Rotterdam Archives - Housing Rotterdam

Taxes and Utilities when living in Rotterdam

As in every city you have to pay taxes and pay for gas, electricity and water usage. This page gives you and overview about the Rotterdam taxes. You can also find more about the latest taxes on the Rotterdam website. Usually the taxes are send by mail to you in the infamous blue envelop (pictured).

Taxes Rotterdam – owner

Real estate tax is calculated on the value of your house. This has to be paid by the owner of a house or the owner and user of a business real estate.
Water board taxes is charged to cover the cost of the sewers and has to be paid by the owner of the house. Moreover, the costs for treating of waste water is charged separately by the Water Boards and not by the municipality. For more information you can contact the Dutch Water Authorities.

Taxes Rotterdam – tenant

Domestic waste tax is meant to cover the costs of collection and processing of domestic refuse. This has to be paid by every household.
Dog tax is charged annually. Dog owners are required to submit relevant information to Belastingen.

Overview taxes Rotterdam 2017

Waste tax	1 person	2 or more
Yearly costs	€ 293,20	€ 332,90

Dog tax	1st dog	every extra dog
Yearly costs	€ 102,20	€ 161,80

Sewage tax	1st dog	every extra dog
Yearly costs	€ 102,20	€ 161,80

Utilities

In general you have three kinds of utilities: gas, water and electricity. However, some buildings have “blokverwarming” or “stadsverwarming” meaning heating provided by the apartment block or city. If you have this your gas costs should in general by lower because you don’t need it for heating.

As tenant is normal to be directly connected to the utilities company. Below you will find some utilities providers

Gas & Electricity

When you start renting – please make sure you will get connected to the utities asap as they might cut you off. To put you back on the grid, you will charged! If you sign up within 2 weeks, you will be fine!

Greenchoice – As expected, provider of solely green energy
Eneco
Nuon

Water

The Netherlands has great quality water running through its pipes, often tested cleaner then bottled water! Possible waterproviders are Evides or Vitens.

Accommodation Rotterdam – what place should you choose?

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Rotterdam is the city of the Netherlands with huge growth in popularity (even WSJ and NYtimes start writing about it), so you are at the right place, but now you need to have a place to sleep. Let us find the perfect apartment for your Rotterdam stay. Whether you are searching for the height of luxury in the city centre or a bargain in trendy Blijdorp, no other website offers as varied a range of accommodation types as Housing Rotterdam.

We can help you find all accommodation types including Rotterdam apartment rentals, Short Stay Apartments, Corporate Housing, Long Stay Furnished Apartments and cheap rooms. We have brought together the very best Rotterdam accommodation including, exclusive to this website, our perfect selection of Rotterdam Apartments and a huge collection of short stay apartments. Also we are working on a short stay accommodation project where you can sign up for.

Choosing the Right Type of Rotterdam Accommodation

We offer a selection of hand-picked short stay apartments, corporate apartments and a studios, but in particular we recommend our Rotterdam Short Stay apartments. The are apartments which are privately owned offered on a nightly basis, with levels convenience, comfort, privacy and value that directly challenged the hotels.

Choose the right accommodation Rotterdam — Choose the right accommodation in Rotterdam

Rotterdam City Lofts – For the ultimate stay in Rotterdam

If you want to experience how it is to live in the city centre like an expat, look at the city loft page. Here you will find a fine selection of high quality apartments, right in the heart of Rotterdam. You will experience all the luxury and convenience, ranging from free WiFi to cleaning services and additional options as well.

Studying at the Erasmus University? Sign up for the short stay accomodation for students!

A lot of students are planning to study in Rotterdam and are looking for the right accommodation. The first challenge is where to stay? In our districts page, you can find a description of the main districts in Rotterdam. For example students who prefer a quite area close to the Erasmus University should consider Het Lage Land. Others, who would to enjoy the nightlife and more student like experience can look at area’s in Kralingen or Blijdorp – but they need to expect higher pricing there.

Also, Housing Rotterdam is planning a short stay accommodation especially created for students who will study only for 3-6 months in Rotterdam at affordable rates! Please contact us for more information!

Our Rotterdam Apartments

Housing Rotterdam has a wide variety of accomodation in Rotterdam. The offer changes constantly and not all apartments are on our website, so don’t hesitate to contact us for more information! Also, if you are a business, we are able to help you. We have several options to provide your employees with housing, close to your work or close to the city!

