Housing corporations Portaal, Talis and Woonwaarts launch pilot to promote homestay rental

As of February 2026, Portaal, Talis and Woonwaarts will start a homestay rental pilot together with the municipality of Nijmegen. The goal is to provide more affordable housing for its residents.

PRESS RELEASE

As of February 2026, housing corporations Portaal, Talis and Woonwaarts launch a homestay rental pilot together with the Municipality of Nijmegen Nijmegen, 25 February 2026

As of February 2026, housing corporations Portaal, Talis and Woonwaarts will start a homestay rental pilot together with the Municipality of Nijmegen. Homestay rental (renting out a room in your own home while you live there) is permitted in the municipality of Nijmegen for residents with both owner-occupied and rented homes. If you live in the property yourself, you may rent out up to two rooms without a permit. For rented homes, permission from the landlord or housing corporation is required. The three Nijmegen housing corporations will now make homestay rental easier and actively promote it among their tenants. Organizations Hospi Housing and Kamers met Aandacht will support them in this effort.

Benefits for tenant, host and municipality

The housing corporations Talis, Woonwaarts and Portaal are launching a homestay rental pilot simultaneously in Nijmegen. By facilitating homestay rental, the existing housing stock is used more efficiently and more people can be helped to find accommodation. In addition, it offers benefits for tenants of the participating housing corporations, for example on a social, financial and practical level.

The aim of the collaboration is to make homestay rental easier and to encourage Nijmegen residents to rent out a room in their home, with a focus on tenants of the three housing corporations. This creates affordable housing, stimulates social interaction and has a positive effect on the wellbeing of both host and tenant. Over a period of two years, the goal is to create 400 additional living spaces, a quarter of which will be within the housing corporations.

Alderman Visser (Housing): “Many people in Nijmegen have a spare room. By renting it out temporarily, we help people who urgently need a (temporary) place to live and make better use of existing housing, including rental homes. Homestay rental is a smart, social solution to the housing shortage and also brings more contact and connection within the home.”

In Nijmegen, residents may rent out up to two rooms through homestay rental without a permit. If you are a tenant yourself, you may rent out one room and you need permission from your housing corporation. Always check the conditions with your housing corporation. For example, you must live in the property yourself and use at least 50% of the home personally. There is also often a maximum amount of rent you are allowed to charge.

Personal guidance and full support

Two organizations in Nijmegen actively support tenants and homeowners with homestay rental: Hospi Housing and Kamers met Aandacht. Hospi Housing offers personal help and guidance for renting out and renting a room in your home. As a host, you are fully supported by Hospi Housing in finding a suitable candidate and renting out the room. Hospi Housing also remains closely involved during the rental period and supports both tenant and host if needed.

Daan Donkers, founder of Hospi Housing: “Renting out a room in your home is not something you do lightly. That’s why one of our staff members always makes personal contact. Together with the host, we look at what works best. We help with every step, such as drafting a rental agreement. We then search for a suitable tenant. At the same time, we ensure that room seekers pay a fair rent and end up in a safe place.”

If you not only have a spare room but also some extra attention to offer, you can also turn to Kamers met Aandacht. The Kamers met Aandacht foundation has been active in the Nijmegen region for four years. They support young people aged 18 to 23 who are leaving (youth) care institutions and are at risk of becoming homeless. Prospective tenants and hosts can register free of charge, after which Kamers met Aandacht will arrange a personal introduction to gain a good understanding and create a sustainable match. Kamers met Aandacht remains involved throughout the entire period.

Wilma Geurtzen, regional coordinator Nijmegen:“Renting out a room can feel quite daunting. Who will be coming into your home? Is there really a good match? What if things don’t go smoothly? And what is expected of me? These are questions you can ask every month during the online meeting for prospective landlords organized by Kamers met Aandacht. Kamers met Aandacht spends a lot of time creating the right match. Both parties always meet first, so you can then decide whether you want to become housemates. That makes it much more personal.”

400 additional living spaces in 2 years

The collaboration between the Municipality of Nijmegen, Portaal, Talis, Woonwaarts, Hospi Housing and Kamers met Aandacht runs for two years. The ambition is to grow to 400 additional living spaces through homestay rental, with at least a quarter in the rental sector. In this way, Nijmegen is building an affordable and sustainable solution to the room shortage and investing in the financial and social position of its residents.

Note to editors

For questions about the collaboration and contact with the participating parties: Daan Donkers, founder Hospi Housing, +31 6 81872586, info@hospihousing.com