The new points system: What changes for you as a landlord

For some time now, there have been various reports in the news about regulating mid-range rentals. We now have more information about what this regulation entails legally. But what does this mean for private investors, and how should they handle these changes?

Sustainability becomes more important

The points system used to calculate the value of a property, the Housing Valuation System (Woning Waarde Stelsel, WWS), will change in 2024. The specifics are not yet known. However, it is known that higher energy labels (A to D) will be rewarded with more points. Therefore, it is important to make your property (or properties) more sustainable in the coming period.

Calculating the number of points

We recommend that you review the properties you have for rent and, as soon as more is known about the points system, have a scan conducted to determine how many points your property achieves. Additionally, the report you receive after such a scan will include advice on how to achieve the maximum number of points for your property and the corresponding rental price. This will provide you with good insight into whether it is necessary to make your properties more sustainable and whether this will have the desired effect on the rental price.

However, we currently recommend not taking any action yet. We need to wait for the final plans and the new WWS system. Only then can appropriate action be taken on your property or properties.

Enforcing rental prices

It is important to know the exact number of points your property has in the future. Currently, the tenant is the one who can request a review from the rental committee to check if the rent charged is justified. If the tenant did not go to the rental committee, nothing happened. However, this is likely to change. The plans talk about enforcing excessively high rental prices and imposing fines. Unfortunately, we cannot share details about these measures yet, as it is still unknown how exactly it will look.

What should I do now?

At this moment, you do not need to take any action. Next year, you can still rent out the property according to the old WWS system. The new system will only come into effect in January 2024. If your property currently just meets the points (the minimum number of points a property in the private sector must meet is 141) and you need to find a new tenant next year, we recommend signing a lease agreement for an indefinite period with a minimum of 12 months or even longer. If your tenant stays for another three years, the new points system will not matter. It will only apply to new contracts starting January 1, 2024.

Focusing on the Non-Private Sector

We still do not know exactly what the measures and the points system will look like. Therefore, it is not necessary to sell your property or make drastic decisions. We recommend waiting for the measures, then checking the maximum rental price of your property, and only then taking action. If the property does not fall within the private sector, you can also see if the maximum rent you can charge still fits within the desired return. A slightly lower rent can still yield sufficient returns in the long term.

Would you like to discuss this topic with one of our rental experts? Contact us!