The Netherlands is seeing a decline in discrimination during the early stages of the private rental process. New national research shows that house hunters now have a more equal chance of being invited to view rental properties, regardless of their name, background, gender or sexual orientation. At the same time, experts and government officialsstress that continued vigilance and enforcement are still essential.
The findings are published by fourth National Monitor on Discrimination in Housing Rentals, commissioned by the Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning (VRO). For the first time since the monitor began, researchers found nohard evidence of discrimination during the viewing-invitation stage.
According to the Dutch government, ‘research shows less housing discrimination during home viewings’, marking an encouraging shift from previous years. Earlier studies consistently revealed that people with non-Dutch-soundingnames were less likely to be invited for a viewing.
Testing rental bias
The study, which was carried out by the Verwey-Jonker Institute, used nearly 3,800 responses to online rental advertisements. Fictitious individuals, identical in all respects except their names or profile characteristics, contacted landlords and agents. Researchers compared responses to profiles with Moroccan- or Polish-sounding names to those with Dutch-sounding names, and did the same for male versus female candidates and same-sex versus heterosexual couples.
Researcher Marcel Coenders of the Verwey-Jonker Institute explained to broadcaster NOS that ‘we’ve conducted the study for the fourth time, and for the first time, we no longer find any hard evidence of discrimination’. According toCoenders, small differences remain, but ‘no longer any major ones’.
He adds that ‘discrimination has been steadily decreasing for a few years now’, noting that the Good Landlord Act, in force since July 2023, plays an important role. The law gives municipalities stronger tools to act against discriminatory or intimidating practices by landlords. ‘It’s become clearer what is discrimination and what is not allowed in the Netherlands,’ Coenders said.
Awareness rising but discriminatory requests still granted
While progress has been made in the early stages of the rental process, another part of the monitor paints a moreconcerning picture. During so-called mystery calls, researchers posed as landlords and asked rental agents whether certain groups of tenants could be excluded, for example, foreigners.
In these calls, 55% of agents recognised the request as discriminatory, and more than 22% explicitly refused to comply, which is a significant improvement compared to 14% in 2014. But despite this heightened awareness, more than half of the agents still honoured such discriminatory requests. According to the government report, this is an increasecompared to the previous year, when over 37% complied.
Coenders says that rental agents may still accommodate these requests because ‘they want to keep the customer satisfied and try to find a way to meet their wishes’.
Next steps ahead
Researchers emphasise that the study examines only the first step of the rental process. ‘We don’t know what happensafter that,’ Coenders warned. ‘We haven’t investigated who will actually occupy the property; we have only gained a clearer indication of how tenants are selected.’
The Ministry of Housing agrees that more work is needed. According to the government, while the results representprogress, continued efforts in awareness-raising, enforcement and cooperation are vital to ensure equal opportunities for all renters in the Netherlands. Minister Mona Keijzer will continue annual monitoring and focus on strengthening local approaches, supporting the sector and implementing the Good Landlord Act.
For Coenders, the progress at the viewing invitation stage is encouraging. ‘It’s a good first step that the name no longer makes such a difference. Then, as a tenant, you have the opportunity to show who you really are,’ he said.
Written Nicole Bea Kerr