Housing policy
Maastricht wants to be a city where everyone feels at home. A safe city with sufficient rental and owner-occupied homes in all price ranges, spread across the city. With homes that are sustainable, so that we can combat climate change and reduce our energy bills. And with age-proofed homes where people can live independently for longer, even if their health or mobility deteriorates. Maastricht wants to be a city where people love to live, work and relax.
Our housing policy consists of rules for building houses, purchase protection and financial arrangements.You will also find several frequently asked questions about housing on this page.
Please note: most documents and websites linked on this page are only available in Dutch. If you have any questions, you feel free to let us know via the BuitenBeter App or call us on 14 043.
Rules for building (student) homes
Developers of new housing must abide by several agreements and rules when building houses in Maastricht. The rules and agreements are described in the documents below.
- Maastricht Housing Vision 2018
- Multi-year performance agreements. The document lists agreements we have made with housing corporations: companies in the city that build, manage and let housing. We have also made agreements with organisations in the city that stand up for the interests of tenants.
- Housing programme 2021-2030
- Wonen Zuid-Limburg spatial development strategy including the policy rule Ruim Baan (Space for Action). It aims to achieve better (affordable) housing distribution in the neighbourhoods and a more balanced housing stock.
There are also specific rules for new student homes. You can find the rules through the links below.
- Splitting or converting a home into rooms
- Living with a landlord/landlady (lodgings)
- Maastricht Student Housing Programme 2019-2024
Purchase protection from 1 October 2022 onwards
The purchase protection regulation allows you to rent out a home only under certain conditions. Purchase protection applies to existing homes with a WOZ value of up to € 355,000, a maximum set by the Nationale Hypotheek Garantie (reference date: 1 January 2022). You will also need a permit. The owner of the property must apply for the permit.
Financial arrangements
- Provincie Limburg (the province of Limburg) offers the Lening Duurzaam Thuis (the Sustainable Home Loan). The loan encourages you to age-proof your home and make it more sustainable.
- Gemeente Maastricht (the municipality of Maastricht) offers first-time buyer loans to first-time buyers.
- Finally, the gemeente (municipality) offers a subsidy to groups of residents who want to set up a housing project together (self-construction or collective private commissioning). In collective private commissioning, a group of residents develop their homes or even an entire residential area together.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
You can apply for housing with urgency. Help for the homeless is also available.
-
If you have any care and support needs, you can apply for a Social Support Act (Wmo) facility via an informal assessment, so we can talk about your situation. Alternatively, you can let us know during the assessment that it is necessary for you to quickly move to a home that is more suitable for the type of care or support you need. You can then apply for a relocation permit.
For people who want to age-proof their home themselves or make it more sustainable, Provincie Limburg (the province of Limburg) offers the Lening Duurzaam Thuis (the Sustainable Home Loan). You can learn more about making your home sustainable via the Klimaatneutraal website.
-
Renting
You can register at Thuis in Limburg from the age of 18 if you are looking for a rental house. From that moment on you will build up registration time. We advise you to register at an early age.
For some houses the future tenant is chosen by lot. In such cases you also have a chance to get a house when you have only been registered for a short time.
You can apply for housing with urgency if you need a house urgently. You can also contact a property owner or company in the private sector in Maastricht if your income is too high for social housing.
Buying
If you don't want to rent but want to buy a house as a first-time buyer, you can apply for a first-time buyer loan.
-
Students who are looking for a place to live can use Maastricht Housing. Maastricht University also provides information and tips on finding somewhere to live.
-
Feel free to report a nuisance to us. Alternatively, Buurtbemiddeling Maastricht can help you get in touch with your neighbours so you can talk about the problem.
-
You can call in Huurteam Zuid-Limburg if you are a tenant and if you are in a dispute with your landlord/landlady.
-
You can find more information on housing and housing policy in the municipal council housing file: the Raadsdossier Wonen.