Rotterdam Delfshaven District

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Location
Rotterdam Delfshaven is a district which still has the old building from before WWII. The bombing in 1940 missed this area, giving it is typical appearance. The area is located West of the city centre and is located at the river the Nieuwe Maas. It takes some time to reach Delfshaven by car since you have to cross the city. Public transport is reasonable in this location. However if you don’t mind using a bike, then all the nice places in Rotterdam are very well attainable.

Rotterdam Delfshaven district on Google maps

Rotterdam Delfshaven Apartments
The apartments in Rotterdam Delfshaven are relatively cheap to it’s location. Expect prices between € 800- € 1000,- for a 70m2 apartment. The apartments can be a bit less luxures than other areas but you can find those as well. The more luxures apartments will be furnished apartments. Also, this area is known for problems with the foundation of the buildings, some some of them are not 100% straight. However, might this be the case in your apartment, these problems should be solved by the landlord.

Leisure in Rotterdam Delfshaven
Rotterdam Delfshaven is not a very big area which results in an OK supply of bars & restaurants in the area itself. However there are some, for example you have the following:

De Machinist – www.demachinist.nl Excellent fish restaurant
De Kookfabriek – www.kookfabriek.nl Social cooking – make a dish with friends and a professional cook.

Next to that the area is at walking distance from the famous barstreet “De Witte de Withstraat”, so you will be fine.

Also you will find the Euromast on walking distance where you can see the magnificant skyline from Rotterdam while having dinner. Also you can it is possible to go abseiling from the euromast as well! See below for more information and an impression.

Kop van Zuid district

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Have you seen a picture of Rotterdam? Then chances are big that this shot is taken of de “Kop van Zuid”. This is one of the iconic areas of Rotterdam/ You will find most of Rotterdam’s ‘skyscapers‘ in this area as well as the former building of the Holland America line which now hosts Hotel New York.

Location
De Kop van Zuid is located at the river the Maas. The Erasmusbrug (see on the picture below) is together with the Willemsbrug (the red one) and the Maastunnel, one of the three connections between Rotterdam Zuid (south) and Rotterdam city centre. Also the Noordereiland is very close located an island in the river, which gets more and more popular due to its unique location. Also this is the area which yearly welcomes giant cruise ships like the Queen Mary 2 and Harmony of the Seas.

It is easy to commute between this area and the rest of the city using the subway. Also by car you can try the city centre, however expect delays due to traffic and parking challenges.

Erasmusbrug Rotterdam — Erasmusbrug at the Kop van Zuid Rotterdam

Kop van Zuid Apartments
You will find a lot of high standard apartments with amazing views over the city. A lot of the serviced apartments, can be found here with all the major services like swimming pool, cleaning services, mail services etc. Price will be accordingly; expect prices ranging from €1500-€2500 euros for a fully furnished 70m2 apartment with city view. The buildings Montevideo, New Orleans and the Rotterdam offers these apartments. If you are interested in renting these apartments please contact us!

If you are looking for a similar area with lower prices, check out city centre apartments. Prices here will vary from € 1000-€2000 depending on your needs.

Rotterdam Rubroek District

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Location
Rotterdam Rubroek is often seen as the city centre. Despite is it located very centrally between Kralingen from the west and Crooswijk from the right, technically the real city centre is located south from the district Rubroek. This area is very well located with the Kralingse Plas, City Centre and Rotterdam Central Station on walking distance (15 minutes).

Rotterdam Rubroek District

Rotterdam Rubroek was built in 1940-1950 and consists mainly of basic four floor flats. The flats are not considered very beautiful but are well maintained most of the time especially the area closer to the street “Goudsesingel”.

Apartments Rotterdam Rubroek
There is quite a broad offer of rental apartments between the range of € 800,- to € 1200,- euros per month (ex. utilities) for a 50-70m2 apartment respectively. However this is not cheap, it is possible to live on a great location in Rotterdam for a relative okay price. Also, this area is relatively quit and has proximity of shops, bars and restaurants. Streets you want to live are Goudsesingel, Jonker Fransstraat and Herman Robberstraat. There is no possibility to live in a house, then you should check the area’s more north of Rotterdam, for example Hillergersberg and Overschie.

Accessibility
This district is very well located and has almost anything nearby, check out the overview below:

Rotterdam Central station: 15 minutes walk, 10 minutes public transport
Erasmus University Rotterdam: 15 by bike, 20 minutes public transport
City Centre: this is more or less city centre: 2 min walk
Park “Kralingse plas”; 15 minute walk, 5 minutes by bike

Bars & Restaurants
You won’t find many bars in this area, you have several but these are not the best ones. However, you are very near the city centre which has plenty and what your preference is, you will find it. Check the city centre page to find out more!

