Rental and purchased homes

Most social rental homes in the municipality of Uithoorn are owned by housing corporations and are rented out through WoningNet. These homes are allocated according to certain (regional) rules called in Dutch woonruimteverdeling (distribution of living space). More information about the rules and the current availability of social rental homes can be found on the website WoningNet.nl (in Dutch). The municipality is part of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area.

Many people are in need of a social rental home. Although many homes are being built, it remains challenging to meet the high demand. In the current system of woonruimteverdeling, the registration period is the determining factor. The person who has been registered the longest is given priority.

However, this does not take into account the urgent housing needs of individuals who have little or no registration period. Therefore, the municipality of Uithoorn, in collaboration with the region and the housing corporations operating in this region, has devised a new system. The new woonruimteverdeling takes into account not only the registration period but also the circumstances of the housing applicant and their search behavior. 

The system of allocation based on urgency will still exist. A significant portion of the homes will also be available to households without urgent circumstances or priority status. For more information, visit socialehuurwoningzoeken.nl. 

For a rental home in the private sector, you can contact local real estate agents or visit the website of housing corporation Eigen Haard.

We all know that it can be difficult to rent a house, and it is not uncommon for young people to wait a long time for their own home. With the Friendscontract from Eigen Haard, young people from Uithoorn and De Kwakel, starting from the age of 18, can rent a mid-range rental home in their own place of residence together with two friends. You can choose your roommates yourself. After three rentals, the pilot project will be evaluated to determine if and how the Friendscontract will be continued.

Conditions 

For a Friendscontract, there are several conditions. The tenants must be at least 18 years old and not older than 28 years old, have lived in the municipality of Uithoorn for at least two years in the past three years, and each person can earn a maximum of €55,392 gross per year. In addition to these conditions, there are several other requirements. For more information and to apply, visit eigenhaard.nl/te-huur/vrije-sector-huur/friends.

The municipality considers it important to have sufficient homes available for the intended target groups. The Housing Allocation Regulations of Uithoorn allow agreements on the realization of social rental and middle rental homes in new construction projects to be anchored through the zoning plan. This helps ensure that social rental and middle rental homes remain affordable and accessible to the intended target groups.

The municipality has formulated its housing objectives in the Housing Vision 2013-2023 and the Housing Action Plan. To achieve the objectives for the affordable housing stock, performance agreements are made with housing corporations and the tenants' association.

Housing association Eigen Haard is an important partner in realizing the municipal ambitions of the housing policy due to its position in the Uithoorn housing market. With the equal involvement of the tenants' association in drafting, updating, and signing the performance agreements, it is ensured that the performance agreements align with the tenants' wishes in Uithoorn and De Kwakel.

In addition to Eigen Haard, housing corporation Woonzorg Nederland also has a (limited) number of homes in Uithoorn.

The municipality of Uithoorn has chosen to allocate the new social rental homes with priority to residents of the municipality within these rules. This means that a portion of the newly built social rental homes in De Kwakel and Uithoorn will be allocated to residents of Uithoorn and De Kwakel. Within this arrangement, households leaving a social rental home in the municipality are given priority over other residents of the municipality.

Additionally, homes are allocated with priority to seniors who want to move from a family home to a single-story home. This arrangement is called "Van Groot Naar Beter" (From Big to Better). Starting from 2021, most of the social rental homes designated for young people are also allocated with priority to young people from the municipality.

European legislation and the national housing law determine the possibilities that municipalities have to allocate homes with priority to households from their own municipality.

Social rental homes

The municipality is allowed to allocate 25% of the available social rental homes with priority to residents of the Uithoorn municipality each year. These are rental homes owned by housing corporations with a maximum rent of €737 per month. The region to which the municipality of Uithoorn belongs has applied for an experiment with the national government to increase this percentage to an average of 30% in the region, but agreements regarding this still need to be made.

The municipality of Uithoorn has chosen to allocate the new social rental homes with priority to residents of the municipality within these rules. This means that newly built social rental homes in De Kwakel and Uithoorn will be allocated to residents of Uithoorn and De Kwakel, up to the current percentage of 25% of available rental homes in the entire municipality. Within this arrangement, households leaving a social rental home in the municipality are given priority over other residents of the municipality.

Furthermore, homes are allocated with priority to seniors who want to move from a family home to a single-story home. This arrangement is called "Van Groot Naar Beter" (From Big to Better).

Finally, in addition to the 25% local allocation, the municipality can also allocate homes with priority to urgent cases, such as urban renewal or socio-medical urgency.

Middle-income rental homes

Middle-income rental homes have a monthly rent between €737 and €900. The municipality and housing corporation Eigen Haard have agreed that middle-income rental homes will be allocated with priority to residents of the municipality who are leaving a social rental home owned by the corporation.

Newly built homes for sale

Allocation of newly built homes for sale with priority to residents of a specific municipality is generally not allowed under the housing law. However, there are possibilities to provide residents with additional opportunities.

The municipality does this in the following ways:

• Asking developing parties to work with a so-called co-creation phase, where potential buyers design the homes together with the developer. Participants in this phase are given priority when purchasing a home. An example of this is the Wijdelande project in Legmeer-west. The workshops were announced through local media.
• Agreements with developing parties to first advertise locally when selling new homes. These agreements increase the chances for residents to buy a newly built home. However, the municipality cannot enforce this.
• Imposing a self-occupancy requirement and a 3-year anti-speculation clause to prevent homes from being bought for rental purposes or speculation. These provisions apply to homes with a purchase price of up to €310,000 (National Mortgage Guarantee limit). These provisions have been in effect since late 2019 and apply to new projects.

The housing law allows municipalities, in the case of scarce housing, to control housing allocation and the preservation and composition of the housing stock. The regulations concerning housing allocation and housing stock are laid down in the Housing Regulation. The Housing Regulation is further elaborated in detailed and policy rules.

Effective date

On July 1, 2021, our municipal council adopted the Housing Regulation for the municipality of Uithoorn 2021. Since the new system for housing allocation (regulated at the regional level) has come into effect in mid-2022, some rules from the previous regulation (2017 version) will still apply. The revocation of the Housing Regulation for the municipality of Uithoorn 2017 and the effective date of the new regulation are respectively stated in Article 5.3 and 5.4 of the new Housing Regulation. In summary, the new Housing Regulation came into effect on July 1, 2021, with the exception of Chapter 2, Section I (Housing Allocation). For the part that has not yet come into effect, the Housing Regulation for the municipality of Uithoorn 2017 is extended until the new housing allocation is implemented.

Housing allocation

In the new housing allocation system, the circumstances of the housing applicant and their search behavior are taken into account in addition to registration duration. The system of allocation based on urgency will remain in place. For more information, visit socialehuurwoningzoeken.nl. 

Housing stock

Through the housing stock component, the municipality aims to preserve and determine the composition of the existing housing stock. This component focuses on using the legal possibility of granting exemptions from the licensing requirement. This creates a flexible system in which, in line with our housing policy, exemptions are granted and at the same time limited to prevent scarce housing from being lost to a specific target group. Demolition of social rental homes still requires a permit, enabling optimal control over changes in the social rental stock.

If exemption is not applicable, applying for a permit may be considered. In such cases, each application is assessed to determine whether assistance can be provided.
In most cases, an environmental permit based on the applicable zoning plan is still required for an exemption from the licensing requirement under the housing regulation.