Housing migrant workers in Westland: the rules in 2026

01How many migrant workers live in Westland, and why are the rules strict?

According to the municipality, about 7,000 labour migrants live in Westland, and 3,000 more places are being planned (Westland news item, 9 September 2026). In a joint letter to the House of Representatives dated 8 April 2025, the aldermen of Rotterdam and Westland wrote that on average some 15,000 labour migrants work in Westland all year round, and that about a third of them live mainly in large housing locations.

Those figures explain the municipality's course. Westland wants housing as much as possible at planned locations and at the horticulture businesses themselves, and wants to stop ordinary family homes in the village centres from quietly being converted into rooms. If you house workers in Westland as an employer, staffing agency or landlord, you therefore deal with two tracks:

• housing in an existing dwelling: the Westland Housing Ordinance 2025 and the conversion policy rules apply;
• housing on or near a grower's plot: the policy rules for temporary housing of labour migrants on horticulture plots and an environmental permit apply.

The national basics (zoning plan, Housing Act, Good Landlordship Act, fire safety, BRP registration) are covered in our article on renting group housing. This article only covers what Westland adds.

eyesonrooms does not let or broker housing. This is a summary, not legal advice. Check the current rules with Westland municipality (phone 14 0174) and consult a lawyer for your own situation.

02When do you need a conversion permit in Westland?

The Westland Housing Ordinance 2025 (Huisvestingsverordening Gemeente Westland 2025) applies until 1 July 2027. Article 5:2 prohibits, without a permit, converting a self-contained dwelling into non-self-contained accommodation for four or more people. The municipality puts it simply on its website: if you rent rooms to four or more people, you need a conversion permit (omzettingsvergunning).

Key points from the ordinance and the 2023 policy rules:

• If the residents together form a lasting joint household, no permit is needed. A group of colleagues who only live together because their employer arranged it is not a household in this sense.
• If the owner or close family (first or second degree) lives in the property, up to two other people may live there without a permit.
• The application includes a full Bibob integrity check, with an extra form if your company has several directors or shareholders.
• The ordinance does not apply to dwellings valued above the affordability limit.

The use must also fit the zoning plan (omgevingsplan). In Westland, depending on the address, that is the umbrella plan Wonen Westland or the plans for the Westland or Boomawatering greenhouse areas. So you sometimes need two permits: an environmental permit and a conversion permit.

Fees (Westland website, October 2026): €220 for up to two units and €878 for more than two units.

03What must a house for room rental in Westland meet?

The municipality tests an application in three ways: is the dwelling scarce, does it fit the neighbourhood, and is the building suitable. Concretely, the policy rules (adopted 10 October 2023) and the further rules (adopted 9 October 2023) say:

• Scarcity: dwellings with a WOZ value up to €400,000 are in principle treated as scarce. The executive can adjust this limit each quarter.
• 100-metre rule: no conversion if room rental already exists or has been permitted within 100 metres of the plot.
• Flats: no conversion if there is already room rental in two dwellings below, above or next door, or in one dwelling diagonally.
• Business parks: conversion is not allowed there, nor in areas with public-order problems.
• Space per person: the policy rules mention at least 12 m² of usable floor area per resident, while the executive's further rules mention 20 m² per resident and require sound insulation at new-build level. Ask the municipality beforehand which test it will apply to your application.

In practice, the 100-metre rule means that in many streets in the village centres it simply cannot be done, even if the house itself is suitable. So check whether there is already room rental nearby before you sign a lease.

04What management rules does Westland set for room rental?

A conversion permit in Westland comes with conditions on good landlordship. Under the 2023 policy rules you must, among other things:

• appoint a manager, preferably not a tenant of the dwelling, who is reachable 24 hours a day;
• supervise hygiene and safety, and keep an up-to-date list of residents;
• maintain the dwelling well and display house rules, with contact and emergency numbers;
• cooperate in mediation if there is nuisance.

The permit can be revoked if you do not follow the conditions or if there is persistent nuisance. Converting without a permit risks an administrative fine; under article 7:2 of the ordinance it can be increased by 100 per cent for commercial operation, and also for a repeat offence within five years.

For a staffing agency or employer this is the key point: you almost always count as a commercial operator, so a mistake costs more than it would for a private individual. Record who lives there, when you inspect the dwelling and how you respond to complaints.

05Can you house migrant workers on a grower's plot in Westland?

Yes, under conditions. Since 2021 Westland has had policy rules for temporary housing of labour migrants at greenhouse businesses. The first version (2 November 2021) applied until 16 June 2025. In a council letter of 9 April 2025, the executive reported that it had achieved little: one project with 16 beds had been built and permits had been granted for two other initiatives with 18 beds in total. The first permit, for 16 workers in De Lier, was granted on 17 June 2024.

The rules were therefore relaxed in 2025. According to the council letter of 9 April 2025:

• housing may be on the business's own site, but also on nearby plots, and along category 2 and 3 roads and unclassified roads;
• the number of beds depends on how many labour migrants work at the business; nearby businesses may take part;
• the distance to other structures must be at least the height of the tallest structure, and at least 3 metres for a wall without windows;
• the parking norm is 0.3 spaces per bed, plus bicycle parking;
• the plan must meet the latest SNF conditions, be visible from the public road and reachable for emergency services;
• the permit is temporary: 10 or 15 years, chosen by the applicant.

You must also show how supervision and management are arranged, how residents reach the business on foot or by bike, and how you communicate with the neighbourhood. The municipality evaluates the policy after a year, so check the current policy rules before submitting a plan.

06What about large housing locations in Westland?

Besides small-scale housing at businesses, Westland is betting on large locations. In the council letter of 9 April 2025 the executive lists:

Large locations are assessed case by case. For an earlier project (Maasdijk, 's-Gravenzande, 208 units) the executive first took a positive draft decision, then consulted local residents, and only then decided definitively. With such a process, expect a consultation round and objection and appeal periods.

For a staffing agency it can be attractive to rent beds at such a location rather than separate houses in the village centres. Make sure the location is SNF certified and that the tenancy agreement is separate from the employment contract, as the Good Landlordship Act requires nationally. More in renting SNF-certified housing.

07Checklist: what to arrange before housing workers in Westland

1. Use the Omgevingsloket map to see which zoning plan applies to the address, and whether housing unrelated people fits it.
2. Count the residents: from four people who do not form a household, a conversion permit is needed.
3. Check whether there is room rental within 100 metres, and whether the WOZ value is below the scarcity limit.
4. Calculate the space per resident and ask the municipality which m² norm it applies.
5. Prepare the Bibob form, and allow for €220 or €878 in fees.
6. Appoint a manager reachable 24 hours a day, and keep a list of residents.
7. Register residents staying four months or longer in the BRP.
8. For a grower's plot: read the current policy rules for horticulture plots and request a preliminary consultation through the Omgevingsloket.

08Frequently asked questions

09Sources

• Westland municipality: Converting a house to room rental (accessed October 2026, in Dutch)
• Westland Housing Ordinance 2025 (valid until 1 July 2027, in Dutch)
• Westland policy rules on withdrawal, conversion and dwelling formation 2023 (in Dutch)
• Westland further rules on withdrawal, conversion and dwelling formation 2023 (in Dutch)
• Westland council letter: policy rules for temporary housing on horticulture plots (9 April 2025, in Dutch)
• Westland municipality: news on the migration task (9 September 2026, in Dutch)
• Letter from the Rotterdam and Westland aldermen to the House (8 April 2025, in Dutch)

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