Renting a home: what is a sociale huurwoning?
Many newcomers to the Netherlands rent their first home. The rental market has three parts:
- sociale huur (social rent): homes with a legal maximum rent
- middenhuur (middle rent): homes with a higher maximum rent
- vrije sector (free sector): the landlord and tenant agree on the rent
This question from DUO's 2025 example exam gets many searches:
Erik woont in een sociale huurwoning. Wat is dat?
Erik lives in a social rental home. What is that? The answer: een woning met een maximum huurprijs (a home with a maximum rent). In 2026, the basic rent of a sociale huurwoning is at most €932.93 a month.
Most social rental homes belong to a woningcorporatie (housing association). Usually you can only rent one if your income is below a limit. In 2026 that limit is €51,537 a year for one person and €56,910 for a household of two or more. In many cities the wachtlijst (waiting list) takes years, so register early.
With a low income, you may get huurtoeslag (rent benefit) from the Dienst Toeslagen. If you disagree with your landlord about the rent of a social or middle-rent home, you can go to the Huurcommissie (rent tribunal). Our post on renting a home in the Netherlands explains the contract, the deposit and your rights as a tenant.
Buying a house
To buy a house, most people take a hypotheek (mortgage) from a bank. From DUO's example exam:
Job en Kelly willen een huis kopen. Wie kan ze daarbij helpen?
Job and Kelly want to buy a house. Who can help them? The answer: een makelaar (an estate agent). A makelaar helps you find a house and negotiate the price.
A notaris (civil-law notary) then arranges the transfer, and the new owner is recorded in the Kadaster (land registry). Owners pay a local tax on their home, the onroerendezaakbelasting (OZB), to the gemeente. Read more in our post on mortgages and buying a home.
Registering your address with the gemeente
Your address is in the population register of the gemeente (municipality). When you move within the Netherlands, you report your new address to the gemeente. You can do this up to four weeks before the move, and at the latest five days after it. Most gemeenten let you do it online with DigiD.
The gemeente uses your address for government letters, local taxes and waste collection. See our guide on how to register a change of address.
Waste, statiegeld and energy
From DUO's example exam:
Wouter heeft een leeg blikje met statiegeld. Waar kan hij dit blikje inleveren?
Wouter has an empty can with a deposit. Where can he return it? The answer: bij een supermarkt (at a supermarket). Plastic drink bottles and cans have statiegeld (a deposit). You get the money back when you return them at a supermarket or another return point.
Separating waste is normal in the Netherlands. The gemeente collects household waste, and you pay a local tax for it, the afvalstoffenheffing. Most gemeenten ask you to separate:
- gft (vegetable, fruit and garden waste)
- paper and cardboard
- glass
- plastic, cans and drink cartons
- restafval (other waste)
The rules differ per gemeente, so check your gemeente's waste app or website. Read more in our post on separating waste in the Netherlands.
For electricity and gas, you choose your own energy company and sign a contract. Your drinking water comes from the regional water company, which you cannot choose.
Living with your neighbours
Dutch homes are often close together, so neighbours notice noise and smells. If a neighbour causes overlast (nuisance), the usual first step is to talk to them. Many gemeenten offer buurtbemiddeling (neighbour mediation) when talking does not help. Our post on talking to your neighbours first has examples.
Try a practice question
We wrote this question ourselves, in the same format:
Nadia huurt een sociale huurwoning. Ze vindt haar huur te hoog. Waar kan ze terecht?
- A. Bij de Huurcommissie
- B. Bij de makelaar
- C. Bij de politie
Answer: A. The Huurcommissie decides on rent disputes in social and middle-rent homes. A makelaar helps with buying or finding a home, and the police do not handle rent.
How the KNM exam asks about wonen
The KNM exam has 40 multiple-choice questions in 45 minutes, and you pass with at least 28 correct. Each question has a picture, a short Dutch question and three options. In DUO's 2025 example exam, wonen had 3 of the 40 questions.
The questions ask what is true in the Netherlands, not what you would choose. Typical forms are:
- Wat is ...? for a housing term, such as sociale huurwoning
- Wie kan ... helpen? for a person or organisation, such as a makelaar
- Waar ...? for a place, such as a supermarket for statiegeld
The picture shows the situation, but it does not give the answer. Learn each word with its meaning: the makelaar helps you buy, the woningcorporatie rents out social homes, and the gemeente keeps your address. Then try questions on this theme in our free KNM practice.
