Housing and access to housing are important and topical issues in the Netherlands. Homelessness has doubled in 10 years, young people are forced to live with their parents for a long time, waiting lists for social housing are growing rapidly, and buying a house is not an option for most people because of rapidly rising house prices. The housing shortage is a real problem for more and more people in the Netherlands. The government has a duty to make housing a reality for everyone. The right to housing is included in article 22 paragraph 2 of the Dutch Constitution.
The right to housing is a human right
The right to housing is also recognized at the international level. The right to housing is a fundamental socioeconomic human right found, among other things, in Article 31 of the European Social Charter and Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights also gives substance to this right.
The core of the right to housing in international and European treaties is not only about quantity (sufficient housing), but also quality: housing must be “decent.” Housing is more than simply a roof over your head. The right to decent housing means that people have the right to live somewhere safe, peaceful and with dignity.
It is not easy to enforce this human right in proceedings before the Dutch courts. Consequently, there is still very little case law on the right to housing.
Media
Want to know more about the right to housing? Read the opinion piece by Rosa Beets of PILP in NRC.
