Fazlur Rahman
Quick Answer
Housing minister Elanor Boekholt-O'Sullivan pledged on Sep 15, 2026 to end secrecy on property foundation reports and make them accessible to homeowners from next year. The Netherlands Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (RLI) July 2026 report found that more than 400,000 buildings have foundation problems or are likely to develop them within 10 years; approximately 120,000 are in urgent need of repair; if nothing is done, the total repair cost could reach €54 billion (dutchnews.nl, Sep 15, 2026).
Last verified: Sep 16, 2026.
At a glance
- At-risk buildings: >400,000 (RLI, July 2026)
- Urgent repairs needed: ~120,000
- Total repair cost: Could reach €54 billion
- Affordability gap: 6 in 10 urgent-repair homeowners cannot afford
- Transparency pledge: Reports accessible from next year (Sep 15, 2026)
- Online database target: Complete by 2030
The transparency pledge
The Dutch housing minister announced on Sep 15, 2026 that foundation reports will be accessible to homeowners from next year. Currently, foundation reports are only accessible to estate agents and banks. Since April 1, 2026, a simple foundation check has been part of the big banks' mortgage requirements — but only once buyers have made an offer, which puts buyers at risk of incurring default costs if a D/E grade is discovered late (dutchnews.nl, Sep 15, 2026).
The new system would make the foundation label as accessible as the energy label, with buyers able to check foundation status before making an offer. A new section of the online property database will go live next year, with completion targeted by 2030. The pledge addresses a long-standing transparency problem in the Dutch housing market where buyers have been at risk of inheriting foundation problems worth tens or hundreds of thousands of euros (dutchnews.nl, Sep 15, 2026).
The scope of the crisis
The RLI July 2026 report quantified the scale of the Dutch foundation crisis. More than 400,000 buildings in the Netherlands have foundation problems or are likely to develop them within the next 10 years. Of those, approximately 120,000 are in urgent need of repair. If nothing is done, the total repair cost could reach €54 billion (dutchnews.nl, Sep 15, 2026).
The crisis stems primarily from historic construction on soft soils and changing groundwater levels. Many Dutch homes were built on wooden pile foundations in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the wood can decay or be attacked by bacteria as groundwater levels change. Climate change, increased groundwater pumping for construction projects, and ageing infrastructure have accelerated the problem (dutchnews.nl, Sep 15, 2026).
The affordability problem
Six in 10 homeowners whose property needs urgent foundation repairs cannot afford them. The affordability gap is significant because foundation repair costs can range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of euros depending on the severity of the problem. Many homeowners face a choice between paying for expensive repairs, selling at a loss, or walking away from the property (dutchnews.nl, Sep 15, 2026).
The AFM April 2026 report flagged the affordability gap as a systemic risk. If a large number of homeowners cannot afford repairs and the government does not step in, the affected properties may enter a downward spiral of deteriorating foundations and falling values, with potential spillover effects on the broader mortgage market (dutchnews.nl, Sep 15, 2026).
What this means for the housing market
The foundation crisis creates significant uncertainty in the Dutch housing market. Buyers face the risk of inheriting a property with a foundation problem worth tens or hundreds of thousands of euros. Sellers may have difficulty finding buyers for properties with poor foundation grades. The mortgage denial risk for D/E grade properties effectively removes a segment of the housing stock from the market, exacerbating supply constraints (dutchnews.nl, Sep 15, 2026).
The transparency pledge addresses one side of the problem — giving buyers information before they commit. But it does not solve the affordability gap. Until the government or a national fund steps in to address the repair cost, the foundation crisis will continue to weigh on the Dutch housing market and create a shadow inventory of properties with hidden foundation problems (dutchnews.nl, Sep 15, 2026).
Side-by-side: foundation grade and risk
| Grade | Status | Mortgage impact | Buyer risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Sound foundation | Standard mortgage approval | None |
| B | Minor concerns | Standard mortgage approval | Low |
| C | Watch list | Standard with disclosure | Moderate |
| D | Further research required | Conditional approval | High |
| E | Significant problems | Mortgage denial likely | Severe — offer default risk |
What enterprise buyers should do next
Three actions for Dutch homebuyers, lenders, and policy stakeholders.
- Demand foundation reports pre-offer. The current system requires buyers to make an offer before seeing the foundation report. Buyers should insist on seeing the foundation report as a condition of any offer. The September 2026 transparency pledge will make this standard from next year.
- Stress-test for foundation exposure. Banks and investors should assess their Dutch mortgage book's exposure to high-foundation-risk areas, particularly older Randstad properties built on wooden pile foundations.
- Watch the government funding decision. The €54 billion total repair cost is not fully funded. Watch for a national fund or government subsidy programme to address the affordability gap, expected in the autumn 2026 budget cycle.
What to watch next
Three near-term datapoints. First, the autumn 2026 budget — a national fund or subsidy programme to address the €54 billion repair cost is expected to be announced. Second, the launch of the online foundation database next year — the transparency mechanism will be a major market reform. Third, additional AFM reports on foundation exposure in mortgage books — banks with high exposure to D/E grade properties will face regulatory scrutiny (dutchnews.nl, Sep 15, 2026).
