When Being Qualified Isn't Enough
An application lottery, known in Dutch as loting, is a selection procedure used when a rental property is so popular that the number of qualified applicants becomes unmanageable. Instead of the landlord or agent trying to pick the 'best' candidate from a sea of hundreds of perfect applications, they use a random draw to select a tenant. This method is increasingly common in both the social and free rental sectors as a response to the extreme over-subscription in the Dutch housing market. Its goal is to provide a fair, unbiased, and transparent selection process when merit-based selection is no longer practical.
Where is a Lottery System Used?
This method is typically employed in two main scenarios:
- Social Housing Sector: On regional social housing platforms like
WoningNet, properties are allocated based on either waiting time (inschrijfduur) or lottery (loting). Lottery properties give newcomers or those with short waiting times an equal chance of securing a home, bypassing the 10-15+ year waiting lists for the most desirable properties.
- Free Sector New-Builds: When a new, popular apartment complex is completed, the developer or rental agent will often use a lottery for the initial allocation of the apartments. This is the only manageable way to handle the thousands of inquiries they might receive.
The Lottery Process
The procedure is typically very formal. A deadline for applications is set. After the deadline, all submitted applications are first checked against the basic objective criteria (e.g., meeting the income requirement, correct family size). All candidates who meet these criteria are then entered into the draw. The lottery itself is usually conducted by a computer algorithm or, in some high-profile cases, overseen by a civil law notary (notaris) to guarantee impartiality. The candidates who are drawn are then offered the property in the order they were selected.
The Sobering Reality
While a lottery is arguably a fairer method than a landlord's opaque and potentially biased personal selection, it underscores a bleak reality of the housing market. It confirms that the crisis is so severe that finding a home is no longer a matter of being a responsible citizen with a stable income, but a matter of pure, blind luck. For applicants, repeatedly entering and losing these lotteries can be a deeply frustrating and demoralizing experience.
