Unequal level playing field and tenure bias: Paternalism as driving force on the Dutch housing market

The paper presents the political and societal debates in the Netherlands since 1995 about the social rented sector, and evaluates the housing policy of the Rutte II Cabinet (2012-2017). An overview will be given of changes in... [ view full abstract ]

The paper presents the political and societal debates in the Netherlands since 1995 about the social rented sector, and evaluates the housing policy of the Rutte II Cabinet (2012-2017). An overview will be given of changes in the Dutch housing market since 2012 (Ministerie van BZK, 2010) where problems aggravated: increasing shortage of housing, in particular social and commercial rented housing, a lack of investments in new dwellings and the housing stock, increasing affordability problems and stigma for more and more tenants, an increasing mortgage debt since 2013, a growing unequality of the housing playing field and an increasing lack of tenure neutrality. Recommendations will be presented for the years to come.