Group housing rules in the Netherlands

01Which rules apply when you rent group housing?

There is no single national rule in the Netherlands that says how many people may live in a house, or which building is suitable for group housing. It is a stack of rules, and the municipality sets much of it itself. If you rent group housing for staff, look at five layers:

The environment plan (omgevingsplan): may the building be used to house several unrelated people?
The housing ordinance (Housing Act 2014): is a permit needed to convert a house into rooms or to split it into flats, and does buy-to-let protection apply?
The Good Landlordship Act: does the municipality require a rental permit for housing labour migrants?
Fire safety under the Buildings Decree (Bbl), including a use notification for room-by-room letting.
Registration of residents in the BRP or the RNI.

This applies whether you rent a single family house, rent several rooms in a building, or rent a business building to convert. The difference is which permits you need and how strict the building rules are.

eyesonrooms does not let or broker housing. This article is a summary, not legal advice. Rules differ per municipality: check with the municipality and consult a lawyer for your own situation.

02Does the environment plan allow housing labour migrants in the building?

The Environment Act (Omgevingswet) came into force on 1 January 2024. Since then every municipality has, by law, one environment plan. The old zoning plans (bestemmingsplannen) have not disappeared: they form the temporary part of that environment plan. Municipalities have until 1 January 2032 to convert those rules into a complete new environment plan. In practice you will therefore often still read the rules of the old zoning plan.

The first question is always: does the use fit the environment plan? A residential zoning does not automatically mean that housing for labour migrants is allowed. Many municipalities distinguish between occupation by one household and occupation by several people who do not form a household. If the plan does not allow the use, you usually need an environmental permit for an environment-plan activity, and sometimes a change to the plan.

One example shows how specific such rules can be. In March 2025 the municipality of Etten-Leur adopted a preparatory decision on housing labour migrants. Under it:

an environmental permit is needed to house labour migrants or other people who do not form a household in a dwelling;
a regular house may hold at most 4 people, and a company dwelling on a business park at most 6, who then work for that business;
at least 12 m² gross floor area per person is required, the housing must meet the SNF or AKF standard, and a manager must be reachable 24 hours a day;
the permit is valid for at most two years, with extension possible.

A preparatory decision is temporary and is often later included in the environment plan. So do not use this example as the rule for your own building, but as a list of questions to ask the municipality.

03Do you need a conversion permit or room rental permit?

Besides the environment plan, the municipality can require a permit through its housing ordinance. Article 21 of the Housing Act 2014 lets the municipal council designate the dwellings and areas where a permit is required for, among other things:

conversion: turning a self-contained dwelling into non-self-contained housing (rooms with a shared kitchen or bathroom). This is often called an omzettingsvergunning or room rental permit;
dwelling formation: renovating a dwelling into two or more self-contained flats;
withdrawing housing from the stock or merging dwellings.

The prohibition in the Act applies to anyone who carries out the conversion, not only to the owner. The municipality can also make a conversion permit temporary; it then lapses automatically.

Where the threshold lies varies a lot. Some municipalities count people, others count rooms or the share of houses in a street. The 2023 policy of the municipality of Maashorst, for example, mentions small-scale housing of up to 10 labour migrants per location, at most 2 people per bedroom with at least 7 m² each, and in the former Uden area at most 10% of the houses in a street. Room rental always needs an environmental permit there. Another municipality may handle the same situation very differently.

What you can do: ask the municipality in writing which permits are required for your address and number of residents, and ask the landlord to show the permits that have been granted before you sign.

Building rented? Keep management in order

With eyesonrooms you record inspections with photos per house, sensors flag damp and cold in each room, and residents report faults through a QR code in their own language.

Request a pilot

04What does buy-to-let protection mean when you rent a house?

Since 1 January 2022 municipalities can introduce buy-to-let protection (opkoopbescherming). In designated neighbourhoods, and below a WOZ value limit set by the municipality, a buyer may not let a newly purchased home without a permit during the first four years after transfer. The municipality must grant the permit in a few statutory exceptions, such as letting to a first- or second-degree relative.

This matters for employers and staffing agencies. In May 2026 a trade publication on planning law described court cases showing that letting to an employer for staff housing is also covered by the rule, that a structure through a private limited company or a third party offers no protection, and that rent-free occupation can also be a violation. Municipalities can impose high fines; the article mentions up to €22,500 per violation, depending on the municipality.

The Housing Act lists the scheme as a temporary arrangement, and municipalities adjust the limits and areas. Check the current status with the municipality.

What you can do: for a house that was bought recently, ask for the purchase date and, if the municipality has buy-to-let protection, for the permit. Without it you risk having to end the occupation.

05Can you rent an office or business building to convert?

A vacant office or business building looks attractive: lots of space, often on a business park close to work. But renting a conversion building involves two separate checks.

