Netherlands allocates funds to address growing foundation damage
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The Dutch cabinet will provide an additional €20 million to the National Fund for Sustainable Foundation Repair this year to help homeowners with foundation damage. This funding will support the fund in assisting more owners, but it covers less than 0.04 percent of the estimated total damage of €54 billion.
The fund offers mortgage loans with adjusted terms to homeowners unable to finance repairs themselves, tailoring repayments to their financial capacity.
Minister Elanor Boekholt-O'Sullivan of Housing informed the Second Chamber about this expansion. The government maintains the principle that homeowners are primarily responsible for maintaining and repairing their properties, and does not offer general subsidies for foundation repair. The Council for the Environment and Infrastructure anticipates that over 400,000 properties may experience foundation issues, with approximately 120,000 requiring repair. The average repair cost is estimated at €92,000 per home, and around 75,000 homeowners cannot afford this expense.
The number of reported foundation problems has nearly doubled in the past year, as prolonged drought increasingly affects homes built on clay and peat soil. The Council advised the cabinet in 2024 to invest €12 billion over the next twelve years in foundation research, repair plans, and actual repairs.
While the cabinet is making €56 million available for a national approach to foundation problems, this remains a small fraction of what the Council deems necessary, and insurance companies will not cover drought-related foundation damage because it is considered a gradual, not unexpected, event.
