What is the “points system”?

In the Netherlands, self-contained rental housing (apartments/houses, not rooms) is subject to a points-based valuation system known as the Woningwaarderingsstelsel (WWS).

This system assigns “points” to a rental property based on list of characteristics:

• What determines the number of points:
• • Living area (size)
  • Other indoor spaces (storage, attic, etc.)
  • Outdoor space (balcony, terrace, garden)
  • Energy label (energy efficiency)
  • WOZ value (property tax value)
  • Kitchen quality
  • Bathroom quality
  • Building quality and maintenance
  • Shared facilities (if applicable)
  • Storage and parking spaces
  • Heating and hot water system
  • Monument/protected building status

The total number of points determines two key things:

1. Into which rental “segment” the property falls (social housing, mid-segment, free sector) and thus whether there are legal rent caps.
2. What the maximum legal rent is for that property based on the point score. If the property is in the free sector - no rent cap applies.

What changed 1 July 2024 (and subsequently)

The Dutch law called the Affordable Rent Act came into force on 1 July 2024, increased the number of points required for a property to qualify for free sector.

Before this law, any property that had reached 143 points- it qualified for the free sector, meaning the rent would not be capped, the landlord was free to decide how much to charge. After this law, only properties that have minimum 187 points qualify for free sector.

So that’s 30% higher threshold.

Since 2024 these are the rent caps:

1. Social housing : maximum €879.66/month
2. Middle sector : maximum €1,157.95/month.
3. Free sector : uncapped

This means that thousands of properties suddenly entered the ‘regulated market’ - so called middle segment. This mostly included small-sized properties, and properties with low-energy label. The landlords are now allowed to charge a maximum of €1157 (plus sometimes added cost for furnishing, parking, service costs and etc). Often in your contract you will see a cost breakdown, where €1157 is the base rent, and some extra services are added on top.

While this move aimed to secure affordable options, many landlords responded by withdrawing rentals from the mid-market category, as rents were often capped below what landlords felt necessary to cover costs.

As a result the supply of mid-market rentals overall dropped.

Free-sector properties are now facing a huge demand.

Now here is where it gets confusing.

Why does a 70 m² house in Alphen aan den Rijn have a rent cap of € 1,157, while a 40 m² apartment in Amsterdam or Utrecht can still rent for € 1,700 or even more?

The only thing that matters is how many points the property has.

In major cities, the WOZ value (official property value) is extremely high, so with good renovation and a strong energy label, even a small apartment can reach the 187-point threshold and become a free-sector property.

Meanwhile, in smaller towns, even a spacious two-bedroom home may not reach enough points to escape the rent cap.

There are even entire groups of “rent-busters” — tenants who deliberately rent high-priced apartments in Amsterdam, then file a complaint with the Huurcommissie (rent tribunal) to prove the property should be regulated and have its rent reduced. But because the points system is complex and every factor (WOZ, energy label, kitchen, bathroom, etc.) counts, these attempts don’t always succeed — many apartments really do meet the free-sector criteria despite being small.

Why this matters for anyone moving to the Netherlands

For many newcomers or expats, this change has made finding affordable housing harder than ever.

A lot of professionals relocating for work say, “I just need a small studio, I’m not picky” — but the reality is that those smaller, affordable studios are mostly gone.

In big cities, anything small and modern enough to meet energy and quality standards usually falls into the free sector, meaning market prices — € 1,500–€ 2,000 for a studio in Amsterdam is now common.

And when people try to look beyond the big cities — Utrecht, Haarlem, Leiden, or even smaller towns like Alphen aan den Rijn or Amersfoort — they often find very few listings.

Many landlords there have decided not to rent out their homes at all if they are capped at €1,157–€ 1,300, since that amount no longer justifies their costs.

The bottom line

What was meant to make housing more affordable has, at least for now, reduced the number of available rentals, especially in the € 1,200–€ 1,600 range that used to serve single expats and young professionals.

Understanding how the points system works helps explain why — and why “just a small apartment” isn’t necessarily cheaper anymore.