Migrant worker housing in Gorinchem

01Which rules apply in Gorinchem to housing labour migrants?

If you want to use a home or building in Gorinchem to house workers, look at four local sources:

The environment plan (which still contains the rules of the old zoning plans): may the building be occupied by several people who do not form a household?
The Gorinchem housing ordinance: in Gorinchem it mainly covers buy-to-let protection and urgency.
The local bye-law (APV) 2021: rules on providing lodging, the night register and nuisance from homes.
The regional approach with Hardinxveld-Giessendam, Molenlanden and Vijfheerenlanden.

In the public local regulations we found (October 2026) no separate Gorinchem policy rule with a maximum number of labour migrants per home, as some other municipalities have. That makes a preliminary consultation with the municipality all the more important: without a fixed test, the municipality assesses each application case by case.

National rules, such as fire safety and the use notification under the Bbl, the Good Landlordship Act and registration in the BRP, also apply in Gorinchem. We explain them in our article on renting group housing.

eyesonrooms does not let or broker housing. This article summarises public municipal documents (as of October 2026) and is not legal advice. Check the current rules with the municipality and consult a lawyer for your own situation.

02May a group of workers live in an ordinary home in Gorinchem?

That depends on the environment plan at your address. In March 2021 the local newspaper reported on a council debate in which it was said that the zoning plans make housing labour migrants in residential areas difficult, because a residential zoning there only allows occupation by a household. A group of colleagues sharing a house is usually not a household. In the same debate it was pointed out that the council can amend zoning plans to make it possible.

Since 1 January 2024 the zoning plan is called the environment plan, but the old rules continue to apply within it for now. If the environment plan does not allow occupation by a group, an environmental permit is needed to deviate from it, and that is not a given.

A notable point: the Gorinchem housing ordinance 2024 and its 2025 amendment, which we read, contain no permit requirement for converting a home into rooms. Many other municipalities do have such a conversion permit. In Gorinchem the test for room occupancy therefore mainly runs through the environment plan.

What you can do: ask the municipality in writing whether the environment plan at your address allows occupation by several people who do not form a household, and if not, whether an environmental permit has a chance. Do this before you sign a lease.

03Where does buy-to-let protection apply in Gorinchem?

Since 15 June 2024 Gorinchem has buy-to-let protection in three districts: the Benedenstad, the Gildenwijk (including the Schelluinsestraat) and the Stalkaarsen. It applies to homes with a WOZ value up to the National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG) limit; the municipal page mentions €470,000.

For such a home, letting without a rental permit is prohibited for four years after the deed of purchase is registered. Letting to an employer for staff housing is covered too. The municipality says the aim is that first-time buyers and middle incomes can buy a home in these districts and that the coming and going of tenants decreases.

A few practical points from the ordinance and the municipal page:

No permit is needed if the home was already let when the deed was registered and the tenant has lived there for six months or more.
The municipality must grant a permit in a few statutory cases, such as letting to a family member in the first or second degree. In other cases it weighs the interests and may refuse.
The application fee is €577.50.
The municipality runs data-driven checks. The fine is up to €25,750, and up to €103,000 if a fine for the same prohibition was imposed in the previous four years. An order subject to a penalty can also end the letting.

The amended ordinance was adopted on 22 May 2025, took effect on 1 June 2025 and expires on 15 June 2028. Check what replaces it after that date.

Your file in order, even without a fixed test

With eyesonrooms you record inspections per home with photos, sensors flag damp and cold in each room, and residents report faults through a QR code. You create a report per room.

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04What does the local bye-law say about lodging and the night register?

The Gorinchem APV 2021 (current version since 15 March 2023) has no chapter specifically on labour migrants. It does contain rules that touch larger or commercial housing:

Public establishment with lodging. Hotels, guesthouses and other enclosed spaces where lodging is provided commercially need an operating permit from the mayor. The mayor refuses, among other things, if the use conflicts with the zoning plan, and may refuse if the living environment or public order would be unacceptably affected.
Notification and night register. Anyone who offers overnight stays commercially notifies the mayor in writing within three days of starting, taking over, moving or stopping. Guests give the operator their name, place of residence and dates of arrival and departure, fully and truthfully.
Rental permit through the APV. The executive may designate homes or areas where letting or brokering requires a permit, for example where tenants are exploited or liveability is under pressure. One ground for refusal is employing people in breach of the Foreign Nationals Employment Act. Ask whether your address has been designated.
Nuisance from homes. Residents and users must prevent serious and repeated nuisance from a home. The mayor can take administrative enforcement action for noise, smells or nuisance from visitors, for example.

For a staffing agency or employer this means: if the building is regarded as commercial lodging, the operating permit and the night register are added. Agree in advance how the municipality sees your set-up.

05How does the Alblasserwaard-Vijfheerenlanden region approach housing?

Gorinchem works on this with Hardinxveld-Giessendam, Molenlanden and Vijfheerenlanden. In July 2020 a first exploratory study on labour migrants in the region was published on behalf of these four municipalities. A few points that apply to Gorinchem:

Many labour migrants in Gorinchem live in homes in the town centre.
For short stay (a few months) the study recommends low-cost housing in larger lodging buildings with good management, not spread across residential areas. According to the report, professional management becomes feasible from about 120 labour migrants at one location.
The report calls the SNF standard a minimum and advises preferably at most 2 people per unit and at least 18 m² per resident in the region. That is advice, not a rule.
Joint steps mentioned include a regional digital night register, a regional point of contact and regular consultation with employers and housing providers.

The municipality does not know exactly how many labour migrants live in Gorinchem. In 2021 the local newspaper cited estimates of 1,500 to 2,700, while the population register counted 557 people at the time. That gap shows why BRP registration matters: anyone staying longer than four months registers at the address.

There has also been movement outside residential areas: a former farm on the Arkelsedijk was converted into housing for labour migrants in 2020. Larger locations therefore go through their own permit process, not through an ordinary home.

06Which questions should you ask the municipality of Gorinchem first?

Because Gorinchem has not published a fixed test with numbers, good preparation is half the work. A practical list:

Does the environment plan at this address allow occupation by several people who do not form a household? If not, does an environmental permit have a chance, and on what conditions?
Is the home in the Benedenstad, the Gildenwijk or the Stalkaarsen, and was it bought after 15 June 2024? Then ask the seller or landlord for the rental permit.
Does the municipality regard your set-up as commercial lodging? Then an operating permit and a night register are required.
Has the address been designated for a rental permit under the APV?
Is a fire-safe use notification required? You file it at least four weeks in advance through the Omgevingsloket.

Put the answers in writing and keep them in your file. Also read our article on renting SNF-certified housing: many clients ask for that level, even where the municipality does not require it.

07Frequently asked questions

How many labour migrants may live in one home in Gorinchem?

We found no fixed maximum per home in the public local regulations. Whether a group may live there depends on the environment plan at the address. Ask the municipality in writing beforehand.

In which districts does buy-to-let protection apply in Gorinchem?

In the Benedenstad, the Gildenwijk including the Schelluinsestraat, and the Stalkaarsen, since 15 June 2024, for homes with a WOZ value up to the NHG limit. Letting without a permit is then prohibited for four years after purchase.

Do you need a conversion permit in Gorinchem?

The housing ordinance we read contains no conversion permit. The test mainly runs through the environment plan. Check the current rules with the municipality.

Is a night register required in Gorinchem?

For commercial overnight stays the APV requires guests to give their name, place of residence and arrival and departure dates, and the start must be reported to the mayor within three days.

Housing labour migrants in Gorinchem: what you need to know