The parliamentary elections on November 22 appear set to significantly shake up the political landscape, seemingly increasing the likelihood of reintroducing a referendum. Pro-referendum parties are performing well in the polls. Whether they will together hold two-thirds of the seats remains uncertain until the results are in.
The Eerste Kamer, the Dutch Senate, passed an initiative bill by PvdA and ChristenUnie to ban temporary rental contracts for homes, with several exceptions. The bill makes permanent rental contracts for an indefinite period the norm again, giving tenants more certainty and protection.
Outgoing Housing Minister Hugo de Jonge is adjusting his law for the regulation of mid-segment rental homes after receiving a lot of feedback on his bill. Developers who build for that segment over the next two years will be able to charge tenants 10 percent more rent for the next 10 years. The goal of the adjustment is that it should remain attractive for investors to invest in mid-segment rental properties.
The bill to ban temporary rental contracts for homes met unexpected resistance in the Eerste Kamer, the Dutch Senate, on Tuesday. The BBB, the largest party in the Senate with 16 seats, unexpectedly changed to the landlords’ side of the debate and withdrew support for the bill.
The asylum distribution law aimed at ensuring a fair distribution of asylum seekers among municipalities in the Netherlands will be handled by the Dutch Senate. A motion by SGP Senator Diederik van Dijk to postpone the law until a new Cabinet is in place failed to secure a majority on Tuesday in the Eerste Kamer, the upper house of the Dutch parliament.