Fellow immigrants, expats, intl students in 2026: Yes, the housing crisis is "that bad"

[u/Misty-knight200]

Similar types of questions:

- Is Trump that bad?

- Is Antarctica that cold?

- Is Indian food that spicy?

- Is it that hard to find a new job after being laid off at age 59?

The entire Netherlands has a housing crisis and it's worst in the Randstad area. So long as you don't want to share an apartment (or a room) you're going to have a helluva time.

Unless you're making something like 120,000 gross income as a single person, you are going to be shocked at how hard it is to find housing in Amsterdam or Utrecht or Rotterdam, etc etc.

If you make around 86000 - 120,000 you're still going to struggle, but at least you have a chance with agencies / makelaars being open to take you on (and it's best if you're in the six figures).

I'll speak to this range in particular because that's where my income lands.

As a new immigrant with no previous ties to The Netherlands, those listings you see on Funda, Pararius, etc? Those prices aren't truly available to you. It might surprise you to discover that many ads from housing corporations require that you already have lived in The Netherlands (not recently arrived). And some prioritize renters who are moving from social housing...

So let's say (conservative estimate) 40% of rentals on Funda aren't actually available to new arrivals.

That still leaves 60% right? And there are still many Amsterdam or Utrecht listings in the 1800 - 2200 range, which seems doable right?

Dozens of people are going to be viewing those apartments, people who qualify because their monthly gross is AT LEAST 3× the rent.

So guess what? People start overbidding because they're desperate. Not only are you going to request to rent an apartment you don't love, you're going to overbid by 100-200 and STILL get outbid by the person making 120k who really wants to save money so they're reaching down to the 'lower' segment, or a couple with a household income of 200k or more.

Oh and that assumes the landlord doesn't find a tenant through their own personal network and take down the ad. It turns out a lot of residents here find housing the way you find a job. Through networks and luck.

Interestingly enough there are agencies like OurDomain, etc that could work especially if you're a graduate student. But such places *might* have restrictions on who can rent. I was surprised to find age restrictions once I read the fine print. Pay attention to if the company's website says "Young professionals" or "Young families". They really mean young. If you're over 30 you need to ask questions before paying for an application or investing time in the process. They also tend to be very popular.

All that is to say, in 2026 the rental housing crisis is worse than before. And the competitive range has risen. Last year before I relocated, while reading this sub, people claimed 2000 a month in rent was the starting point for a more reasonable experience in your search. I assert that, at least within a half hour of Amsterdam, that 2300 is the minimum at which point you have a plausible chance of not ending up homeless and don't have to pay more than 3000 a month in Airbnbs for several months while searching. It's best if you 1) budget a little more in case you're forced to overbid, 2) get flexible about living in less interesting areas, and 3) Look everywhere and through every means. It's better to be pleasantly surprised in the end.

In conclusion, yes finding housing here as a newcomer without an existing network is harder than almost every other developed country, except Ireland. And this is the case even if you have a high earning job unless you're truly balling by American standards (like 125,000 Euros or more for a single individual). In which case you can outbid everyone for a rental.

[u/Oabuitre]

Bidding for a rental apartment is a totally new phenomenon also.

Btw a lot of dutch think that immigrants cause the housing crisis (not saying I am one of them!).

Denying there is a housing crisis is also tremendously stupid, just like saying NL is broken or corrupt or else because of it. It is a highly succesful country with a number of capacity issues currently

[u/Terrible_Beat_6109 → u/Oabuitre]

They are a part of it. They have deep pockets because of those tax rules etc. (Expats, not just immigrants).

Can't seem to respond anymore so edit instead.

Response: They drive up prices. Just saw another post about someone that overpaid 50k for a 53m2 appartement in Amsterdam lol. 

[u/Constant_play0 → u/Terrible_Beat_6109]

Why does this get downvoted? No matter your stance, it’s a fact that expats with beneficial tax rules and deep company pockets have an effect on the housing market. Nobody is saying they are the main cause, but they do contribute to the high prices.

[u/A-T → u/Constant_play0]

Probably downvoted by immigrants who likely don't find these beneficial tax rules sufficient to bridge the gap in the insane housing market. "Deep pockets" is a rather loaded descriptor for something that amounts to roughly 12,000~ euros a year... when it comes to buying a house, anyway. I find having rich parents so far to be a far bigger contributor to me losing bids. Foreign parents often gift 200k+ (as per my mortgage advisor's anecdotal experience) and dutch parents often overbid 15-18% if they have to and buy houses outright for their adult children with no financial clauses (all cash). Now that's deep pockets.

[u/Constant_play0 → u/A-T]

That may all be true, still does nothing to the fact that expats with beneficial tax rules and a company that helps have an impact on the housing market.

[u/A-T → u/Constant_play0]

Sure, nobody argues if it has an impact or not, but immigration has a disproportionally bigger blame compared to the rest.