BIJ1 wants everyone in the Netherlands to have a comfortable, affordable and safe place to live. Consequently, we regard having a home as a right. Young people and young families must be able to find a home within the foreseeable future, and the elderly and people with disabilities must have a suitable home as well. There should be better policies for alternative forms of housing and for non-standard households. Vulnerable groups for whom there is often no space, such as single mothers and people getting out of youth care, must also be able to live safely and comfortably. We are going to help homeless people in a way that suits them.

We also want justice when it comes to housing. The capitalist system promotes inequality and injustice, also when it comes to housing. We’re going to combat this discrimination. For many people, housing is a huge expense, and it’s making other people a lot of money. We believe that housing should not be about profit. The value of a home should be determined by the actual quality of living and not by its market value. We oppose vacancy of homes, speculation with vacant properties and speculation with land. We are also drawing up and enforcing better rules for tenants. Rents must be affordable and tenants’ rights must be protected. Tenants will also have a bigger say in improvements.

The energy transition calls for a different vision for housing and building. For example, we are going to focus policy on renovating homes and making them more sustainable. In view of the potential impact of climate change in both the short and long term, climate adaptive construction will become the norm. If demolition cannot be prevented, the number of social housing units must remain at least the same. Issues such as sustainability and accessibility will play an important role in the issuance of building permits, and rental homes with poor insulation and low energy labels will be adapted so that they no longer exist or can be rented out by 2030.

BIJ1 proposes the following solutions to ensure that everyone can live comfortably, affordably and safely.

1. The right to housing is laid down by law.
2. The cost-sharing standard will be abolished.
3. The landlord levy will be abolished.
4. The mortgage interest deduction will be abolished.
5. Brokers, intermediaries or landlords who discriminate will lose the right to continue performing these functions and will be subject to criminal prosecution.
6. The annual rent increase will be maximally inflation-linked.
7. The ban on squatting will be lifted.
8. It will be forbidden to own houses and premises but leave them unused. We are introducing compulsory housing and we are going to fine vacancy.
9. We will impose an additional tax on the ownership of homes with a value of over 500 000 Euros.
10. We will commit to building more social housing, including through land policy in the form of active acquisition of private land.
11. With active enforcement, we will fight vacancy of homes, speculation with vacant properties and speculation with building land.
12. When issuing building permits, accessibility, sustainability and a climate clause will be decisive factors.
13. As many existing homes as possible will be made suitable for people with disabilities. The UN Convention on Disability is the starting point here.
14. When making land available, (local) authorities will give priority to social housing rather than to the highest bidder.

1. Housing corporations will be deprivatized. We will form regional housing cooperatives throughout the country, which are democratically organised and actually focus on making social housing and neighbourhoods more social.
2. The current scoring system for rental housing will be replaced by a new system based on the actual housing quality.
3. Contracts for an indefinite period will once again become the norm. Temporary leases will only be allowed in exceptional situations.
4. We will introduce a rental permit with qualification requirements to protect tenants against malicious landlords (cottage fumigators).
5. Tenants, both individually and collectively, will have more influence on housing improvements through initiative rights.
6. The demolition of houses that are still to be renovated will be prevented as much as possible. If demolition turns out to be the only option, the number of houses in the social segment must be at least the same as before.
7. No distinction will be made when refurbishing, brightening up and maintaining neighbourhoods. Areas with social housing will have just as much right to recreation, accessibility and greenery, without this being at the expense of the status of social housing.
8. There will be an earthquake damage compensation scheme for houses damaged by earthquakes.
9. Landlords will be responsible for refurbishing low-energy houses. Renting out homes with labels G, F and E will no longer be permitted. By 2030, all rental homes must be renovated to a minimum energy label A or B and must be heated without the use of natural gas.
10. Funds will be made available for making social housing more sustainable. We will also invest heavily in making social housing accessible.
11. There will be a national plan to guarantee safe and accessible housing for all, even in a changing climate. This plan will take into account the risk of flooding, extreme heat, cold and drought, among other things. Special attention will also be paid to the BES-islands.
12. Research will be carried out into the consequences and dangers of more extreme conditions such as drought, lowered groundwater levels and soil watering for existing buildings, nature and animals. Appropriate measures shall be taken to counteract this.
13. Tenants will have access to a platform of independent experts in case of continuous fungal or moisture problems.

1. A sufficient number of free shelters for homeless people, including self-reliant homeless people, will be realised immediately. Individual privacy is a top priority here.
2. Existing projects such as Housing First, where homeless people are provided with a home (with individual help if necessary), will be further expanded and made into the norm.
3. Direct evictions on the basis of late payment will be prohibited.
4. The right of Roma and Sinti to live in their communities will be respected and they are actively and generously involved in creating and facilitating residential locations.
5. For the most vulnerable, there will be an additional category within the social rental sector with rents not exceeding 350 euros per month.
6. There will be more opportunities for (communal) living, such as tiny houses and residential groups.
7. When transforming buildings, municipalities must provide space for residents’ initiatives or innovative forms of housing.