Division of living space

For the allocation of social housing, all municipalities, private landlords and social landlords (housing corporations) within the Haaglanden region use the same rules. These rules are laid down in the regionally coordinated Housing Regulation Zoetermeer 2023 More information about this can be found at: Regulations Woonnet Haaglanden .

Selection based on registration period

Whether you are allocated a home depends mainly on your accumulated registration period. The longer your registration period, the greater your chance of being eligible for a home from a housing corporation. Your first search attempt will probably not be an immediate success. Please note that it will take a number of years before you have a home. This also depends on the type of home you are looking for. If you leave behind an independent rental home in the region when you move, the period that you lived there also counts (your duration of residence). However, there is a maximum of 5 years.

Declaration of urgency

In certain cases, a home seeker may be eligible for an urgency declaration. Namely, if there are social or medical reasons or because the home seeker is a restructuring candidate. (These are residents who have to leave their living space due to the renovation or uninhabitability of the current living space). With an urgency declaration, a home seeker is given priority over all other home seekers. You can apply for an urgency declaration via the municipality. The organisation Het Vierde Huis processes the applications on behalf of the municipality of Zoetermeer. More information about the entire procedure, such as completing an online questionnaire to check whether you could be eligible, can be found at Social rental housing, urgency declaration .

Local customization

Annually, the housing corporations rent out a maximum of 50 percent of the available social housing on the basis of so-called 'local customization'. Local customization is intended for home seekers from Zoetermeer or the Haaglanden region who belong to certain established categories. They are given priority over other home seekers. This also includes home seekers with an urgency declaration. Households with an urgency declaration are always considered first.

Woonnet Haaglanden automatically takes into account whether a home seeker is eligible for one of these rules of local customization. It is therefore not possible to register for this. You must ensure that your details on Woonnet Haaglanden are correct. ( Log in Woonnet Haaglanden ).

The following categories of Zoetermeer home seekers are eligible for local customization:

• People moving from a large social rental home (from 80 ^m2 and below the social rent price limit) to a small social rental home (non-single-family homes smaller than 80 ^m2 and below the social rent price limit).
• People moving from a cheap social housing unit (with a rent (after adjustment) below €477.20; price level 2025) to a non-single-family home.
• Young people under the age of 23 can be given priority for a vacant home below the quality discount threshold (€477.20; price level 2025).
• Moving through the flow broker. The flow broker/senior broker may use local customization to allow empty nesters and seniors (55 years or older), who do not live suitably in their current home, to move on to a suitable home within the neighborhood, street or complex.
• Social new-build housing. Corporations may allocate the new-build housing to further in accordance with the board of mayor and aldermen certain categories of local home seekers.
• Group housing. The residents of a group housing can often decide for themselves who may occupy a vacant rental home. The allocations fall under local customization.

Regional customization

Within the Haaglanden region, priority rules also apply to home seekers from the region. These priority rules also fall under the total percentage of Local Customization and are automatically processed in the Woonnet Haaglanden system.

Regional customization is at least the case in the following cases:

• Large families who move within the region and leave behind a social housing unit may be given priority for living spaces equal to or larger than 80 ^m2 of living space.
• Households that leave behind a social housing unit with a living area greater than or equal to 65 ^m2 for a single-family home and greater than or equal to 80 ^m2 for other types of homes, may be given priority for living spaces smaller than 80 ^m2 that are not classified as a single-family home.
• People moving within the region who leave behind a scarce large social housing corporation home, which is labelled for a larger household, can be immediately mediated to a 'non-single-family home' smaller than 80 ^m2 and a rent up to and including the rent price limit that is labelled for a smaller suitable household, with a maximum of 5% of the available supply.

Assignment order

Based on the above, the allocation order of social housing by housing corporations is as follows:

1. Home seekers with an urgent declaration.
2. Home seekers who fall under local customization.
3. All other home seekers based on their residence and registration period.

First Responder

Homes that are less scarce or that do not fall under the regulation, such as private sector homes, can also be offered on a first responder basis.

You can adjust your search criteria on this specific allocation basis. The first responder who meets the conditions will be offered the home. It is not mandatory to be registered as a home seeker with Woonnet Haaglanden to respond to these homes.

Lottery houses

If you have only been registered for a short time and you still want to have a chance of getting a home, it is best to respond to a lottery home. These homes are raffle off by the housing corporations via Woonnet Haaglanden. So everyone has an equal chance. These are usually small homes that are mainly suitable for starters.

Learn more

The Zoetermeer housing corporations (De Goede Woning, Stedelink and Vidomes) can provide you with tailored information about your options for qualifying for a (rental) home in Zoetermeer or elsewhere in the Haaglanden region. In addition, Woonnet Haaglanden states a clear and detailed explanation and you can pick up the free Woonwijzer (information brochure) at one of the housing corporations. The addresses of the corporations can be found on the page Useful addresses or can be found at www.dgw.nl , www.stedelink.nl and www.vidomes.nl .