Social housing in Amsterdam increases despite national decline

The number of social rental homes in Amsterdam is steadily increasing, defying a national trend of shrinking affordable housing. A recent review of the city's four-year strategy revealed that 1.875 permanent social housing units have been added to the local market since 2024.

Meeting housing goals & sustainability in the Dutch capital

According to a mid-term update published by the municipality of Amsterdam, the city added 1.322 permanent and 520 temporary social homes in 2025 alone. With construction also starting on a further 1.515 social properties, the Dutch capital remains well on track to meet its housing targets.

Alongside new construction, housing corporations have heavily focused on sustainability. In 2025, 9.720 social homes were renovated and made more energy-efficient, an increase of nearly 2.000 compared to the previous year.

Furthermore, minor energy-saving measures were installed for 6.004 households, and a new subsidy was introduced to provide free second-hand solar panels for residents facing energy poverty.

However, challenges remain. There are still over 15.000 corporation homes with low EFG energy labels, which must be upgraded by 2028. While large residential blocks are easier to renovate, smaller mixed-ownership buildings are proving more difficult to tackle.

Housing essential workers & scrapping corporate tax

The city also reported positive progress in its allocation of homes. In 2025, 64 percent of available social homes were rented to people without a priority status, exceeding the agreed 50 percent minimum.

Additionally, 294 properties were specifically assigned to essential workers, including teachers, healthcare staff, and police officers.

Looking ahead, the municipality and housing corporations are lobbying the Dutch government to abolish the corporate profit tax on social housing providers. In 2026, Amsterdam's housing corporations are set to pay 65 million euros in this tax.

Officials calculate that scrapping the levy would allow these organisations to invest an additional 2 billion euros into building new homes, improving sustainability, and keeping rents affordable for Amsterdammers.