Municipality of Almere and Hospi Housing launch partnership for homesharing

The Municipality of Almere and Hospi Housing are launching a partnership to promote homesharing. It is an important step that increases the potential for more hosts and more affordable housing in Almere.

Good news from Almere: the Municipality of Almere and Hospi Housing have launched a partnership to actively promote homesharing across the city. It is an important step towards making better use of existing homes and creating extra housing more quickly for people looking for an affordable room. According to Omroep Flevoland, the pilot aims to create 100 additional housing places in the next two years.

This partnership is especially promising in a city like Almere. It is a large and growing city with many relatively spacious homes, while at the same time there is strong demand for affordable and temporary housing. That means the potential of empty rooms is enormous. On its own homesharing page, the municipality explains that residents can rent out part of their home to one or up to two people without needing a municipal permit, as long as they meet the conditions.

Creating more housing with the homes that already exist

What makes this step so important is that Almere is not only looking at new construction, but also at what is already possible within the homes that are there today. According to Omroep Flevoland, many homes in Almere already have one or more empty rooms. By using that space better, the city can create extra housing more quickly for students, starters and other home seekers who struggle to find an affordable place.

That is exactly why we are so excited about this partnership. Homesharing is a social and practical solution: hosts can help someone find a room, often earn extra income, and bring a bit more life into the home at the same time. For tenants, it can offer a more accessible and affordable way to find housing.

Free advice and matching through Hospi Housing

The Municipality of Almere refers residents who are interested in homesharing directly to Hospi Housing. On the municipal webpage, it states that residents can access free advice and support, for example to explore the possibilities and get help finding a suitable tenant.

That makes this partnership especially valuable. Having a spare room is one thing, but actually taking the step to rent it out can feel exciting or unfamiliar. That is where support really matters. Guidance with finding the right match, making clear agreements and starting the rental period well can make all the difference.

Almere shows just how much potential there is

The Omroep Flevoland item makes it clear that Almere is serious about homesharing. The municipality is launching a pilot to actively promote this form of housing and wants to create 100 extra housing places together with Hospi Housing over the next two years. It also highlights comments from alderperson Paul Tang, who points to the combination of quicker housing creation, extra income for residents and the social value of having someone in the home.

For us, that underlines exactly why Almere is such an important city to work with. If a large city with many family homes and underused rooms actively embraces homesharing, the impact can be significant and immediate. More hosts simply means more social and affordable places to live.

What are the rules in Almere?

The Municipality of Almere also clearly lists the most important conditions on its homesharing webpage. The host must be the main resident and must use at least 50% of the home themselves. The tenant must be at least 18 years old, both host and tenant must be registered at the same address, and the room must be at least 12 square metres. If you are renting your own home, you need permission from your landlord or housing corporation; if you own your home with a mortgage, you need permission from your mortgage provider.

That clarity matters. The better people understand what is and is not possible, the easier it becomes to seriously consider homesharing themselves.

An important step forward

With this partnership, Almere is showing that it wants to seriously invest in making better use of existing housing space. And that is good news. Not just for people looking for a place to live, but also for residents who have space to spare and want to use it in a meaningful and social way.

We are proud to be working with the Municipality of Almere and excited to help more hosts in the city get started. In a city with this much potential, homesharing really can make a difference.

Do you live in Almere and do you have a spare room? Read more on the Municipality of Almere website or sign up via Hospi Housing.