That’s right; Amsterdam is not the only city changing up its housing policy. According to the city’s liberal housing alderman, the new rules, which were put in place on July 1, 2019, could see some rents falling.

So what are the new rules?

The new rules target the mid-section of the rental market in particular and limit properties which have been assessed and are worth 185 points or less to people earning a yearly salary of no more than 57.000 euros as an individual or 67.000 euros as a couple.

Properties are assessed according to a certain system which determines the maximum rental price by awarding points; the higher the number of points, the higher the rent. Points are awarded for things like the surface area, the number of rooms and facilities.

If you want to rent one of these mid-market properties, you’ll need to request an affordable housing permit from the municipality, which will then assess your income. If you apply for social housing, the housing corporation will request this permit for you. The permit is only necessary for those who sign a rental agreement after July 1.

If you rent a place in the mid-market section without a permit, you could face a fine of 410 euros and the landlord could be issued with a 5.000 or 10.000-euro fine, depending on whether they let houses as a profession or not.

Landlords can charge what they want

Landlords will still be allowed to charge what they like for mid-market rental properties but they will have to find people who meet the income requirements to live in them. This may lead to them having to drop their prices so people can afford the rent. But again, it is up to landlords to do this, they are not forced to do so.

The municipality wants the limited housing to be shared equally and, according to alderman Boudewijn Revis; there is a shortage of houses available for those with a middle-income. Rentals that do become available are often unaffordable for this group. By regulating the housing market, Revis wants to make more properties accessible to them. The city is also currently building another 25.000 homes in the region, which is likely to have an effect on rents.