Property in Rotterdam more expensive than in peak year 2008

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In Rotterdam property has become more expensive for the first time then before the credit crisis in 2008 according the CBS, a research institute. Prices of apartments & houses in Rotterdam reached a peak in the third quarter of 2008. After this peak, prices fell by nearly 16 percent to a low point in the second quarter of 2013. More than three years after this, prices are 2 percent above the level in 2008. This also underlines the growth and the popularity of Rotterdam. Of the 4 biggest cities in the Netherlands, only the Hague is below the peak in 2008.

House prices in Rotterdam higher than peakyear 2008 **Source: CBS**

As can be seen from the figure above, house prices both in the Netherlands (light blue line) and Rotterdam (dark blue line) peak in 2008. After that, a five year decline period followed. After the house prices dipping in the last quarter of 2013, the prices started to increase further with a steep increase in 2016. Especially the house prices in Rotterdam source in 2016. The increase was seen in all districts in Rotterdam.

Source: CBS, Land Registry

Rotterdam Blijdorp / Noord District

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Location
Rotterdam Blijdorp / Noord is one of the popular districts in Rotterdam together with the City Centre district and Kralingen. Rotterdam Noord and Blijdorp actually are 2 different districts but they are neighbours and have a lot of similarities, so that’s why they are discussed as one.

The district(s) is nicely located between the highway A20 and Rotterdam Central Station. Also the famous zoo Diergaarde Blijdorp can be found here. Another great thing about this area is the “Vroesenpark”, a very nice and green park where you have you weekly run. On sunny days in summer, this place is especially great when people will enjoy beers and wine while roasting there meat on the BBQ (see picture below)

Rotterdam Blijdorp & Noord

Rotterdam Blijdorp/ Noord

Apartments and housing in Rotterdam Blijdorp / Noord

Rotterdam Blijdorp/ Blijdorp has been built in between 1930 and 1940 in typical dutch style. The district is a popular area amongst young people such as students and people with there first or second job.

You can buy an apartment here for around € 2000,- per m2 (jan, 2017), but obviously this is dependent of quality, exact location of the apartment, appliances etc but that is some thing a real estate agent can help you with.

For renting you will pay around € 1000 euro / month for a 70m2 apartment, you will generally get more space for your money comparing it to Kralingen or the City Centre.

Tip, rent an apartment close to the A20 or at the Schieweg, unless you like to smoke even if you don’t have a cigarette in your mouth.

Apartments in Blijdorp

[listing location=”blijdorp”]

Bars and Restaurants in Rotterdam Noord and Blijdorp
It is not the most known area for eating or going to bars and restaurants, then you really need to go to the city centre. However there are some nice places to keep in mind. Angelo Betti has some very nice pizza’s and you can enjoy great sorbets there. If you are heading for beers, think about Bergpolder, a typical sportspub from Rotterdam and a nice place to enjoy your sports with your favorite beer!

Vroesenpark Rotterdam Blijorp on a sunny day in summer — Vroesenpark Rotterdam Blijdorp on a sunny day in summer

Rotterdam Het Lage Land District

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Het Lage Land, a great area to stay in Rotterdam..
If you look at the map Het Lage Land has a great location in Rotterdam:

It is next to the park “Het Kralingse bos” as you can see on the map below.
If you would want to go to the city centre, is it just 15 minutes by bike
It is very close to the Erasmus University
Het Lage land is easy to access by car and the highway are easy accessible as well
It is a very quiet area as in there is not a lot of noise of cars and traffic.

So why isn’t this area super popular you ask? Well, this is because of the buildings, the number of restaurants/bars you find here, your neighbors and history.

..but it has its downsides.
Starting with history, the district was created in the early sixties of the 20th century. This neighborhood is very spacious (45 houses per hectare) and was build quickly and cheaply because Rotterdam needed to expand fast. As a result it looks pretty straightforward which doesn’t give a great atmosphere if you like to live in an urban area. However, if you are the person who is looking for a quiet place to stay for studying for example this is the place to be. Also you neighbors will probably be quit old, because the average age tends to be somewhat high in this area.

With regards to Horeca you won’t find many popular Restaurants and Bars here. Consider going to places in the Kralingse Bos, where you have 2 great restaurants.

Location Het Lage Land

You can see the brilliant location of “Het Lage Land” on the map above. The Erasmus University is where you find the red “A16” label.

