Blog: How can you find the right living space for your expats in the Netherlands?

Blog | 9 October 2019

As an expat, it can be quite difficult to find a nice house in the Netherlands from abroad. That search often begins months before an expat's actual departure to the Netherlands, but how do you know what the best locations are, where you can live safely and comfortably and where to find shops, restaurants, schools and public transport facilities? The current market conditions are not making things any easier either. High-quality properties in good locations are quite scarce at the moment. That is where we come in.

For those of you who do not know us yet, we will first explain what we do. We provide our services to meet the needs of companies with many expat employees and take care of everything involved in finding a living space for expats. At the moment, our portfolio in The Hague consists of more than 180 houses, so expats can always find a nice place to live quickly. We take care of all the administrative busywork that comes with it.

Making a personal selection

I have already talked about the requirements a property has to meet before we will add it to our portfolio. The houses have to be comfortable, well maintained, fully furnished and located in a prime location close to shops, restaurants, public transport facilities, schools and/or sports clubs. They must also be located in a safe and nice area, of course.

That sums up the first selection we make for expats. The second selection is much more personal in nature. Any expat coming to the Netherlands has their own wishes. One person might be looking for a place to live close to the office, while another would rather find a house in the heart of the city. Some expats might be bringing their entire family and their pet, while others are simply looking for a place for themselves.

Assessing preferences

We begin our work quite early on, ideally a few months before the expat's arrival in the Netherlands. We have the expat fill out a survey to assess their preferences. We ask about their preferred location (near a school, the city centre or the office, for example), family composition, pets and anything else that might help us in our search for the perfect living space.

For some people, it is not their first time in the Netherlands. They know the city quite well and say: "This is where we lived last time. We would like to go back there now.”

The perfect match

Next, we take a good look at our portfolio to see what houses meet the expat's wishes. We check to see if we have an apartment available in the complex where the family used to live, for example. We look for houses in the right location (close to a school or the office) that will be available at the right time and offer the space the family is looking for.

Online portal

Based on the match we find, we will create a brochure for the expat to look at back home. Next, we will schedule a visit in the Netherlands. We are moving away from the brochures, however. We are now developing an online portal that will let expats see for themselves what houses are available. Although we will continue to provide our consultancy services, expats will also be able to look at our entire portfolio on their own.

Comfortable living

Once the expat has made their choice, we will prepare the house for their arrival. After that, we will be their point of contact for all matters concerning the house for the entire duration of the expat's stay in the Netherlands. This gives expats peace of mind, which is perhaps just as important to their quality of life as the house itself!

If you would like to know more about our services, feel free to contact us. We are happy to answer any questions you have.