ROTTERDAM, 16 March 2026 – Expats in the Netherlands are finding homes faster than Dutch buyers, according to the latest Expat Barometer from Viisi Hypotheken. The figures suggest that foreign buyers move through the market more decisively, bidding on more homes while still overbidding by a lower average percentage than Dutch buyers.

For anyone watching the housing market from Rotterdam, the findings will feel instantly relevant. Competition stays intense, and speed still matters. Viisi’s latest survey, based on 927 expats and 1,923 Dutch people who recently bought a home in the Netherlands, found that expats needed an average of 5.4 months to buy a home, compared with 7.2 months for Dutch buyers.

That gap appears to come from a different buying strategy rather than simply paying more. Expats were more likely to bid above asking price, with 77 per cent saying they had done so, compared with 70 per cent of Dutch buyers.

Expats bid more often, but not higher

The interesting part is what happens behind those bids. Although expats overbid more often, their average overbidding percentage was lower at 7.6 per cent, compared with 9.3 per cent for Dutch buyers.

At the same time, expats placed offers on more homes overall. On average, they bid on three different properties, while Dutch buyers bid on 2.3 homes. That points to a search process that is more active and possibly more disciplined, especially in a market where hesitation can cost you a property.

According to Andrew Aziz, expat specialist at Viisi Hypotheken, expats tend to be slightly more decisive than Dutch house-hunters. “They have to be because unlike Dutch buyers, they often cannot fall back on family and generally pay a higher monthly amount in rent. The lower overbidding percentage shows that they are not blindly going all-in, but are making a considered choice and informing themselves well.”

More expats use a buying agent

The survey also found that expats are more likely to bring in professional help. Sixty-one per cent said they used a buying agent during the purchase process, compared with 47 per cent of Dutch buyers.

That makes sense in a market like this. Many expats are still learning the Dutch language, local customs and the logic of a highly competitive housing market at the same time. Viisi says a buying agent can help with viewings, negotiations, communication with the seller and making sure the paperwork is in order.

The figures also show a sharper sense of financial pressure. More than one in six expats said they felt they were taking a serious financial risk with the purchase of their new home, compared with 14 per cent of Dutch buyers.

Expats are planning to stay

The research also challenges the familiar assumption that expats buy a home and then leave again within a few years. According to the barometer, around a third of expats expect to stay in their newly bought home for at least ten years.

Even more striking, 52 per cent of all expat respondents said they expect to remain in the Netherlands for more than twenty years. Another 40 per cent said they expect to move only after somewhere between six and ten years.

Aziz said: “The idea that expats buy a home only to leave again within a few years is simply not true. Most of them are in it for the long term, as our research clearly shows.”

Renovation and sustainability plans

That longer-term outlook also shows up in what buyers want to do with their homes after purchase. According to the survey, 46 per cent of expats said they want to renovate their property at some point, compared with 52 per cent of Dutch buyers.

On sustainability, the picture was more evenly split. Roughly a third of expats and a third of Dutch buyers said they want to make their home more sustainable immediately, a third said they do not, and a third said they do not yet know.

More information

Expat Barometer Q1 2026: https://www.viisi.nl/expatbarometer-q1-2026/

ROTTERDAM, 6 January 2026 – As winter temperatures persist, household energy use in Rotterdam typically increases. Many residents review their energy habits in January as bills arrive and routines return to normal after the holidays.

Winter in Rotterdam does not have to mean a financial shock. The cold pushes up energy use, and January is often when you see the damage, as bills arrive and routines return after the holidays. The good news is that the biggest savings usually come from boring, repeatable habits: how you heat your home, how you deal with drafts and damp, and how you use electricity when daylight is short.

Heating: go after the biggest cost first

Space heating is usually the main winter expense, especially in older apartments where insulation is limited and heat escapes through windows, floors, and gaps around doors.

Start with three moves that cost little or nothing:

1) Set a realistic target temperature
Try keeping your main living space at about 19°C when you are home, then test whether you can go one degree lower with warmer clothes or a blanket. If you have underfloor heating or a full electric heat pump, avoid large temperature swings and use smaller adjustments.

2) Heat the rooms you actually use
Close doors, turn radiators down in unused rooms, and do not pay to heat hallways and spare bedrooms all day. If you work from home, pick one room as your daytime base and make it comfortable.

3) Stop warm air leaking out
Draft proofing is often the quickest win in Rotterdam’s older housing stock. Check gaps around front doors, balcony doors, and window frames. Even a simple draft strip can make a room feel warmer at the same thermostat setting.

