What will renting costs in 2019?
Higher energy costs, a higher liberalization limit, indexed limits for the allocation of social housing and the housing allowance. Many things will change this year that will affect your wallet. But what exactly will change if you want to rent a house in 2019?
What does a social rental home cost in 2019?
Are you moving to a social rental home in 2019? In that case, the basic rent for that property may not exceed € 720.42. This is the new liberalization limit for 2019. For the first time in the last five years, the liberalization limit has risen.
If you have an income that entitles you to housing allowance and you are going to rent a house from a housing association in 2019, then the rent for your new home will probably not exceed € 651.03. This is because the corporations must also allocate appropriately in 2019. As a result, at least 95% of the homes that they allocate to low-income households must have a basic rent below the capping limits. A rent that is higher is only allowed in exceptional cases.
What is the income requirement for a social rental home?
If you have an annual income that is lower than € 38,035, you have the best chance of getting a social rental home. If you earn a little more, you still have a good chance of renting a home, but if your income exceeds € 42,436, you can only rent a social home exceptionally. This can occur, for example, when you have to relocate due to demolition of your current home, or if you have difficulty finding a suitable home due to a disability.
In 2019 there are a number of rules that housing associations must adhere to:
– A minimum of 80% of the vacant homes with a rental price of up to € 720.42 must be allocated to households with an annual income of up to € 38,035.
– A maximum of 10% of the homes with a rent up to € 720.42 may be allocated to households with an annual income between € 38,035 and € 42,436.
– There is no income limit for the remaining 10% of the homes.
These rules do not apply to commercial landlords such as private landlords.
With which income are you entitled to supplementary benefit?
The maximum annual income that you may have in order to receive housing allowance changes every year. In recent years, the maximum income for housing allowance has always increased slightly. The new amounts for 2019 are:
– € 22,700 for singles
– € 30,825 for multi-person households
The following applies to multi-person households: Do you or your housemate already have AOW?Then the maximum amount is € 25 lower.
Not only the income but also your assets count. On 1 January 2019 your assets may not exceed € 30,360 per person. If you had more capital on 1 January 2019, then you will not be entitled to housing allowance in 2019.
How much housing allowance can you get in 2019?
To find out exactly how much rent allowance you can get, it is best to make a test calculation. The housing allowance is a complex arrangement with many different standards. A few things have changed for 2019. Below are the limit amounts for 2019:
– Basic rent – from € 228.62
– Quality discount limit – € 424.44
– Capping limit – € 607.46
– Housing allowance limit – € 720.42
Do you have a property with a higher rental rent than the allowance limit? Then no housing allowance is possible for that property. Young people up to the age of 23 can only receive an allowance if their calculation rent does not exceed € 424.44.
The rent increase from 1 July 2019
The government sets percentages for the annual rent increase. This rent increase applies to social rental properties. These percentages will change again for 2019. The rent increases for 2019 are:
– 4.1% for tenants with an income up to € 42,436
– 5.6% for tenants with an income from € 42,436 or more
For most corporations, the average increase in rents may not exceed 2.6%. This includes the rent increase when re-letting a vacant home. A Social Rental Agreement was concluded in 2018. This ensures that the average rent increase at corporations will be even lower.
What do you pay in tax on energy?
Most tenants and homeowners will see the energy bill rise in 2019. You too will probably suffer from this. This is due to two government measures that will take effect on January 1, 2019. This concerns higher energy tax and lower tax credit.
An average household is going to be around € 20 more expensive than last year. This is because households will pay 3 cents more energy tax per cubic meter of gas used. In contrast, the tax on electricity decreased by 0.72 eurocents. How much more tax you are going to pay depends on your home consumption.
The tax credit goes down. This is a discount on the energy tax, which only applies to energy connections with a residence function. This means homes and offices. The tax credit is a fixed amount per year that is deducted from the energy tax payable. For 2019, the government has reduced this from € 308.54 to € 257.
What about local taxes?
What you spend on local taxes differs per municipality. Every year the COELO (Center for Research of the Economy of the Lower Governments) maps out what renters have to pay to the municipality, the water board and the province. The amounts for 2019 can be found on the COELO website.