Like the third quarter, rents continue to rise significantly in the fourth quarter. This is evident from the figures recently released by Pararius. Whereas in the first two quarters of 2021 the figures were still trending downward, the falling rents due to COVID-19 now appear to have really disappeared.
COVID-19
Whereas the average rent still dropped significantly in 2020 as a result of COVID-19, this was completely reversed in 2021. The negative effects due to COVID-19 were mainly due to expats staying away and tourist rentals coming to a halt. With the revival of the expat market at the beginning of 2021, the price dampening effect for rent disappeared completely. By the second quarter of 2021, there already appeared to be no further decline in prices with a significant rebound in the third and fourth quarters of 2021.
Figures from Q4 2021
Figures from Pararius revealed that new tenants in the free sector paid an average of 5.3% more in the last quarter of 2021 compared to the last quarter of 2020. The average rent per square meter rose many times worse in the free sector last quarter. The average rent per square meter for furnished properties rose to €19.68 which is a percentage increase of 8.1% compared to the same period a year earlier. The average rent per square meter for unfurnished homes rose 8% from €15.18 to €16.39 per square meter. Bare rented homes increased the hardest in price by 20.9% from €14.42 to €17.02 per square meter.
Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Rotterdam and Eindhoven
Amsterdam is still a leader in rental prices and here there has been a 1.7% increase this year. New tenants now pay an average of €22.45 p/m2 per month in Amsterdam.
Utrecht, at €18.33, is also above the national average. This year an increase of 2.9% took place there. The central location that results in an awful lot of activity is one of the main reasons that the cathedral city experiences such a strong price.
The remaining three are just below the national average: The Hague €16.89 p/m2 with +6.8% growth, Rotterdam €16.89 p/m2 with +9.7% growth and Eindhoven €15.76 p/m2 with +11.7% growth.
Counties
The free rental sector is also rising provincially in each area. In the north they still lead as the cheapest in the three provinces: Drenthe €11.05 per square meter (+16.1%), Friesland €10.66 per square meter (+17%) and Overijssel €11.58 per square meter (+10%).
Groningen, on the other hand, comes out higher, here it paid €14.23 per square meter. In Gelderland (+8.4%), Limburg (+8.2%) and Zeeland (+9.5%), the average square meter price is around €12. New tenants there paid €12.60, €12.19 and €12.43 per square meter per month, respectively. North Brabant experienced an increase of 7.7%, a rental property here cost an average of €14.07 per square meter per month in the fourth quarter of 2020. North Holland, as indicated above, remains the most expensive province at €20.49 per square meter. There was a slight growth of +0.6%. This high rent is driven by the popular cities located here.