The short version
Rents in the Netherlands are still rising, though more slowly than in the past two years. The number of free-sector homes on offer keeps falling, because many private landlords sell an empty home instead of letting it again. And on 1 January 2027 a new set of rules arrives, including changes at the Huurcommissie, the rent tribunal.
Below are the latest figures, where each one comes from and the period it covers, followed by what they mean if you are looking for a place this autumn.
Rents are rising, but more slowly
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) measures rent increases every July. In July 2026, rents were on average 4.4% higher than in July 2025. That is lower than the 4.9% of 2025 and the 5.4% of 2024. Free-sector rents rose 4.5% and social rents 4.3%.
For tenants who stayed in the same home, the increase was 3.8%. The rest of the average comes from homes that changed hands, where a landlord can set a new starting rent. Of the four largest cities, Rotterdam saw the biggest rise at 4.7%, followed by Utrecht (4.5%), The Hague (4.4%) and Amsterdam (4.3%).
New contracts tell a similar story. Pararius publishes a quarterly report based on free-sector homes let through Pararius and Huurwoningen.nl. In the third quarter of 2026 (July to September), new tenants paid an average of €20.92 per square meter, 4.4% more than a year earlier. The average new free-sector rent was €1,914 a month.
How much your rent can rise in 2026
Every rented home falls into one of three sectors, and each has its own legal ceiling for the annual rent increase.
| Sector | Maximum increase | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Social rent | 4.1%, or a flat €25 if the rent is under €350 | 1 July 2026 to 1 July 2027 |
| Middle rent | 6.1% | From 1 January 2026 |
| Free sector | 4.4% | From 1 January 2026 |
These are maximums. A landlord may ask for less, a lower figure in your contract takes priority, and the rent may only go up once a year. The social cap is average inflation over the last three years plus 0.5%. The middle-rent cap is collective wage growth plus 1%. The free-sector cap is inflation or wage growth, whichever is lower, plus 1%, and that rule applies until 1 May 2029.
Fewer free-sector homes, and the sell-off has moved up
The Wet betaalbare huur (Affordable Rent Act) applies to contracts signed on or after 1 July 2024. It extended the points system, which sets a maximum rent for each home, to a middle segment. In 2026 a home is middle rent if its starting rent is between €932.93 and €1,228.07 a month. A home that scores 144 to 186 points is also middle rent, even if the asking rent is higher. The free sector starts at 187 points.
Many private landlords have responded by selling. Kadaster, the land registry, reports that in the second quarter of 2026 investors sold 6,400 more homes to owner-occupiers than they bought from them. On 1 July 2026 investors owned 745,400 homes, 8.9% of the housing stock, down from 9.2% a year earlier.
For renters this shows up as fewer listings. The cheapest part of the free-sector market shrank fastest: Pararius reported about 23% fewer lettings of homes up to €1,500 a month in the third quarter of 2026 than a year earlier. The sales have also moved up the price range, with nearly a third of the former rental homes sold to owner-occupiers that quarter having had a rent above €2,000.
Permanent contracts are still the norm
Since 1 July 2024 the Wet vaste huurcontracten has made a permanent contract the standard for new tenants. A temporary contract, of at most two years, is only allowed for specific groups: students renting for their studies, people living elsewhere during a renovation, people leaving a shelter and tenants on a second-chance contract, among others. A temporary contract signed before 1 July 2024 runs until its end date. If it is extended, it becomes permanent.
The government is working on more exceptions. A bill on what it calls passende huurcontracten was in public consultation from 2 July to 28 August 2026. It would allow a temporary contract for all students, where today that is only possible for students who move to another municipality for their studies. It would also allow two-year contracts for labor migrants and limit short-stay rental to 30 days at most.
A separate bill, sent to the Tweede Kamer on 7 July 2026, covers renting a room in the landlord’s own home (hospitaverhuur). It would allow a temporary contract of up to five years with a nine-month trial period. The government aims for it to take effect on 1 January 2027. Neither bill is law yet.
What changes in 2027
- The Huurcommissie gets new powers and rules. The Eerste Kamer approved the law on 29 September 2026, and it takes effect on 1 January 2027. Social tenants will be able to have a rent increase written into their contract assessed by the Huurcommissie, which middle- and free-sector tenants can already do. Middle-rent tenants will be able to object to an annual increase if the Huurcommissie has found serious defects. You will need to report a defect to your landlord in writing before you can start a case about it.
