As a result of changes in housing policy in the 1990s, social landlords in the Netherlands operate largely independently from the government. Without direct financial support, with less government regulation and decreasing demand for social housing, they are adopting a market-oriented approach...

The size of the Dutch social housing sector, with a 32 per cent share of the housing stock, has prompted concerns over the 'level playing field' of competition between social and commercial housing providers. In 2007, this concern culminated in a complaint from the Dutch Association of...