Investment in Dutch housing rose by 42% in the first of the year, hitting the highest level in five years as international investors returned the to market, according to a new report.
Dutch residential and healthcare real estate firm Capital Value reported that total transaction volumes reached €4.8bn in the first six months of 2026, up 42% on the first half of 2025.
Meanwhile, the share of international investors rose to 17%, marking a recovery from the historically low level of 8% recorded in 2025. However, that share remained well below the long-term average of 24%, Capital Value said.
Arjan Peerboom, chief executive officer of Capital Value, said: “We are currently seeing very strong demand for existing residential portfolios. Multiple bids have been submitted for many portfolios, demonstrating that a significant amount of capital is available for investment in the Dutch residential investment market.”
Analysis by Capital Value showed that 54% of the overall deal flows were related to investments in existing properties.
International investment was directed almost entirely towards existing assets and international capital accounted for 31% of acquisitions of existing portfolios.
“By contrast, international investors invested very little in new-build projects, accounting for just 1% of total new-build investment volume,” the firm said.
Peerboom said targeted measures were needed to attract more capital for the development of new rental housing in the Netherlands.
“These could include equal tax treatment for Dutch and international pension funds, the abolition of the interest deduction limitation and a further reduction in real estate transfer tax to 6%,” he said, adding that the annual new-build target could not be achieved solely by Dutch institutional investors and housing associations.
