Alderman of Zaanstad: Harrie van der Laan, vists one of their local hosts and tenants
Since 2024 the municipality of Zaanstad is actively promoting Homestay Rental as a solution to the housing shortage. Alderman Harrie visited a local host and tenant to ask for their experiences so far.
Since autumn 2024, the Municipality of Zaanstad has been actively promoting homestay rental as a social and affordable solution to the shortage of rooms. Instead of only building new homes, the municipality also encourages residents to make a room in their house available. This way, people searching for housing can find a place more quickly, and social connections within the city are strengthened.
In the summer of 2025, Alderman for Housing, Harrie van der Laan, visited Wormerveer, where he met host Jane and tenant Shannen. Their story demonstrates why it is so important for the municipality to facilitate hospita renting.
Together with municipalities, Hospi Housing organizes multiple working visits each year, where the responsible aldermen meet local hosts and tenants in their homes. These visits give aldermen insight into what it is like to live together in this way, and the motivations behind choosing this form of housing. Sharing these experiences also helps inspire new hosts and increase public support for hospita renting.
High costs and long waiting lists
For Shannen, homestay rental began out of necessity. After her relationship ended, she could no longer bear the high housing costs on her own, but she wanted to continue living in Wormerveer. Responding to smaller apartments and rooms led nowhere - the waiting lists were endless. That is why she placed a message on Facebook, where she came into contact with Jane.
Jane, originally from Callantsoog, knew all too well how difficult it is to find a place to live. Her brother had only managed to buy a house with great luck, and she had also experienced the housing shortage herself. When she met Shannen, she realized that renting out a room through housing corporation Parteon was possible. For Shannen, it was a logical step: she wanted to help someone while making better use of her home. Shannen: “It is a shame when space remains unused. That is why I think it’s great that the municipality supports this.”
For Shannen, Wormerveer feels like a village, while Jane sees it as a city - a small difference that immediately brought a smile during the conversation with the alderman.
Why homestay rental in Zaanstad?
Zaanstad is a unique city in North Holland. Many students from Amsterdam move to Zaanstad, while at the same time, the city also faces the challenge of housing its own residents. For this reason, the Municipality of Zaanstad launched a campaign in late 2024 to promote homestay rental.
Homestay rental is permitted in Zaanstad without a permit for both homeowners and tenants, for up to one tenant per household. In some neighborhoods, however, a permit is still required. In this campaign, Hospi Housing and the municipality work closely together with housing corporation Parteon and several municipalities in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region (MRA).
The goal of the campaign is to help people find a room in someone’s home and to raise awareness about homestay rental among Zaanstad’s residents. Homestay rental not only helps relieve the room shortage but also provides residents with additional income, social contact, and the satisfaction of helping someone in need.
Alderman Harrie van der Laan emphasizes: “We are strongly committed to improving housing flow and building new homes, but temporary housing units are becoming increasingly expensive and can only be used for a limited time. When you see how many rooms and spaces remain unused, it makes sense to put them to good use. It is a shame to let space go to waste.”
Increase in young hosts under 40
According to the Hospi Housing Report on Homestay Rental in the Netherlands 2025, more and more young hosts are signing up. Whereas in 2024 it was mainly older hosts who took this step, by 2025 hosts under 40 already account for 48% of all new registrations. Nationally, this figure is 40%. This shows that homestay rental is increasingly appealing to younger households as well - an important development for cities like Zaanstad.
Many residents with spare rooms say they enjoy being able to temporarily offer someone shelter. The fact that they can also earn some extra income and enjoy social contact is a welcome bonus. Demand from tenants is also high: living with a host or host family is often more affordable, friendlier, and quieter than traditional student housing.
Most common motivations for hosts: helping someone, earning extra income (or covering costs), enjoying social contact, preventing empty rooms from going unused.
Most common motivations for tenants: safety, affordability, social contact, preference for a quieter environment compared to a student house, and the opportunity to learn from another culture.
Unique collaboration in Zaanstad
To encourage homestay rental, Hospi Housing works together with the Municipality of Zaanstad and housing corporation Parteon. Parteon has allowed homestay rental for several years and actively encourages its tenants to share their homes. The main motivation is to make better use of the existing housing stock. Much of the current supply consists of single-family homes, which no longer align with the growing demand from single-person households.
The visit of Alderman Harrie van der Laan to Shannen and Jane confirms that homestay rental works: it provides affordable housing, strengthens social ties, and ensures better use of existing homes. Or, in the words of the alderman himself: “Building, building, building will always remain important. But homestay rental is a smart and social way to relieve pressure on the housing market.”
Interested in becoming a host?
The Municipality of Zaanstad and housing corporations apply flexible rules for homestay rental and encourage residents to consider becoming hosts. Do you have questions, doubts, or would you like to discuss what is possible in your situation? You can easily and freely register via Hospi Housing. Municipalities, housing corporations, and other organizations that would like more information are also welcome to get in touch.