The housing market is becoming an important election issue. 28% of voters mention the housing market as one of the most important themes in the upcoming House of Representatives elections on November 22. That percentage is even higher among young people.
The housing market will probably be an important theme in the House of Representatives elections. As far as is known, the election manifestos mention a wide range of positions and plans with regard to the housing market in the Netherlands. There are some clear common threads visible. De Hypotheekshop has analyzed the party programs of the participating parties known to date on this subject. The positions are divided into five themes, with a number of notable positions highlighted. A while ago Vastgoed Actueel already listed the most important housing themes from the then well-known election manifestos.
1.Stimulate housing construction
- Many parties recognize the housing shortage and argue for the construction of new homes, often in the order of hundreds of thousands to a million new homes. Of course, views differ on how this should be done. For example, the Belang van Nederland (BvNL) of Wybren van Haga advocates building ‘single-family homes with gardens instead of windmills and solar parks’ and calls this ‘a sustainable approach’. The PVV wants nitrogen rules to be scrapped for housing construction.
- There is general support for diversification of housing supply, with the importance of both social rental housing and affordable owner-occupied housing being emphasized.
- Some parties want to give the government more control over housing construction to accelerate the pace. The SGP wants the central government to adopt a ‘restraint’ approach and municipalities and provinces to take control of housing construction
2. Helping first-time buyers find a home:
- Parties want to support starters by creating affordable owner-occupied homes and reducing barriers to entering the housing market.
- Proposals include introducing start-up loans and relaxing financing rules. The SP wants to experiment with income-related rent.
3. Mortgages
- The mortgage interest deduction is a subject that is being addressed by various parties, with some advocating phasing out (including D66, Volt, GL-PvdA) and others in favor of retention (including VVD, Forum for Democracy).
- There are proposals to treat student debt differently when applying for mortgages. Some parties want to improve financing options for certain groups.
4. Making homes more sustainable:
- Sustainability is an important theme, with parties proposing measures such as insulation, solar panels, energy savings and phasing out natural gas use.
- There is discussion about the degree of obligation versus freedom of choice for home owners in sustainability measures. For example, the BBB is against the mandatory sustainability of homes.
5. Other important plans for the housing market:
Other proposals include tackling vacancy, combating discrimination in the housing market, increasing rental allowances for specific target groups and encouraging new housing options. For example, the Christian Union advocates the abolition of transfer tax for investors if they transform a property into homes.
Also read: ‘De Jonge’s response to Heimstaden sales plans leads to a lot of commotion’
Housing market most important election theme for young people
The housing market appears to be becoming an important election issue. This is evident from a survey by research agency Ipsos. The cost of living and inflation are most often cited as the top election issue. More than a third (35%) of respondents mention this as the most important theme, followed by healthcare (31%), immigration and asylum (29%), the housing market (28%) and climate and sustainability (24%).
The housing market is even the most important issue among young people. 41% of respondents under the age of 35 mention this as what the upcoming elections should be about, compared to 28% of the total.
Groenlinks-PvdA, NSC and VVD are the most suitable parties
In the survey, the combination party GroenLinks-PvdA, the new party New Social Contract (NSC) of Pieter Omtzigt (both 16%) and the VVD (15%) are most frequently mentioned as the most suitable parties to shape housing market policy after the elections. to make. The NSC party program is not yet known.
The data is based on online research by Ipsos among a representative sample of the Dutch voting population (n= 1,031) between September 1 and 4, 2023.