Rents rise 4.4% nationally, Rotterdam hit hardest

Rents in the Netherlands rose by an average of 4.4% in July compared with a year earlier, national statistics office CBS has reported, a slower increase than in either of the past two years.

The rise was lower than the 4.9% recorded in 2025 and the 5.4% in 2024, then the steepest increase in more than 30 years. Most landlords in the Netherlands raise rents once a year, in July.

The average covers two different things. Tenants who stayed where they were saw a 3.8% rise but rents rose faster when a new tenant moved in.

Where rents rose most
Among the four big cities, rents rose most in Rotterdam, at 4.7%, and least in Amsterdam, at 4.3%. The Hague saw 4.4% and the city of Utrecht 4.5%. By province, the steepest rises were in Overijssel and Noord-Brabant, both at 4.6%, and the smallest in Friesland, at 4%.

The government sets annual caps on rents for each part of the market, at 4.1% for social housing this year. Rents can still rise above the cap when a home is re-let, or when higher earners are charged an extra €50 or €100 a month.

For private-sector tenants, housing already takes a bigger share of income than for any other group, up to 35% for those entering the market, CBS reported earlier this year.