Small upgrades that pay back quickly

If you can do a little more, focus on measures that reduce heat loss without major construction:

• Radiator foil on external walls behind radiators
• Thick curtains that you close at night, and open in daylight
• Bleed radiators so they heat evenly
• Do not block radiators with furniture, it stops warm air circulating

Receiving help from the municipality

If your household has a low income, you may be eligible for practical help at home. The municipality’s Energieklusser programme can install small measures such as LED bulbs, draft strips and radiator foil, and in some owner occupied homes can also help with radiator balancing and ventilation improvements. Apply through the municipality, or read the overview on Duurzaam010.

Ventilation: cut damp without throwing heat away

Rotterdam’s winter problem is often moisture as much as cold. If you seal a home tightly and do not ventilate, humidity rises, condensation forms, and mould can follow.

Aim for steady, controlled ventilation:

• Keep ventilation grilles open if you have them
• Ventilate extra after cooking and showering
• If you open windows briefly, keep it short and turn the heating down while you do it, so you are not heating the street

Electricity use: winter habits that quietly add up

Short days mean more lighting and more time indoors. This is where small choices stack:

• Switch to LED bulbs and turn lights off in empty rooms
• Avoid standby use where you can, especially with older TVs, game consoles and set top boxes
• Use eco programmes on dishwashers and washing machines, and skip tumble drying when air drying is possible

Does it help to run appliances at night?

Sometimes, but not always. If you have a single tariff, you pay the same price per kWh all day, so shifting the dishwasher to midnight will not reduce the rate. If you have a double tariff (day and night) or a dynamic contract, timing can matter, and spreading use outside the evening peak may also help the grid.

If you are unsure what you have, check your contract or ask your supplier whether you are on a single tariff, a double tariff, or a dynamic price plan.

Check your January numbers before they bite

January is a sensible moment to look at your annual consumption and your monthly advance payment. If your direct debit is set too low, you may be heading for an unpleasant year end bill. If it is set too high, you are giving your supplier an interest free loan.

If you have a smart meter, use it. A quick weekly check during cold spells can show whether your gas use is climbing faster than expected.

What support exists in Rotterdam right now

If you are worried about affordability or you want practical help, start here:

• Municipality of Rotterdam: “Hulp bij hoge energiekosten” and “Energiebesparen past bij iedereen” pages collect current support options and routes to advice.
• Energieklusser: home visits that install small measures, aimed at households on a minimum income.
• Energiebank Rotterdam: energy coaching and support to help you get lasting control of your energy costs.

If you own your home and are planning bigger steps, look at national schemes too:

• ISDE subsidy (RVO): support for insulation and sustainable heating options. From 2026 there is also subsidy for ventilation when combined with one or more insulation measures.
• Nationaal Warmtefonds: an Energiebespaarlening, including a 0% interest option for eligible owner occupiers under an income threshold.
• If you live in an apartment building with a VvE, Rotterdam has an insulation subsidy route available until 31 March 2027, and there is dedicated help through VVE 010.

P.S. Do not start with the most expensive upgrade. Start with heat settings, room by room heating, draft proofing, and smarter daily routines, then use Rotterdam’s local support if you qualify. Winter will still be winter, but your bill does not have to be brutal.

ROTTERDAM, 10 March 2026 – Trompenburg Tuinen & Arboretum is leaning fully into spring, with early rhododendrons in bloom, fresh colour across the garden, and a family-focused Lentefestival on 29 March. If you have been waiting for the right moment to swap grey streets for blossom, bulbs and birdsong, this is it. 

Trompenburg’s own update makes clear that the garden is already shifting into a new season, with crocuses taking over from the giant snowdrops in De Slinger and more bulbs and perennials pushing through behind them. The garden also says several winter improvement projects are now visible, from better paths to new planting and family-friendly additions. 

What is blooming now

One of the strongest early-spring hooks is that the first rhododendrons are already flowering. Trompenburg also highlights De Slinger as a spot where the seasonal handover is easy to see, with giant snowdrops giving way to crocuses and the next wave of spring planting. 

That matters because Trompenburg is not a park you visit once and “tick off”. Across its eight hectares, the garden changes constantly through the seasons, with collections of trees, shrubs, perennials, bulbs and tubers giving each visit a slightly different mood. The garden describes itself as both a botanical garden and a registered museum, with a strong focus on biodiversity and plant heritage. 

What has changed in the garden

Trompenburg says a lot of winter work has now been completed. Near the old entrance, path repairs were used as a chance to improve the surrounding borders and make them more accessible, including new shrubs and an Indian horse chestnut. Around De Slinger in Tuin Hintzen, the paths have also been made easier to walk. 

Trompenburg says a lot of winter work has now been completed

Families will probably notice the newer additions first. The garden has added a red play element in its adventure woodland and is now promoting the new Superhelden familieparcours, a family trail where children discover the “superpowers” of plants. On the homepage, Trompenburg says this trail is available daily from the desk. 

