Starting a woongroep in the Netherlands: routes, money and first steps

Three routes: which one fits you?

Before you view any houses, choose a route together. That choice decides almost everything: how much money you need, how long it takes and how tightly you're tied to each other.

Not sure? Many groups start by renting. It lets you find out whether living together works before you take out a loan together.

Start with the group, not the house

Most shared homes don't fail because of the house. They fail because of expectations nobody said out loud. So start small. Find two or three people who really want this, and agree first on why you want to live together.

Put it on one page. How much shared life do you want? Do you cook together, or sometimes? How do you handle guests, partners and working from home? What can it cost per person per month? How long do you want to stay at minimum? That page will be worth its weight in gold later, with a landlord, a bank and above all with new people.

Talk about money early and in concrete terms. Who has savings, who doesn't? Who has a permanent contract? It feels awkward, but it decides which route is realistic. Also agree what happens if someone drops out along the way. With a cooperative, that almost always happens.

• Start small. A core of 2 to 4 people, and only then look further.
• A trial period. Have a few dinners or a weekend away together before you sign anything.
• A regular meeting, say once a month, with short notes of what you decide.

Paying for it when you rent together

Renting needs the least money upfront, but there are two hurdles. The first is the income requirement. Many Dutch landlords ask for a gross income of several times the monthly rent. With a group they look at combined income, but not every landlord counts every income equally. Ask beforehand.

The second hurdle is the contract. If you rent one home together and you all sign, you're usually jointly and severally liable. If someone leaves or doesn't pay, the landlord can claim the full rent from any of you. That's normal, but it means you need good agreements among yourselves. Agree who pays when someone leaves, and how quickly you'll find a new housemate.

Another option is that one person is the main tenant and the others sublet a room. That's only allowed with the landlord's permission, and the main tenant carries all the risk. For a shared home, a joint contract is usually fairer.

• Make a group file: who you are, your incomes, how long you want to stay and one contact person.
• Open a joint account or shared fund for fixed costs.
• Agree what happens to the deposit if someone leaves early.

Paying for it when you buy together

Buying together is possible, even with more than two people. You become joint owners, each with a share. A bank looks at everyone's income and at the risk if someone wants out. Not every lender offers mortgages to three or more buyers. An independent mortgage adviser will know which ones do.

The key document isn't the mortgage. It's the agreement between you. Have a notary record who owns which share, who puts in what, how you split costs and maintenance, and above all how someone can leave. What happens to the home if one person wants to sell? Who can take over their share, and at what price? Sorting this out in advance prevents most disputes.

As a buyer you also pay purchase costs, such as transfer tax, the notary, a valuation and advice. These vary per situation, so work them out for your own situation before making an offer.

• Have ownership and exit terms recorded by a notary.
• Agree a maintenance fund, like a small owners' association.
• Discuss what happens with a new relationship, children or a job elsewhere.

Paying for it with a housing cooperative

A wooncoöperatie is an association of residents that owns or manages a building together. You rent your home from your own cooperative. According to the Dutch government, financing is the biggest obstacle for these groups. Banks usually don't finance the whole amount, especially not in the early planning phase.

That's why a cooperative is usually financed in layers. Members put in part of the money themselves. A bank finances the largest share. The gap in between is filled with a loan from a fund, the municipality or people who believe in your project, for example through bonds or crowdfunding.

Extra help is on the way. The Dutch government has set aside more than €60 million for the Fonds Coöperatief Wonen (Cooperative Housing Fund). It is run by SVn and works with banks. It focuses on projects of 12 to 100 affordable homes, and can finance from the planning phase onwards, as long as the group has a location. According to SVn, groups will be able to apply by the end of 2026. Crowdbuilding received a grant to set up a financing desk that helps groups find their way.

Some municipalities have their own scheme. Amsterdam has a stimulus loan for housing cooperatives: the bank pays about 70 percent, members contribute at least 5 percent and the loan fills the gap, up to €50,000 per home over 15 years. Ask your own municipality what's available, as it differs per place.

• Set up an association or cooperative at a notary, with a clear board.
• Find a location with the municipality or a housing corporation. Without one, financing is nearly impossible.
• Get support. Organisations such as Cooplink and Crowdbuilding help with plans, budgets and financing.
• Expect several years, and people leaving and joining along the way.

Rules and money to watch

Rent benefit (huurtoeslag) is only available for a self-contained home, with your own rental contract, and if you're registered at the address. If several people share one self-contained home, all your co-residents' incomes count. With a few working people in the group, that often means you no longer qualify. For a single room with a shared kitchen you usually get no rent benefit. Always run a test calculation with the Dienst Toeslagen.

If you receive social assistance (bijstand), watch out for the kostendelersnorm, the Dutch cost-sharing rule. The more adult housemates aged 27 or over live in the home, the lower your benefit. There are exceptions, for example for students and tenants with a commercial rental contract. Check this with your municipality beforehand.

Everyone who lives there registers at the address. Municipalities also have rules for house sharing, room rental and splitting homes. In many cities you need a permit when a home is occupied by several separate households. The threshold differs per municipality. Check this before you sign, and ask the landlord whether the property may be shared.

Finding a house

For a renting group, large family houses are easiest, but many landlords prefer a single household. You stand a better chance with a good group file and one contact person, and by being honest: how long you want to stay, who signs and how you'll handle the rent.

Some housing corporations have shared-living groups or rent a building to a residents' association. Ask whether your city has a policy on group living, and look at the Landelijke Vereniging Groepswonen and Centrum Groepswonen. For cooperatives, empty buildings, former schools and offices, and municipal land are often the starting point.

Your first agreements

Once you've moved in, it's about the small things. In the first month, agree how you'll split fixed costs and the household fund, how cleaning works, when you meet and how you make decisions.

The most important one is how you choose new people. Does everyone get a say? What if you disagree? How long is the notice period when someone leaves? If you agree on this before you need it, things stay friendly when the time comes.

• A household fund for toilet paper, cleaning products and oil.
• A rota, or a fixed cleaning day.
• An introduction round for new housemates where everyone can join in.

How long does it take?

An honest estimate, not a promise. Renting together: a few weeks to a few months, depending on the housing market in your city. Buying together: often a few months to a year, mostly spent searching and agreeing terms at the notary. A cooperative with new build or renovation: usually several years, from group and plan via location and financing to completion.

Still missing one or two people?

A group is rarely complete in one go. On Hausmates you can post a room or home for free and find people who deliberately want to share a home after their studies. You see the profile of everyone who replies, your housemates can read along and vote, and you decide who to invite. Posting and replying are free.