Migrant workers in Horst aan de Maas

01How does Horst aan de Maas regulate housing for labour migrants?

Many people in Horst aan de Maas work in (greenhouse) horticulture, arable farming and logistics. The municipality names those sectors in its draft housing programme of 1 October 2025 as the reason demand for staff continues. The programme makes one distinction clear:

labour migrants who come to work temporarily get temporary housing;
those who want to settle are treated like any other home seeker. The municipality plans for growth of 3,000 households, partly to absorb that pressure.

The spatial rules come from the 2021 umbrella plan for international workers (Parapluplan Internationale werknemers). According to the response report of April 2021, the plan draws a clear line between short stay outside the villages and long stay within them. Since December 2025, a separate policy rule applies to housing at farms.

The national rules, such as the fire-safety use notification, the Good Landlordship Act and BRP registration, are covered in group housing: the rules. This article is about what Horst aan de Maas adds on top.

eyesonrooms does not let or broker housing itself. This article summarises municipal documents and is not legal advice. Policy and permit rules may have changed: check the current rules with the municipality of Horst aan de Maas and consult a lawyer for your own situation.

02Which categories and maximum numbers does the municipality use?

The Participation Plan for Labour Migrants (Meedoen Plan, December 2024 version) belongs to both the environmental permit and the operating permit. It lists these categories:

Category	Residents
Ordinary home in a village	at most 4 per home
Home in the countryside	at most 10 per home
Own staff (employer)	up to 50, with a separate category from 51
Staffing agency location	up to 50, with 51 to 200 as a separate category
Large-scale location	201 people or more

The limit of 4 people in a village home was a deliberate choice. According to the response report on the umbrella plan, the maximum per home in the villages was reduced from 10 to 4 people. Residents of such a home must register in the BRP, and the umbrella plan assumes a parking need of at most 2 cars for a village home.

For large locations, the same report said that at most two new large-scale residential buildings may be built, with a maximum of 400 people per location. Check with the municipality whether those numbers still apply: parts of the policy have been revised since.

03Do you need an operating permit in Horst aan de Maas?

In practice, yes. The response report of April 2021 says: without an operating permit, the housing location cannot be taken into use. The requirement to appoint a manager also follows from that operating permit, not from the spatial plan.

You can see that the permit is granted in practice in the municipal gazette (Gemeenteblad): the municipality publishes granted operating permits for "housing labour migrants" there, with a six-week objection period for interested parties. Neighbours do use that option.

So you usually need two decisions:

an environmental permit for the use (often temporary, if the environmental plan does not allow it);
an operating permit for taking the location into use and managing it, with the Participation Plan attached.

Ask the municipality which documents belong with your application and how long processing takes. Allow for the objection period before the decision is final.

A yearly report is easier with a good file

With eyesonrooms you record inspections with photos for every home, sensors in each room flag damp and cold, and residents report faults via a QR code in their own language.

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04What does the Participation Plan ask of employers and housing providers?

The Participation Plan is about contact with the neighbourhood and about the position of residents. The December 2024 version includes:

a yearly open day for neighbours, with tours of the location;
a yearly connection day for neighbours and labour migrants;
a yearly financial contribution to the service point for labour migrants (the plan mentions amounts from €500 to €10,000, depending on the category);
information meetings on arrival and during the stay;
as few transport movements as possible;
cooperation with other housing providers within a radius of 2 km;
a yearly report to the municipality and a yearly evaluation.

The plan also points out that many labour migrants stay longer than expected. If you manage a home, it is wise to plan for that: a resident who stays for years needs an ordinary tenancy agreement, their own registration and a home that works well all year round.

05Which rules apply to housing at a farm?

Since 20 December 2025, the policy rule on housing labour migrants at agricultural businesses applies. The council executive grants a temporary environmental permit for an activity outside the environmental plan. The key rules:

only at an agricultural business, at its main location; a secondary location only if it is spatially impossible at the main one;
in existing farm buildings; new modular buildings only if existing buildings cannot be used for technical or economic reasons, with a landscaping plan;
not in rural dwellings (plattelandswoningen), camping units or static caravans;
at most 99 people per housing location, based on seasonal need and with advice from the agricultural building committee (AAB);
only for workers who work for the farm on that plot;
at least 15 m² of usable floor area per worker, a single bedroom of at least 5.5 m² and a double room of at least 11 m²;
on top of that, at least 5 m² of outdoor space per person, and enough sport and recreation facilities;
parking on the property in line with the parking standards;
no increase of undesirable clustering within 1 km;
participation is mandatory; without enough participation the application can be returned as incomplete.

The permit is granted for at most 15 years. When it ends, the use stops immediately and the assigned house numbers are withdrawn. If the housing ends earlier, the site must comply with the environmental plan again within 2 months. Note the difference with the 2021 umbrella plan, which mentioned temporary permits of at most 10 years.

06How do the municipality and the courts look at new locations?

New locations in Horst aan de Maas often lead to objections. One example: on 1 April 2026, the Council of State ruled on a permit for 24 housing units for 144 labour migrants near the village of America. A neighbour feared unsafe roads and less social safety. The Council found that the municipality could rely on a traffic study showing that vehicle movements stayed well below the recommended maximum, and declared the appeal unfounded.

What you can take from this:

a well-founded traffic and parking study makes an application stronger;
the mandatory participation is not a formality: the municipality can return an application without enough participation;
for new locations, allow for objection and appeal periods before you can start.

The umbrella plan also mentioned a distance of at least 200 metres from residential zones in the countryside, and excludes holiday parks, except existing lawful situations. Ask the municipality which distance rules apply to your location now.

07What does this mean for employers and staffing agencies in Horst aan de Maas?

A short checklist before you rent a home or a location:

Determine the category. Village home (max. 4), countryside home (max. 10), own staff, staffing agency location or large-scale?
Two permits. An environmental permit for the use and an operating permit with the Participation Plan.
Management. A manager reachable for residents and neighbours, and a yearly report to the municipality.
Quality. The umbrella plan asks for housing at SNF level; see the SNF standard explained. At a farm, 15 m² per person and the minimum room sizes also apply.
Registration. Residents of a village home register in the BRP.
Letting. Use a separate tenancy agreement and follow the rules of the Good Landlordship Act. The municipality has a reporting point and can impose penalty payments for serious breaches.

Still looking for a suitable home? Read renting staff housing and renting SNF-certified housing.

08Frequently asked questions

How many labour migrants may live in one home in Horst aan de Maas?

At most 4 in an ordinary home in a village and at most 10 in a home in the countryside, according to the Participation Plan of December 2024. At a farm, the 2025 policy rule applies.

Is an operating permit required in Horst aan de Maas?

According to the response report on the umbrella plan, a housing location cannot be taken into use without an operating permit. The manager requirement also follows from that permit. Ask the municipality what your location needs.

May I house labour migrants in a static caravan on my farm?

No. The policy rule for agricultural businesses excludes camping units, static caravans and rural dwellings. Housing is possible in existing farm buildings, and only by exception in new modular buildings.

How long does a permit for housing at a farm last?

At most 15 years under the policy rule of December 2025. After that the use stops immediately and the house numbers are withdrawn.

Migrant workers in Horst aan de Maas: the rules by type of location