Exploring the Dynamics of the Dutch Housing Sector: Challenges and Solutions in 2014

1. Going Dutch Trevor James

2. Outline • Brief outline of Dutch housing sector anno 2014 • Allocations – various models • The temporary housing market • Facilitating bottom up solutions • What if tenant priorities were to shape your way of working? • Discussion

3. Brief history • 30 years ago social housing was provided by housing associations and local authority arms length organisations • Allocations were carried out by the local authority with HA’s with members being allowed to allocate a percentage directly to their members • 42% of Dutch housing was social housing, approx. 40% was owner occupied and the rest was private rental • There were approx. 1,500 LA arms length and housing associations , mostly associations with members owning 2.4 million dwellings

4. Ownership

5. Anno 2014 • Arms length local authority housing associations are gone • Housing associations have generally become foundations without members • There are now 388, owning 2,319,778 dwellings • 32% of housing is social housing, 60% is owner occupied and the rest is private rental • Subsidies and loans disappeared with the ‘brutering’ in 1995 • HA’s finances dependent on the sale of existing and new property for new development on average 11,500 per year

6. Parliamentary enquiry and new law in the make • Various scandals – excessive salaries, bad land deals, Sun King in his Maserati, SS Rotterdam, Vestia • Call for more regulation and tighter financial controls • Financial crisis and dramatic fall in house prices • Minister levy equivalent to 2 months rent for every dwelling • Restrictions on operations proposed in the new law • More powers for local government

7. Structure of Dutch social housing sector

8. Local authority • Can make rules on allocations based on local circumstances • Usually a contract or covenant with local housing associations and other landlords • Can make it mandatory for a tenant to apply for a licence • Rules can be based on: • Who is eligible for a dwelling in the LA area • Criteria relating to household size and size of the dwelling • Urgency – criteria • Actual allocation is the responsibility of the landlord and governed by (inter)national law

9. H.A.’s working together

10. Housing allocation systems • Distributiemodel (traditional waitinglist model) • Aanbodmodel – ‘Delft’ (choice based lettings CBL) • Optiemodel (option on a specificestate or schemewithfixedranking number) • Lotingmodel (a lottery) • Life style • Makelaarsmodel (broker model) • Direct te huur… (who’s first: direct letting) • De Woonswitch (…% free letting) • Combinations of the above

11. System per region

12. Ranking criteria per region

13. Ranking can be based on … • Length of time on the waiting list • Number of years tenant is living in rental housing • Lottery • Life style preference • Age (< 23 or >55 years) • Cooptation • Urgent priority (physical disability, domestic abuse, mental illness, relocation due to community redevelopment) • Social or economic relationship with the area • Starter or someone moving to another dwelling) • Income: social housing < € 34.678 in 2014 (before taxes)

14. Temporary housing market • Many reasons to be temporarily in need of accommodation • Divorce • Domestic abuse • Release from prison • Debts and rent arrears leading to eviction • Also positive – internship, work and holiday • Catering for the short term need can prevent homelessness

15. SSF Dordrecht • Redundant old peoples’ home • Woonbron H.A owned • Magic mix of different types • Maximum 6 months stay • Commercial and social • Furnished and unfurnished • Commercial subsides social • Social enterprises in the plinth

16. WoonArt Hotel Rotterdam • Woonbron + Woonstad Rotterdam • Social Entrepreneur • Art Hotel – Best Westen **** • Woonhotel – social needs • 218 rooms • 35% social,60% commercial • Local authority, probation service,

17. Facilitating ‘bottom up’ solutions • In 2002 Minister decreed that 30% of all new housing should be individual initiatives – not developers • Financial crisis and housing market collapse 2008 – 2013 • Developers and HA’s not building • Citizens initiatives – bottom up – problems in attaining building land and other opportunities + financing • Various (local) government initiatives to facilitate this movement • HA’s can also play a role

18. Home steading • Rotterdam LA – Klus Huizen (DIY Houses) • LA repaired foundations then sold semi-derelict property for the market value minus the costs of rehabilitation using a builder • ‘Klussers’ must complete work in 1 year and live in the property for a number of years • Very successful and copied by other LA’s and HA’s • Important success factors are professional support for the DIY’ers and one point of contact for all LA departments • Variations include houses with restored listed elevations • Many DIY’ers invest more than expected and create dream houses • Market values in the neighbourhood rise

19. Home steading

20. New Build PO & CPO • LA’s selling building plots to individuals • Suburan situations any choose a catalogue house • Also individually architect designed • Usually 10% to 25% cheaper than a house built by a developer • Collective approach – particularly for apartments but also for difficult inner city locations and lower priced housing • Grant aid available in some Provinces to enable collective initiatives to employ professional support

21. New Build PO & CPO

22. IBBA Almere • Almere new town – whole new neighbourhoods in CPO and PO • IBBA = I build affordable (house) in Almere • Local authority an HA De Key – enables (potential) social housing tenants to build their own home • Open to households with maximum income before tax of €36,500 (£28,000) per year (Plus for incomes up to €48,000 (£37,000) per year) • Single family home costs maxim €189,000 (£145,400) • Builder finances 60%, IBBA the rest

23. Housing Co-operatives • Residents taking initiatives to form housing co-operatives: • To build new housing because developers and HA’s aren’t • To take over existing dwellings from HA’s or private landlords because they want more control over and responsibility for their own housing • New development but minister has promised to make provisions in the new housing act • Bottle neck is the financiering – minister will give HA’s a role in supporting co-operatives

24. What if tenant priorities were to shape your way of working? • Imagine that you are a tenant of a RSL and you want to check your rent payments, register a repairs request, check the appointment with the plumber or make an appointment • You maybe able to do some of these things on the RSL’s website, often you will have to phone or visit an office • On the website you will probably have to log in with your password • This sort of contact is costly for the RSL and often frustrating for the tenant

25. What if …. • A Dutch association has thought out of the box: • Young people and senior citizens use mobile phones and tablets • An App is easier than logging in – no need for a password • App for all of the contacts with the RSL with possibilities to link with neighbours • Ambition is 80% of all contacts via the App • Requires new internal systems and changes in the organisation • Expect to make massive savings in operational costs while increasing tenant satisfaction and reputation