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Find a place to live in the Netherlands
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Look for housing at: This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.woonkrant.nl  This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.marktplaats.nl This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.ViaVia


With more than 16 million people on a surface of just a bit more than 42,000 square kilometers, the housing situation is not ideal. Finding an affordable place to live is especially hard in the Randstad (Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague, and Rotterdam). But not impossible if you look hard enough.

Renting a place

If you are planning to rent a place, you are looking for a huurwoning. You are normally asked for a waarborg (deposit), which varies between one and three months rent. The price can be inclusief EGW (including electricity, gas, and water) or exclusief EGW. Sometimes, you are charged an additional fee for servicekosten (service charges). Make sure you have a fire and theft Internal link insurance.

Among the printed resources, the Saturday issues of the main newspapers are indispensible. And of course, check out the internet.
Words you need to know
Badkamer: bathroom
Douche: shower
EGW: Electricity, gas and water Huisgenoot: room mate Huurcontract: rental contract Huurder: tenant
Hypotheek: mortgage
Kamer: room
Keuken: kitchen
Koopakte: buying contract
Koper: buyer
Lening: loan
Makelaar: broker
Onroerend goed: real estate
Per maand: per month
Per jaar: per year
Te huur: for rent
Te koop: for sale
Verhuurder: landlord
Verkoper: seller
Waarborg: deposit
Woning: housing
Zelfstandig: independent

De This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.woonkrant.nl is the electronic version of the housing classifieds section of the biggest national newspaper, de Telegraaf. Another good internet resource is This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.renting a place at marktplaats.nl ("Market Place"), one of the biggest online fleemarkets where buyers and sellers meet. It has an extensive housing section where you can look for a place to rent or buy or for tenants or buyers for your house.

The This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.ViaVia, a paper for classified ads, is the best printed resource when you are looking for housing and you can access most of their classifieds online.

Buying

To find a koophuis (house for sale), you can browse through This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.woonkrant.nl and web linkbuying a house at marktplaats.nl .

The website This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.www.ruimte-en-vastgoed.nl gives an overview of all real estate brokers in the Netherlands and Belgium. You can click on the map to select a region. This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.www.vastgoedsites.nl is another website that lists real estate brokers in the Netherlands.

This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.Homefinance.nl, This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.hypotheekofferte.nl and This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.hypotheektopper.nl are among many websites that let you compare mortgages. They all claim to be independent, which means they are not trying to sell you a mortgage that will give them the optimal profit. To be on the safe side, you can check different websites, which gives you a good idea of what you can expect to pay for a mortgage and the amount you can borrow.

On This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.hypotheek-assistent.nl, you find a list of all financial institutions that offer mortgages (under 'klik hier'), including the major Dutch banks This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.ABN Amro, This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.Fortis, This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.ING, and the This is a web link, which will open a new browser window.Postbank. Click on a company to compare the rates and conditions.