Housing stock growth is stalling, fewest houses in Limburg

More than 50,000 new homes will be added by 2023, putting an end to the growth in the housing stock in recent years. Fewer houses were added this year, especially in Limburg and Drenthe.

The housing stock is still growing, but that growth will decrease this year, according to an analysis by VVE manager Parel Beheer of data from Statistics Netherlands.

The Netherlands currently has more than 8 million homes. This year, 50,960 houses were added from January to August. This is a decline from last year’s growth, when 52,093 new homes were added in the first eight months. From 2019 to 2022, there was an annual increase in inventory.

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Most homes in Flevoland

There are significant differences between the provinces, the researchers indicate. They calculated the housing stock per 100,000 inhabitants. In the Netherlands as a whole, an average of 285 homes were added per 100,000 inhabitants. The province of Flevoland was well above that average: there the number was 410 homes per 100,000 inhabitants (a total of 1,825 additional homes). South Holland also scored above average with 355 homes per 100,000 inhabitants.

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housing stock

In the provinces of Limburg and Drenthe, the housing stock increased considerably less. For example, Limburg, with an increase of 167 homes per 100,000 people, was well below the Dutch average. This was also the case in Drenthe, where growth amounted to 180 homes per 100,000 inhabitants.

Increase due to new construction

The housing stock has mainly increased due to the construction of new homes. Of the more than 50,000 homes that were added in the Netherlands, 47,393 homes were new construction. Of the 285 homes added per 100,000 inhabitants, 266 were new-build homes.

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housing stock

When it comes to new construction, the most growth can be seen in Flevoland. Of the 410 homes added per 100,000 people, 375 of them were new construction. Limburg had the lowest number of new-build homes. There, 154 of the 167 homes added per 100,000 inhabitants are new-build homes.

Earlier this month it was announced that the number of new-build homes sold in the second quarter had halved. This is partly due to rising mortgage interest rates.

Fewer homes demolished

In addition to new construction, there has also been an increase in the housing stock due to, among other things, house division, renovations or (the lack of) demolition. What is striking is that 3.4% fewer homes were demolished this year than last year.

Compared to last year, more than 18% fewer homes were withdrawn from the stock. This may involve less demolition, but also less frequent changes from a residential house function to another use.