Private Rental Market Continues Shift Toward Higher Price Segments

The private rental market is showing a clear shift toward higher price brackets. Fewer and fewer homes fall within the affordable segment, while a growing portion of the supply now sits above €2,000 per month.

Due to limited supply, rental prices continue to rise sharply. In the first quarter of 2026, rental prices per square meter increased by more than 7%, outperforming the price growth seen in owner-occupied homes.

Additionally, available supply continues to decline. Although new rental properties are entering the market, more homes are disappearing from the sector than are being added. This results in an increasingly tight market.

The combination of rising prices and dwindling supply makes it increasingly difficult for tenants to find affordable housing in the private sector.

Currently, figures from national websites such as Pararius.nl and Funda.nl provide a somewhat skewed perspective. This is because rental agents often no longer post highly sought-after mid-market properties online; doing so triggers hundreds of responses, inevitably resulting in disappointment for all but one prospective tenant.

Instead, these properties are often rented to individuals already registered with the agency, those who find the listing directly on the agent's own website, or seekers represented by relocators to whom the agent grants the property.