Social housing in The Netherlands history and actual figures. Futura, partnership of social housing associations in Brabant

1. Dutch housing market and Futura
Similar histories in European social
housing with different solutions

2. Futura, partnership of social housing
associations in Brabant

3. Who ?
5 participants, 5 associates
Managing around 130.000
dwellings

4. Why?
 Faster, better, more sophisticated and/or
cheaper
 Prepared to react quickly and swiftly to
new developments in housing
 Combine the economy of scales with
local presence

5. Mission
 To support participants and associates in their
organisational development.
 With the joint objective to improve housing. Be
innovative and inspiring.
 In changed circumstances find the new answers
for sometimes old questions
 Because we care about the quality of housing and
the quality of life of our tenants.
 From a housing perspective.
 From a social perspective and a social
engagement.

6. Three Challenges
Platform:
Exchange knowledge and support
organisational development
Projects: work on joint projects, from
detailed to abstract and vice versa
Strong voice: external networks
Influence / Debate / Procurement

7. How?
 All together: with staff of the participating and
associated housing associations
 With a small and compact Futura team
 More and more externally oriented
 Cooperation is difficult, it is a challenge
 Use the strengths of internal and external
networks
 Tension between internal and external orientation,
or:
- between innovation and efficiency

8. Composition Dutch housing
market
Facts and figures
History
Actual discussions
Future

9. Facts and figures
Dutch housing stock with a focus on housing
companies

10. Structure of the Dutch housing market
2008
32%
Social housing
Private rental
Owner occupied
57%
11%

12. The housing sector in 2011
 401 social housing associations
 28.368 full time equivalents staff
 2,4 Mio. dwellings

13. In 2011
 36.500 new dwellings were built by housing
associations
 28.600 of these were rental dwellings
 7.900 of these were for sale

14. In 2011
Housing Stock
 € 422 Euro average monthly rent
 On an average 72% of the regulated maximum
rentprice is charged by the housing associations
(point system)
 1,6% was the average rent appraisal (in
2010)
(> € 653 = limit for housing benefits)

15. In 2011
 23,2% of the stock is cheap
(until € 361 per month)
 67,1% of the stock is affordable
(€ 362 - € 517)
 7,2% of the stock is affordable plus
(€ 518 - € 652)
 2,4% free market rents outside the
boundaries of the social housing
system

16. In 2011
Investments
 € 9,40 billion total investments
 € 6,85 billion invested in new built homes
 € 1,40 billion Euro investments in renovation and
upgrading
 € 472 million buys of existing stock
 € 290 million quality of housing and quality of life
and environment
 € 396 million socially owned assets (social
services)
Maintenance
 € 3,1 billion total maintenance

17. History

18. Hybrid and social responsibility
Public
Community Private
Housing associations and its context

19. History in a nutshell
 19th century: poor housing conditions and low
life standard of labour people
 1901 Housing act
 Private initiatives supported with public subsidies
 After 1945 until 1990: quantitative housing
need, high investments in public/social housing
 System of capital grants and individual housing
benefits
 1993 End of capital grants and the housing
associations were privatized

20. Regulation and qualifications for
registered social housing organisations
(now known as BBSH)
A framework
From a regulated registration until reporting and
checks on results
Qualitative and quantitative
With obligations on the following subjects:

21. BBSH
1. Housing quality
2. Percentage of dwellings rented to
lower income households
3. Financial continuity
4. Housing situation in the region/quality
of life
5. Participation and involvement of
tenants
6. Housing and care

22. Registered housing organisations
 Depending on political decisions
 Public responsibility but privately
organised
 Cheap loans
 Tax regulations
But …

23. Future 1
 European decision
 New housing act

24.  90% of the rented dwellings must be
let to households with an income
<€ 33.000
 Cheap loans will be reduced
 Regulations and procedures are
currently under review
 New funding products from the
private sector
 Important discussions about the use
and protection of free equity

25. Future 2
Work in a fast changing housing
framework
 Politically
 Economic
 Demographic
 Housing market

26. National housing politics
 Annually, housing associations must
contribute 600 mio. as a contribution to
the housing benefits
 (rent appraisals influence the inflation
figures)
 Income related rents > € 43.000
Inflation + 5,5%
 Right to buy

27. Economic trends
 Low growth figures
 Fears for the future
 Fear to consume
 Persistent devaluating prices
 Division of society: not only materially
but also socially

28. Demographic trends
 Ageing society and depopulation
 Smaller households
 New eastern European immigrants

29. Housing market
 Unbalanced
 No free market rents available
 Division between the rental and owner
occupied housing sector
 Entrance on the housing market is for
middle income class almost impossible
 Discussions about the deduction of
interest paid over mortgages for income
tax have not ended
 stagnating market

30. The future of housing associations
 More influence from institutional investors
 Efficiency criteria
 Focus on the regeneration of old buildings
 Criteria for continuity under pressure
 Sector will be reduced
 More market oriented
 Orientation towards new sources of funding
 How can we be social in a more market oriented
environment?

31. Socially
 Changing landscape
 Self supported organisations
 Mistrust (towards public institutions)
 Back to the civilian and back to the
municipality
 The future as a network
 Tension between the market and the
community