Rental sell-offs slow down Dutch house price growth — What to expect in 2025?

The Dutch housing market remains highly dynamic, but house price growth is clearly slowing.
New figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) show that existing property prices rose by 6.6% in October compared to the year before — marking the seventh consecutive month of weaker growth.

Behind this shift lies a major structural change: many private landlords are selling their rental properties, altering the market balance. This trend is reshaping housing opportunities for Dutch buyers and for the growing expat community.

📊 Prices are still rising — but more slowly

• The average selling price of an existing home reached €498,996 in October (CBS & Land Registry data).
  Although still increasing, the pace of growth has eased compared to:

  • +7% in September

  • +10%+ earlier this spring

  Month-on-month, prices rose only 0.5%, confirming a gradual cooling after the intense spike of recent years.

🏠 About us

At Amsterdam Apartment Advice, we support:

✔ Expat buyers entering the Dutch housing market
✔ Foreign investors looking for secure long-term assets
✔ Tenants seeking to transition into ownership

With local expertise, a strong network, and multilingual guidance (EN/FR/IT), we help you find, evaluate, and secure the right property in the Amsterdam region and beyond.

📩 Contact us to explore tailored opportunities in the Dutch housing market.

📈 From peak to correction — and back up again

• Dutch home prices reached a historic peak in July 2022, followed by a period of decline.
  Since June 2023, the market has rebounded, and as of October 2025, prices remain 14.5% higher than at the 2022 peak.

  Demand continues to be fueled by:

  • population growth

  • strong urban labor markets

  • sustained international migration

  • relatively favorable mortgage conditions (despite ECB rate hikes)

🏘️ Rental sell-offs are reshaping the market

• According to CBS, the slower rise in prices is largely due to the surge of former rental properties entering the owner-occupied market.

  Why are small landlords selling?

  • New mid-market rent regulation limits rental yields

  • Tax reforms have reduced investment returns

  • Higher maintenance and energy-efficiency requirements

  As a result, many landlords now see selling as more profitable than renting — especially at today’s high property valuations.

  Because these homes tend to be smaller apartments, they temporarily boost supply and help limit price increases.

📈 A rise in housing transactions

In October, 21,849 homes changed ownership, a 20.5% increase year-on-year.
During the first ten months of 2025, over 193,000 transactions were completed — +17% annually.

This confirms a very active Dutch housing market, particularly in cities like Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam, and Eindhoven.

🌍 What does this mean for expats and foreign investors?

This rebalancing of the market opens new opportunities for first-time buyers and expats:

• More affordable entry-level homes hitting the market

• Opportunities to purchase in dynamic areas previously inaccessible

• Better chances to negotiate compared to 2021–2022

However :

• Mortgage approvals remain strict for non-residents

• The points system (puntentelling) continues to designate which homes are regulated or not

• Not all municipalities value foreign buyer profiles equally

Good advice remains essential before investing.

🧭 Market outlook for 2025

Economists from leading Dutch banks anticipate moderate price growth of around:

📌 +3% to +5% over the next year

Major drivers shaping the future:

Facteur Tendance Rent regulation keeps pressure on landlord yields strong housing demand still rising in the Randstad Limited new-build supply keeps long-term prices high strategic sale of rental stock stabilizes short-term price peaks.

Conclusion: a transitional market where informed buyers can gain a real advantage.

Rental sell-offs are acting as a natural brake on Dutch house price inflation.
While real estate remains expensive in the Netherlands, buyers — including expatriates — currently benefit from a more balanced market and better opportunities to enter homeownership.

The market continues to evolve: less speculative, more regulated, but still very competitive.
Those who understand these shifts will be best positioned to secure their ideal property.