The Great Rental Sell-Off 2025: A Golden Opportunity for First-Time Buyers in Amsterdam?

The Dutch housing market is undergoing a significant transformation as we approach the end of 2025. According to new figures released in November by the Kadaster (Dutch Land Registry), a massive "sell-off" of rental properties is currently underway. While this trend is causing alarm for tenants facing an increasingly tight rental market, it has unexpectedly opened a door for another group: first-time homebuyers.

For expats and locals looking to settle in Amsterdam, understanding this shift is crucial. Is now the right time to stop renting and start buying? Let’s dive into the numbers.

The Numbers: Landlords Are Leaving the Market

The data from the third quarter of 2025 confirms a trend that has been building all year. Private investors and landlords are selling far more homes than they are acquiring.

• 15,800 rental homes were sold by investors in Q3 2025 alone—a striking 37% increase compared to the same period last year.

• In contrast, investors purchased only 6,000 homes, meaning the rental stock is shrinking rapidly.

Over the past two years, the Dutch private rental sector has lost approximately 35,000 homes (about 11% of the total stock). This exodus is largely driven by stricter government regulations, such as the Affordable Rent Act (Wet betaalbare huur), and increased tax burdens on assets (Box 3), making traditional buy-to-let investments less profitable for small-scale landlords.

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The Winner: First-Time Buyers

While the shrinking rental stock is a challenge for the market overall, it presents a unique "silver lining" for starters and young professionals.

Why are buyers benefiting?

1. More Inventory: The homes being sold by landlords (often referred to as "ex-rentals") are flooding the entry-level market.

2. Lower Prices: According to the Kadaster, these former rental properties are significantly cheaper than owner-occupied homes. In 2025, the average ex-rental home sold for roughly €384,000, compared to €511,000 for a regular home.

3. Less Competition: With fewer investors bidding on these properties (due to lower potential returns), first-time buyers face less competition from cash-rich landlords.

Expert Insight: These properties are often smaller or require renovation (improving energy labels is a common necessity in Amsterdam). However, for a buyer willing to invest some effort, they represent a rare chance to purchase a property in popular neighborhoods like De Pijp or Amsterdam West at a more accessible price point.

The Loser: Tenants Face a "Locked" Market

Ideally, a balanced housing market serves both buyers and renters. Unfortunately, the current sell-off is creating a crisis for tenants. As rental homes are converted into owner-occupied dwellings, the supply of available rentals in the "free sector" is evaporating.

• Higher Rents: With supply down and demand from expats and students remaining high, rental prices in the remaining unregulated sector are pushing upward.

• Intense Competition: It is becoming common for dozens of applicants to compete for a single apartment in Amsterdam.

For expats moving to the Netherlands, securing a rental requires speed, preparation, and often the help of a local specialist to navigate the scarce listings.

Buying Might Be Your Best Move in 2026

The dynamic of 2025 is clear: the government’s attempt to regulate rents has inadvertently pushed landlords to sell. While this is tough for renters, it has created a buyer’s market in the lower price segments.

If you have been hesitating to buy because of high prices, the current influx of ex-rental inventory might be your window of opportunity. These homes offer a foothold on the Amsterdam property ladder that was nearly impossible to find just a few years ago. However, given the age of many rental stocks, ensure you have a technical inspection and a solid renovation plan.

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.