Applying for a Priority Declaration for Housing in Rotterdam

A priority declaration provides priority in the allocation of social rental housing in Rotterdam. The Municipality of Rotterdam grants this in cases of acute housing need, such as divorce, domestic violence, medical urgency, homelessness, or displacement due to demolition projects in neighbourhoods such as Rotterdam-South or IJsselmonde. Submit your application at the Rotterdam Housing Desk via the online form on rotterdam.nl or in person at Coolsingel 190. Provide supporting documents: police reports, medical certificates from Erasmus MC, rental history, or extracts from the BRP. The procedure takes a maximum of 8 weeks, in accordance with the Housing Act (article 3). Priority is valid regionally for the Rotterdam-Rijnmond region and generally applies for 2 years. Rotterdam applies strict criteria; check the local Housing Policy 2023-2026 on the municipal website for details on priority categories such as 'very urgent' or 'urgent'. The waiting list for social rental housing is extremely long – often 10 years or more – but priority accelerates your position on the list via WoonnetRijnmond. Register with WoonnetRijnmond and add your priority number. Prepare for possible rejection and lodge an objection within 6 weeks with the administrative court. Seek support from social services via Welthuis Rotterdam or Veilig Thuis for strong substantiation. With priority, your success rate increases by approximately 70% according to municipal statistics. Note: additional rules apply for informal care or labour migration.