‘Luxury takes time. We don’t have time’: The former top military officer on a mission to fix the Dutch housing crisis | Housing

Submission statement. Interview with the new housing minister (D66) of the Netherlands. On the upside, 100k homes per year building target, and national regulatory streamlining to make construction easier. On the downside, price controls on 66% of new builds to ensure “affordable housing”, claims that homes should be smaller, and claims that people should not expect to run electrical appliances whenever they want (comparing it to her experience with rationing as an officer in Afghanistan). Not exactly abundance-pilled.

The status quo in the Netherlands is one of massive demand subsidies (for both mortages and rents) as well as comprehensive rent-control. All rental units are rent-controled, with three tiers of “free sector” (only legally mandated indefinite leases with legal maximum annual rent increases), “middle rent” with a points system dictating maximum rents, and “social housing” with even more price controls.

When it comes to housing there are no liberals in the Netherlands. Its shades of social-democrats and conservative interventionists. I would be surprised if the housing shortage gets solved under this admin.

I think having smaller apartments is somewhat good. There are more single people nowadays, having a place to yourself might help pairing up.

> stop an expensive patchwork of local requirements and objection processes

I will believe it when I see it