1. The environment plan. An office or business zoning usually does not allow residential or lodging use. You then need an environmental permit for an environment-plan activity, or a change to the plan. Many municipalities only allow larger lodging buildings for labour migrants temporarily and in certain places. The 2023 Maashorst policy, for example, allows them temporarily, for at most 10 years, mainly on the edges of business parks, and considers short stay in regular houses undesirable.

2. The building rules (Bbl). According to IPLO, a change of use usually means the rules for existing buildings apply to the parts affected by the change. If you renovate, the renovated parts must at least meet the legally obtained level, with new-build rules as the upper limit. An office that already meets the requirements for existing residential buildings and is not renovated can, according to IPLO, be used straight away.

Agree in the lease who applies for the permits, who pays for the renovation, and what happens if the permit is refused or only granted temporarily. A temporary permit and a ten-year lease do not fit well together.

06Which fire safety rules apply to room-by-room letting?

If more than one household lives in a house with their own rooms, it quickly counts as room-by-room letting. The Bbl asks more for this than for an ordinary home:

Use notification. For a residential function for room-by-room letting, a fire-safe use notification (gebruiksmelding) is mandatory. You submit it to the municipality at least 4 weeks before the building is used, via the Omgevingsloket. Using the building without a notification is prohibited.
Smoke alarms. Since 1 July 2022 all existing homes must have smoke alarms. With room-by-room letting they must be in every habitable room, including bedrooms, and be connected to the mains.
Escape routes must be clear, and doors on the escape route must open easily from the inside.

An SNF or AKF certificate or a municipal rental permit can add requirements, such as extinguishers and CO alarms. Read more in fire safety in room rental and renting SNF-certified housing.

07What do the Good Landlordship Act and the BRP require?

The Good Landlordship Act (Wet goed verhuurderschap) has applied to all landlords since 1 July 2023. A municipality can also decide by ordinance that housing may only be let to labour migrants if the landlord holds a rental permit. According to the VNG, the association of Dutch municipalities, the municipality can attach conditions, such as one person per bedroom and requirements for kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities, and it advises municipalities to use the SNF and AKF standards. If you sublet to your own staff, you are a landlord under the Act as well. Read more in the Good Landlordship Act explained.

Then registration. Anyone staying in the Netherlands for more than four months registers at their home address in the Personal Records Database (BRP). For a shorter stay, the Non-Residents Records Database (RNI) applies. The VNG describes how municipalities can impose an order subject to a penalty or an administrative fine for incorrect registration. Municipalities also look at the number of people living at an address during checks, so keep the number of registered residents in line with what the permit allows.

08Checklist: what to check before you sign

Go through these points before you sign a lease for group housing. Record the answers in writing.

Environment plan: does the plan allow occupation by several people who do not form a household at this address? If not: who applies for the permit and what happens if it is refused?
Housing ordinance: is a conversion permit or a permit for dwelling formation required, and has it been granted?
Buy-to-let protection: when was the house bought, is it covered by buy-to-let protection, and is there a permit?
Rental permit: does the municipality require a permit for housing labour migrants, and which conditions (people per room, m², manager) must you meet?
Maximum occupancy: how many people do the permit, the environment plan and any certificate allow? Do not rent more beds than permitted.
Fire safety: has the use notification been filed, are mains-powered smoke alarms in every habitable room, are escape routes clear?
Condition of the building: at handover, record damp, ventilation, heating and meter readings, with photos. See also check-in and check-out inspections.
Contract: a term that matches the permit, who handles maintenance and faults, and a separate tenancy agreement for the residents.

Once the building is rented, management starts. With eyesonrooms you record inspections with photos per house, sensors measure temperature and humidity in each room for early signs of mould or heating that is not working, and residents report faults through a QR code in their own language. For the search itself, read the guide to renting housing for staff and renting staff housing.

09Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to rent a house for labour migrants?

That depends on the municipality. Often one or more permits are required: for the use under the environment plan, for conversion into rooms, and sometimes a rental permit for labour migrants. Check with the municipality for your address.

How many labour migrants may live in one house?

There is no national number. Municipalities set limits in the environment plan, the housing ordinance or the rental permit. In 2025 Etten-Leur, for example, mentioned at most 4 people in a regular house and at least 12 m² per person.

May an owner let a recently bought house to a staffing agency?

Not always. In municipalities with buy-to-let protection, a house in designated areas may only be let with a permit during the first four years after purchase, including to an employer for staff. Ask for the purchase date and the permit.

Can I rent an office building as staff housing?

Sometimes. Usually an environmental permit for a different use is required, and the building must meet the Bbl building rules. Many municipalities only allow this temporarily and in certain locations.

Is a use notification required for room rental?

Yes. For a residential function for room-by-room letting, a fire-safe use notification is mandatory, at least 4 weeks before use, via the Omgevingsloket.

Renting group housing in the Netherlands: the rules for worker housing