News

It is difficult to find a home. Utrecht is doing its utmost to make (and keep) as many homes available as possible for people looking for a home. For example, by building new houses.

Some examples of projects that started in 2020:

Wonderwoods (more than 400 homes) on Jaarbeursplein
De Kwekerij in Utrecht East (244 homes)
De Nieuwe Defensieterrein in de Merwedekanaalzone (1st phase 291 homes)
The Cube in Overvecht (639 homes)
Huize Nijevelt in Vleuten de Meern (32 homes)
Wisselspoorkwartier at the 2nd Daalsedijk (1st phase 122 homes)
Plan: 60,000 additional homes by 2040
The plan is to create approximately 60,000 additional homes in the period up to 2040. That is about 3,000 per year. Construction of between 2,800 and 3,100 homes will start in 2021. The municipality expects the start of construction of between 2,600 and 3,200 homes by 2022.

Thousands of homes will be added in Utrecht in the coming years. We also want to ensure that it remains pleasant to live. That is why they also spend a lot of money on public space. The following projects will start (or have already started) in 2021:

1st phase cartesius triangle (more than 300 homes)
Smakkelaarsveld (150 homes)
Opaalweg (200 student homes)
A.B.C. street 5 (104 homes)
A number of large construction projects with many homes will start in 2022 and 2023. Such as Wisselspoor/2e daalsedijk sub-area 2-4, Cartesiusdriehoek (follow-up phases) and Merwedekanaal zone.

New rules for owner-occupied homes
For some time now we have had a 'self-occupancy obligation' for new construction in Utrecht. Anyone who buys a new-build house must live in it themselves and cannot immediately rent it out to someone else.

We now want a new rule for existing houses: 'purchase protection'. Anyone who buys a house may not rent it out for at least 4 years.

More about buyback protection
We want a ban throughout the city on renting out a house with a WOZ value of up to € 440,000 after the purchase. The purchase protection will probably apply from mid-March. The municipal council will soon decide on this new rule.

The Utrecht housing market is under pressure. Purchasing prices in the city have never been so high. Some of the few affordable houses are bought up by investors. This leads to even fewer owner-occupied homes and therefore rising house prices. Utrecht wants people who want to live in an affordable owner-occupied home to be able to find a place in Utrecht. This new rule will especially benefit starters and buyers with a middle income.

There are 3 exceptions to the purchase protection:

someone may still rent a purchased house to first- and second-degree family (parents, children, brothers and sisters)
someone may rent out a purchased house temporarily, for a maximum of 12 months, for example if the owner is going on a long trip
someone may rent out a purchased house as a business home
A permit will soon be required for such an exception.

There may be 2 more exceptions:

new construction projects in which rental agreements have been made
In cases where renting out a house is very important, the municipal council will decide
The above offers various opportunities and risks. We are happy to advise our customers.

PEEK&POMPE MAKELAARS

A beautiful new residential area is being built here, with modern, spacious homes.

PEEK&POMPE MAKELAARS is a stone's throw away and is happy to advise you on this new construction and the sales opportunities of your current home in Utrecht or the surrounding area.

Call for a no-obligation appointment.

Green, car-free city district with amenities within easy reach.

Merwede will become a special, 21st century urban district for Utrecht where more than 12,000 people will soon be able to live in a sustainable and healthy way. Characteristic of this urban district is high-quality greenery in public spaces, in courtyards and on roofs. This is possible because it will be a virtually car-free district where pedestrians and cyclists are central. People can use a wide range of shared cars, shared bicycles and public transport.

Contemporary, accessible city district
Merwede is changing from an industrial estate into a contemporary urban district that is accessible to everyone: from starters to the elderly and from singles to families. More than half of the number of homes consists of affordable rental and purchase: 30% social rental, 25% middle segment and the rest is the private sector. Alternating heights, widths and architecture determine the streetscape, as well as the greenery. The motto is: green, unless. Each building block will have a courtyard, many of which are accessible to everyone.

A fine-meshed network for slow traffic ensures that the district is well connected to the rest of the city and is therefore easily accessible. The new Merwede Park will be built along the canal, which, together with the Merwedeplantsoen, will soon connect all parts of the new and existing neighborhoods. This makes the area attractive for walking.

It will be a city district with everything within reach and facilities for all Utrecht residents. People do their shopping there, work and exercise in the area and enjoy a terrace on a city square. Children will soon go to primary or secondary school there. The current bicycle depot will become a vibrant place with a market hall, catering, creative activities and food cultivation for the entire district and surrounding area.

At the same time as the development of Merwede, the municipality, in consultation with residents, is giving a boost to the surrounding Rivierenwijk and Transwijk districts. By making it greener, improving the public space and providing better connections for cyclists and walkers.

Sustainable and healthy
Merwede will become almost energy neutral. It will have the largest underground heat-cold storage facility in the Netherlands to heat or cool the district, using water from the Merwede Canal. The greenery and solar panels on the roofs contribute to a healthy city. No roof is unused, that is the idea. In the 'Merwede Lab', specialists investigate during area development how the district can become as sustainable and circular as possible, always using the latest techniques. The Merwede Lab also involves residents in the design of public space.

It has been mandatory for a number of years to provide an energy label when selling and renting properties. In the event of sale, this must take place no later than the notarial transfer. While in the first years a clause was often included that the seller was indemnified to supply the energy label, this has no longer been possible in recent years.

In a market where the housing supply seems to be shrinking and it is therefore becoming more difficult to purchase a home, it is logical that people will look for alternatives. In many cases, homes that are not completely ready to move in are sold less quickly and for a lower price.

These days it's about nothing other than the extreme heat. Hot huh? Hot huh? Suffering... We regularly read reports in the media about the overheated housing market. First-time buyers no longer have a chance, you have to overbid, often by tens of thousands of euros, and you often have to be happy that you can view a home. However?