Housing migrant workers in The Hague

01Why are the rules in The Hague so strict?

The Hague sits next to the Westland greenhouses and the region's ports and distribution centres, but much of the housing for the people who work there ends up in the city. In an article from February 2024, a Hague alderman and a co-author estimated that more than 64,000 Central and Eastern European labour migrants live in The Hague, roughly one in ten residents. They describe many of them living in the private rented sector in older neighbourhoods, where overcrowding leads to nuisance and unsafe situations. These are the authors' estimates and views, not an official count.

The municipality therefore steers in three ways:

the Hague Housing Ordinance 2023 (Huisvestingsverordening Den Haag 2023), with a permit for room occupancy, quotas and minimum sizes, and buy-to-let protection for the whole city;
a landlord licence (verhuurvergunning) under the Good Landlordship Act in two designated areas;
enforcement by the Haagse Pandbrigade, the city's housing inspection team.

The national basics (zoning plan, Good Landlordship Act, fire safety, BRP registration) are in our article on renting group housing. Here we only cover what The Hague adds.

eyesonrooms does not let or broker housing. This is a summary, not legal advice. The ordinance is amended regularly: check the current rules with The Hague municipality and consult a lawyer for your own situation.

02From how many people do you need a permit in The Hague?

The Hague Housing Ordinance 2023, in the version in force since 1 April 2026, prohibits converting a self-contained dwelling into non-self-contained accommodation for three or more people without a permit (article 5:2, under b). That is lower than in many other municipalities, where the threshold is four people.

For an employer or staffing agency this means: as soon as three colleagues who do not form a joint household live in one dwelling, a permit is needed. If you rent an ordinary family house or a flat for three workers, check before signing the lease whether that permit exists or can be obtained.

There is one exception that is often misunderstood: lodger letting (hospitaverhuur, article 5:2a). If the main occupant lives in the dwelling, they may, after notifying the municipality, take in one other household (or two single-person households), with a maximum of eight residents in total, a separate bedroom per household and at least 12 m² per resident. That is meant for someone renting out a room in their own home, not for housing organised by a company.

03Which quotas and minimum sizes apply to room occupancy?

Even if you apply for a permit, The Hague can refuse it. Article 5:6 of the ordinance contains a series of limits:

Rule	What it means
Maximum 8 people	More than eight residents is refused, unless it has no unacceptable effect on liveability (paragraphs 7 and 8).
Neighbourhood quota 10%	Refusal if more than 10% of dwellings in the neighbourhood are already occupied non-self-contained by three or more people (paragraph 4).
Building or row 33.3%	At most a third of the dwellings in a building or a row of houses may be converted (paragraph 2).
Leefbaarometer	No conversion in areas scoring below 'good' on the national liveability index (paragraph 1).
18 m² per resident	After conversion at least 18 m² per resident (article 5:4a).
Sound	Sound insulation requirements from five residents (article 5:4a).

18 m² per resident is generous: a 72 m² dwelling is already full with four people. Do the maths before you sign, because a dwelling that is too small gets no permit, however well everything else is arranged.

If you want to split a dwelling into smaller self-contained homes (woningvorming), each new home needs at least 35 m², and the municipality refuses in areas below 'good' on the Leefbaarometer and where parking pressure is above 90% (article 5:6a).

Inspection coming? Have your file ready

With eyesonrooms you record inspections with photos per house, sensors flag damp and cold in each room, residents report faults through a QR code, and you have a file per house ready for an inspection.

Request a pilot

04Can you buy a house in The Hague to house staff?

Usually not in the first four years. The Hague has buy-to-let protection for the whole city (opkoopbescherming, article 5:27). It applies to self-contained dwellings with a WOZ value at or below the National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG) cost limit, measured when the deed is registered. Whoever buys such a dwelling may not let it in the first four years without a permit.

The permit is only granted in the cases of article 5:28:

letting to family in the first or second degree;
the owner has lived there for at least twelve months and lets it temporarily, for up to twelve months;
the dwelling is inseparably linked to a shop, office or business premises.

