Housing migrant workers in Venlo: rental permit and short stay

01Why does Venlo have its own rules for housing labour migrants?

In the explanatory notes to its 2025 rental ordinance, the municipality writes that around 4% of Venlo residents registered in the BRP (the municipal population register) are international workers. In Blerick-Noord and Venlo-Centrum it is almost 1 in 10 residents. According to the same notes, around 40,000 international workers work in the Noord-Limburg region, 36,600 of them labour migrants (2018 figures).

That concentration explains the local approach. Venlo works along two tracks:

• Larger, well-managed short-stay locations outside residential areas, with a target of 3,000 places. That target has been in the policy since 2019. In an evaluation from February 2024, the council executive called progress slow: sites are scarce, and higher interest and construction costs put plans under pressure.
• Stricter rules for letting ordinary homes: a rental permit for housing labour migrants and a permit requirement for room letting.

The national rules, such as the environmental plan, the fire-safety use notification and BRP registration, are covered in group housing: the rules. This article is about what Venlo adds on top.

eyesonrooms does not let or broker housing itself. This article summarises municipal documents and is not legal advice. Rules change: check the current rules with the municipality of Venlo and consult a lawyer for your own situation.

02What does Venlo's rental permit for labour migrants cover?

Venlo uses the option in the Good Landlordship Act to introduce a rental permit. Under article 5, the Venlo 2025 rental ordinance for accommodation for labour migrants (Verhuurverordening verblijfsruimte arbeidsmigranten) entered into force on 1 October 2025. The key points:

• Letting accommodation to house labour migrants without a permit from the municipal executive is prohibited. All accommodation for labour migrants is designated.
• The requirement applies in areas the executive designates by decision. So check whether your address lies in such an area.
• The permit is not transferable. If you buy a building from another landlord, you apply for a new permit yourself.
• If the landlord is a legal entity, a new application is needed when shares are sold to new shareholders.

With the application you provide, among other things: the rent and the address, a draft model tenancy agreement, a description of how you apply the rules of good landlordship, a maintenance plan, and a list of fines, penalty orders and management orders from the past eight years.

Landlords who were already letting before the ordinance took effect got a transition period: for them the ban applies from six months after entry into force. According to the notes, the municipality decides within eight weeks, which can be extended once by six weeks.

03How much does a rental permit cost in Venlo?

The municipal council set the fees in an amendment to the 2025 fees ordinance (council meeting of 17 September 2025). According to the council proposal:

The fees are calculated to cover the cost of processing. Amounts are reviewed every year: check the current rate in the fees ordinance for the year you apply.

In practice: if you rent or let several homes in Venlo for staff, it makes sense to bundle the buildings in one application. Prepare the maintenance plan and the model tenancy agreement for each building; the municipality asks for them with every application.

04Which rules apply to short-stay locations in Venlo?

Larger forms of housing fall under the 2024 policy framework for housing international workers (short stay), adopted by the council on 27 November 2024 and in force since 18 January 2025. It defines short stay as lodging for at least 14 days and at most six months, for people whose main residence is elsewhere. Residents must be at least 18; the policy is not meant for families with children.

The framework also requires, among other things:

• the SNF quality mark for both the operator and the location (see the SNF standard explained);
• no bed let to two different workers within the same 24 hours;
• at least 10% of places open to workers who are not tied to one company or staffing agency, if there is demand;
• 1% of places for temporary shelter (up to two weeks) for workers at risk of losing both job and home;
• parking in line with Venlo's parking standard, for large sites on their own grounds or with a transport plan;
• a mandatory dialogue with the neighbourhood, and a social integration plan for larger sites.

Nature and woodland areas are excluded, and new initiatives on holiday parks are in principle not allowed. Permits are temporary: up to 20 years with an extension of at most 5 years, and up to 25 years in total on business parks with transformation potential.

05What management requirements does Venlo set?

In Venlo, management is not a formality. The short-stay framework distinguishes by size:

• From 100 people: on-site management, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Smaller locations: remote digital supervision, and a manager who can be on site within 15 minutes if needed.

House rules and a code of conduct, a management plan, a complaints procedure and a night register are also mandatory. The night register matters for the BRP too: anyone who stays in the Netherlands for more than four months within half a year must register. A well-kept register helps you show who slept at the address and when.

Management also plays a role in the rental permit, through the maintenance plan and the rules of good landlordship. Keep a file for each building with inspections, repairs and complaints. That makes the application and any inspection easier.

06Can you let an ordinary home in Venlo room by room to labour migrants?

Room letting in the ordinary housing stock requires a permit in Venlo. The policy rule Room letting, splitting and converting homes Venlo 2024 (adopted 30 April 2024) gave the council executive the assessment framework for an environmental permit. Its requirements were strict:

• the maximum number of residents is the usable floor area divided by 25 m² (20 m² for student housing);
• every room at least 9 m² of usable floor area;
• 1.5 m² of storage per room for bicycles and waste;
• parking on the property in line with the parking policy;
• a noise study, a management plan, a neighbourhood dialogue and a liveability test;
• the room letting must meet a current need.

Under that rule, a 100 m² family home offers room for at most four residents. Note: short stay (lodging of less than four months for international workers) was not treated as room letting under that rule but as lodging, and so falls under the short-stay framework.

According to the government register, this policy rule lapsed on 4 September 2026. Ask the municipality which rules apply now before you rent or offer a home for room letting. Venlo also has buy-to-let protection in designated areas: a newly bought home there may not be let without a permit.

07What does this mean for employers and staffing agencies in Venlo?

If you house staff in Venlo, work through this checklist:

1. Choose the type of housing. Is it short stay at a location, or living in an ordinary home? That decides which framework applies.
2. Rental permit. If the home is in a designated area, apply for the permit before letting. Allow eight weeks for processing.
3. Environmental plan and room letting. Ask whether occupation by several people who do not form one household is allowed, and which room-letting rule applies now.
4. Buy-to-let protection. Ask the owner for the purchase date and, where needed, the buy-to-let permit.
5. Quality and management. SNF level, a reachable manager, a night register and a maintenance plan.
6. Separate contracts. The notes to the rental ordinance cite the Roemer report's advice to separate the employment contract from the tenancy agreement.

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

08Frequently asked questions

09Sources

• Municipality of Venlo: Rental ordinance for accommodation for labour migrants 2025 (accessed October 2026)
• Municipality of Venlo: Council proposal, second amendment to the 2025 fees ordinance (rental permit fee)
• Municipality of Venlo: Policy framework for housing international workers (short stay) 2024
• Municipality of Venlo: Council information letter, evaluation of the short-stay framework (February 2024)
• Municipality of Venlo: Policy rule on room letting, splitting and converting homes 2024 (lapsed 4 September 2026)

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