Prices Het Lage Land
This area is relatively cheap in comparison to its location. You can buy an 80m2 apartment for around € 150.000. This would a lot more expensive if you would compare this with the neighboring area Kralingen or the City Centre.

Renting an apartment will costs between €800-€1000 euro for 80m2 as well. That is a lot of value for money! Student rooms would costs around € 450 per month per 15m2 meters and you will get a seperate living with that as well.

Apartments Het Lage Land

[listing location=”het lage land”]

Not a bad choice

If you consider moving to Rotterdam, Het Lage Land might be a very good option. Especially when you don’t care much about how the building you live in looks like and when you like a quiet area. For international students this might even be the best option!

Firday Market Het Lage Land Source: www.rotterdam.nl — Friday Market Het Lage Land Source: www.rotterdam.nl

Rotterdam City Centre District

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Rotterdam City Centre Area

The City Centre of Rotterdam is has an interesting history. Being bombed in WWII and the cheap and fast constructed buildings which followed after the war was long a reason that this area was a place not to be. However, this change rapidly from 2000. Now, this area has a great variety of bars & restaurants, has a beautiful Central Station and skyscrapers are popping out of the group.

City Centre on Google Maps

The Rotterdam City Centre area can be found basically between Central Station and the river the “De Maas” as can be seen on the map below.

The City Centre can be characterized a fast developing area mainly on new skyscrapers. Also this is the place where you will find the greatest amount of short stay and furnished apartments. Famous buildings as the Red Apple building ,Euromast, Cube-buildings and the Markthal in Rotterdam can be found here. Also a Park can be found in this area (see below).

Accessibility

With the Central Station and Station Blaak in this area this area is easy to access by public transport. Also there are several subway tracks which can bring you all across the city centre. Even by car it is quite easy to reach but prepare to be in traffic during rush hours!

Leisure

You can find several things to do here from nice bars & restaurants on the Witte de With street as well as museums.

Bars and Restaurants

Bokaal Rotterdam (http://bokaalrotterdam.nl/)
NRC (http://nieuwrotterdamscafe.nl/)
Sijf (http://www.sijf.nl/)
Markthal Rotterdam (http://markthalrotterdam.nl/)
De Oude haven

Museum

Boijmans Museum (http://www.boijmans.nl/nl/)
Nature Museum (http://www.hetnatuurhistorisch.nl/)

Rotterdam City Centre Apartments

You can find a great deal of mainly furnished and short stay apartments here. You can expect amongst the highest prices here in Rotterdam, but in return you will be rewarded with a great location. And if you are lucky to stay in one of the high buildings as well, you will have an awesome view as well! To compare with other area, check out our furnished apartments page!

[listing location=”city centre”]

Rotterdam Kralingen District

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Rotterdam Kralingen is one of the most populair areas in Rotterdam. Whether you are a student or family, this is a great place to stay! Kralingen is very centrally located but has this old town feeling. You will be in town with 5 minutes bike tour. Also, if you are a student, this is a perfect area to stay since it so close to the Erasmus University.

The downside of this popularity are the prices of the area, they can be quite high!

Kralingse Plas

Kralingen is located next to the “Kralingse Plas”. This is the biggest park of Rotterdam and one of the reasons of its popularity. The park has a big lake in the middle where people can rent a sailing boat and enjoy the outdoors. Next to there are two nice Bar/Restaurants to be found there called De Tuin and De Schone Lei. Both are located at the water and especially De Schone Lei has a great view in the evening with the Rotterdam skyline in the back.

Housing Rotterdam Kralingen

Housing can be quite expensive in Kralingen due to its popularity. Expect to pay at least € 1000,- a month for a 50-60m2 bedroom. Maybe a better option is the rent a room for around € 500 – € 600 euros a month (excluding utilities). If this is not in your budget, check out areas in Rotterdam Noord /Blijdorp or even Rotterdam Zuid. If you like a more metropolitan feeling, check out the city centre area.

Please not that Rotterdam Kralingen has really nice buildings and really ugly ones. The latter were build just after WW2 and were build cheaply. Try to stay away from them or you would not enjoy the real Rotterdam Kralingen feeling!

Restaurants & Bars

Rotterdam Kralingen is very popular amongst students and hence the great offer of nice bars and restaurants. As said above “De Tuin” and “De Schone Lei” are nice option especially for eating and drinking the summer. In winter, you should try Locus Publicus, a very cosy bar specialize in serving all kinds of beer with a nice fireplace in winter.