Letting to your own employees is not on that list. A company that buys cheaper dwellings to house staff will therefore in principle not get a letting permit in The Hague. The executive can grant an exemption in special cases (article 5:31), under a separate policy rule.

If your company rents a dwelling from an owner, ask when the owner bought it. If the dwelling falls under buy-to-let protection and the owner has no permit, letting it to you breaks the rules.

05Where does The Hague require a landlord licence?

Under the Good Landlordship Act, The Hague has introduced a landlord licence in two areas: Transvaalkwartier Midden and Zuid and Laakkwartier Oost and West. Private landlords there have needed a licence since 1 March 2024. Housing associations are not covered.

The national good-landlordship rules also apply across the whole city. On its website the municipality also lists the extra rules for employers who house foreign workers:

the tenancy agreement is separate from the employment contract;
the tenant receives written information in a language they understand.

The Haagse Pandbrigade has checked the rules across the city since 1 July 2023, and the licence conditions in the two areas since 1 March 2024. A breach leads to a warning or a fine of up to €22,500, rising to €90,000 for repeat offences. If that does not help, the municipality can take over management of the dwelling. It publishes the names of landlords who break the rules in a sanctions overview.

If you work with an external landlord or housing provider, ask them to show that their affairs are in order. A bad landlord can damage your name as an employer too. More on the national rules in the Good Landlordship Act explained.

06Do your workers need a housing permit?

For a self-contained dwelling with 186 points or fewer, or with rent up to €1,228.07 a month, The Hague requires a housing permit (huisvestingsvergunning) from the occupant (October 2026). Income limits apply, as does a rule of at least 12 m² per person, and a social rented dwelling of more than 80 m² is for at least three people.

According to the municipality, no housing permit is needed if you rent a room, or if you rent together with others who do not form a lasting joint household. That sounds convenient for group housing, but it does not mean a group may simply occupy the dwelling: from three people the room-occupancy permit from the previous sections applies.

For tourist rental there is a limit of 30 nights a year with a permit and registration number. That scheme is meant for tourists; do not assume you can use it to house workers, and ask the municipality if in doubt. Registration in the BRP (for a stay of four months or longer) is always required.

07Checklist: arranging housing in The Hague

Count the residents: from three people without a joint household, a room-occupancy permit is needed.
Check the floor area: at least 18 m² per resident, at most eight residents.
Ask the municipality whether the neighbourhood quota (10%), the building quota (33.3%) and the Leefbaarometer leave room.
For a purchased dwelling, check whether buy-to-let protection applies; letting to employees is not an exception.
If the dwelling is in Transvaalkwartier or Laakkwartier, ask whether the landlord has a landlord licence.
Use a separate tenancy agreement and give information in a language the resident understands.
Register residents staying four months or longer in the BRP, and keep track of who lives where.

08Frequently asked questions

How many migrant workers may live in one dwelling in The Hague?

From three people who do not form a joint household, a room-occupancy permit is needed. With a permit the maximum is in principle eight people, with at least 18 m² of usable floor area per resident.

Can I buy a house in The Hague for my staff as an employer?

The Hague has city-wide buy-to-let protection for dwellings up to the NHG cost limit. In the first four years letting is only allowed in a few exceptions, and letting to your own employees is not one of them.

Where does a landlord in The Hague need a landlord licence?

In Transvaalkwartier Midden and Zuid and Laakkwartier Oost and West, since 1 March 2024, for private landlords. The Haagse Pandbrigade checks this; fines go up to €22,500, or €90,000 for repeat offences.

Does the neighbourhood quota apply even if the dwelling itself is fine?

Yes. If more than 10% of dwellings in the neighbourhood are already occupied non-self-contained by three or more people, the municipality refuses in principle, even if the dwelling meets every requirement.

Housing migrant workers in The Hague: the rules in 2026