- The Wet betaalbare huur will be amended. The cabinet expects the changes to apply from 1 January 2027.
- Lower transfer tax for landlords. The tax that investors pay when they buy a home drops from 8% to 7% in 2027. On Prinsjesdag, 15 September 2026, the cabinet also set aside €500 million in subsidies to make building middle-rent homes more attractive to private investors. Both measures work over years, not months.
One more plan to know about if you rent or hope to rent from a housing corporation: the cabinet wants higher-income corporation tenants to pay €50 or €100 a month extra each year, and a wealth test when social homes are allocated. It aims to put that bill out for consultation in early 2027, so nothing changes yet.
What to do if you are searching this autumn
Work out the sector before you sign. Enter the home’s details in the Huurcommissie’s Huurprijscheck to see its points and maximum rent. For a contract from 1 July 2024 onward, a home under 187 points has a legal maximum rent, whatever the listing says. If the rent of a social or middle-rent home is too high, ask the landlord to lower it first. If they refuse, you can go to the Huurcommissie or to your municipality, which can fine the landlord.
Expect a permanent contract. If a landlord offers a temporary one, ask which exception it relies on. With a temporary contract you can still have the starting rent checked by the Huurcommissie until six months after the contract ends.
Read the rent increase clause. In the free sector the legal ceiling for 2026 is 4.4%. If your contract names a lower figure, that lower figure applies. A higher one is capped at the legal maximum.
Know the income bar. Landlords usually ask for a gross monthly income of about three times the rent. For the average new free-sector rent in the third quarter of 2026, €1,914, that comes to about €5,742 a month. If that is out of reach, look at middle-rent homes, whose rent is capped by the points system.
Have your file ready, and stay alert to fakes. Fewer people now respond to each free-sector listing, and a complete application sent early is still the simplest way to stand out. Our document checklist covers what to prepare. A listing priced far below what similar homes cost nearby deserves a careful look, and our guide to rental scams explains what to check.
Where RentBear fits
RentBear watches the major Dutch rental sites and alerts you when a home matches your search: one daily digest on the free plan, instant or hourly alerts on Premium (€7.99 a month). Each alert links to the original listing, and RentBear charges no commission. If you would rather look with someone, Search together helps you find a person to search or live with.
Sources
- CBS, Woninghuur stijgt gemiddeld met 4,4 procent (4 September 2026; rents in July 2026 compared with July 2025)
- Rijksoverheid, Maximale huurverhoging 2026 in sociale sector 4,1%, middenhuur 6,1% en vrije sector 4,4% (15 December 2025)
- Rijksoverheid, Wat is de maximale huurverhoging voor een sociale huurwoning in 2026?
- Rijksoverheid, Maximale huurverhoging vrijesectorhuur 2026
- Rijksoverheid, Wat is het verschil tussen een sociale huurwoning, een middenhuurwoning en een huurwoning in de vrije sector? (2026 limits)
- Rijksoverheid, Hoeveel huur betaal ik maximaal voor mijn woning?
- Huurcommissie, Huurprijscheck
- Pararius, Most expensive rental homes now sold most often, Rental Report Q3 2026 (7 October 2026; July to September 2026)
- NL Times, Private sector rent increase outpaces inflation, owner-occupied homes; €1,914 per month (7 October 2026; report on the Pararius Q3 2026 figures)
- Kadaster, Woningmarkt 2e kwartaal 2026: investeerder houdt vast aan studentenstad (27 August 2026; April to June 2026)
- Volkshuisvesting Nederland, Vast huurcontract weer de norm
- Rijksoverheid, Consultatie start voor wetsvoorstel passende huurcontracten (2 July 2026)
- Rijksoverheid, Wetswijziging die hospitaverhuur aantrekkelijker maakt naar Tweede Kamer (7 July 2026)
- Rijksoverheid, Kabinet gaat woningcorporaties meer ruimte geven voor bouw middenhuurwoningen (8 July 2026)
- Rijksoverheid, Woningbouwmiljarden voor meer, sneller en beter bouwen (15 September 2026, Prinsjesdag)
- Rijksoverheid, Kabinet wil scheefhuur in sociale huur tegengaan (21 September 2026)
- Rijksoverheid, Eerste Kamer stemt in met wet voor toekomstbestendige Huurcommissie (29 September 2026)
