyers

This mass landlord sell-off - driven primarily by the introduction of the Affordable Rent Act in 2023 - is having both positive and negative impacts on the housing market in the Netherlands. 

On the one hand, it is pushing up the volume of affordable homes on the market, because more affordable rental properties are being put up for sale. This gives first-time buyers more opportunities to get a foot on the housing ladder by buying a house that is relatively affordable. 

According to the Land Registry, the average ex-rental home in the Netherlands cost around 384.000 euros in 2025, compared to the 511.000 euros paid on average for a home bought from another owner-occupier. That’s a difference of almost 130.000 euros. 

Rental market shrinking, driving up prices

At the same time, however, the dwindling supply of rental properties is having a major impact on those renting in the Netherlands, as it is amping up competition and driving up prices. According to Kadaster, the proportion of homes in the Netherlands owned by investors has fallen from 9,4% in 2023 to 9,1% in 2025. 

While the phenomenon initially seemed to be isolated to the four major Dutch cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague, Zuidema said there are some signs that it is spreading further afield as more changes come into effect that further affect the profitability of renting out properties. 

Chief among these is the change to Box 3 tax rules that is set to come into effect in 2026 and makes it less attractive for private investors to invest in residential property. "As long as this uncertainty about Box 3 persists, it seems unlikely there will be much change,” Zuidema said to NOS.