Lentefestival on 29 March

The biggest spring event on the calendar is the Lentefestival on Sunday 29 March, running from 10:00 to 17:00. Trompenburg describes it as an outdoor family day where a walk through the garden turns into a spring adventure through a stamp-card trail. 

Children can make a cardboard hobby horse, try hobby horsing, tackle a wheelbarrow course, climb in the woodland area, and help build a new branch hedge near the barefoot path as a shelter for insects and small animals. Trompenburg also promises an extra spring feeling through sheep with lambs and hens with chicks. Regular garden admission applies, while the stamp cards are priced separately at €5 with a loan hobby horse or €12.50 if you make one to take home. 

Find more information on the official website: https://trompenburg.nl/

The biggest spring event on the calendar is the Lentefestival on Sunday 29 March 2026

Flora and other spring activities

If your ideal garden visit includes coffee and cake, there is good timing here too. Trompenburg says Tuinrestaurant Flora reopens on weekends from 15 March, and from 1 April it returns to being open seven days a week. Until then, weekday visitors can still use the Tuincafé near the entrance building. 

The spring agenda also includes other events already listed on the official site, such as the Superhelden familieparcours running from 13 February to 3 April, a botanical ceramics workshop on 15 March, and Ode aan de Daslook, a food forest event on 22 March. So even if you skip the Lentefestival itself, this is clearly one of those months when Trompenburg is giving you several excuses to come back. 

Find more information on all these events on the official website: https://trompenburg.nl/

Why Trompenburg works so well in spring

Spring is when Trompenburg feels especially useful to Rotterdam. The city starts speeding up again, but the garden gives you a softer version of that same energy: growth, colour, change, and enough quiet corners to slow your brain down a bit. 

And because it sits right on the edge of the centre in Kralingen, it never feels like a major expedition. You can visit for an hour, stretch it into an afternoon, or combine it with lunch and a proper wander once Flora is back in full swing.

How to get there

Trompenburg Tuinen & Arboretum is at Honingerdijk 86, 3062 NX Rotterdam, on the Kralingen side of the city and still close enough to feel easy from the centre. If you are coming by bike, this is one of the nicest spring rides in Rotterdam, especially if you approach through Kralingen. By public transport, it is a straightforward trip into the east side of the city followed by a short walk.

If you bought a real Christmas tree this year, you cannot simply cram it into your household bin once the lights come down. Rotterdam collects Christmas trees separately, with a seasonal window and a few clear do’s and don’ts.

Here is how to get rid of your tree legally, neatly, and with the least effort.

When you can dispose of your Christmas tree

The municipality’s Christmas tree system runs from 27 December 2025 to 31 January 2026. Outside that period, leaving a tree in the street counts as illegal dumping, and you risk a fine.

There is also a specific safety warning: do not put your tree out on 31 December or 1 January. The city asks you to avoid those dates because of fire risk around the year’s end.

Option 1: Put it out for municipal collection

If you want the simplest route, remove everything first. That means ornaments, hooks, tinsel, artificial snow, and any plastic.

During the collection window, the municipality allows you to dispose of your tree by placing it next to a waste container (or using the other official options listed on the city pages). Do this in a way that keeps the pavement passable and does not block the container.

Option 2: Take it to a neighbourhood drop off point and get €0.50

Rotterdam also runs a neighbourhood hand in action where you can bring your tree to a local collection point and receive €0.50 per tree. The participating points and locations are published by the municipality. 

For 2026, partner organisations are promoting Saturday 3 January, Wednesday 7 January, and Saturday 10 January 2026 as the key drop off dates. Always check the official overview before you go because locations differ by neighbourhood. 

Option 3: Missed the period? Use grofvuil or the milieupark

If you have missed the seasonal window, you will need to switch to the regular waste system.

You can bring bulky items to a milieupark, or make an appointment to have grofvuil collected. The municipality handles appointments via its grofvuil pages, and you can also contact the city by phone.

This is also the sensible route for an artificial tree if it is too large for your residual waste, or if it includes parts that need separate disposal.

What you should not do

• Do not leave your tree outside the collection window. That is dumping, not disposal. 
• Do not put your tree out on 31 December or 1 January. 
• Do not throw it in the gfe or organic stream. Rotterdam keeps Christmas trees in a separate system, and wood does not belong in the gfe container.

If you miss the collection period

If you miss the dedicated collection days, you will need to arrange disposal through the normal bulky waste system. Appointments and rules are managed via the municipal waste service pages.

For up‑to‑date instructions, neighbourhood notices and any last‑minute changes, the city’s waste and year‑end pages remain the most reliable sources:

• Municipal Christmas tree page: https://www.rotterdam.nl/kerstbomen
• Waste and holiday waste info: https://www.rotterdam.nl/uw-afval-tijdens-de-feestdagen
• Bulky waste rules and appointments: https://www.rotterdam.nl/grofvuil-wegbrengen-of-laten-ophalen