HousingAnywhere International Rent Index FAQs

April 2024. Since 2018, HousingAnywhere has published its International Rent Index by City, a comprehensive quarterly report detailing rent price developments in European cities, based on data collected from HousingAnywhere’s platform. To facilitate a clear understanding of the report, HousingAnywhere shares answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Rent Index.

How many properties were analyzed in HousingAnywhere’s International Rent Index by City Q1 2024, and what types of properties does it include?

The Rent Index Q1 2024 analyzed 66,997 properties in 28 European cities. These properties were listed on HousingAnywhere’s platform and received interest from potential tenants in the past year. This means that the properties analyzed are those that prompted at least one tenant to start a conversation with an advertiser. The report focuses on 1-to-3-bedroom apartments, rooms, and studios. Approximately 97% of these properties were fully furnished, and 61% included bills in the rent.

How many properties does the report analyze per city?

Due to the sensitive nature of this information, HousingAnywhere does not disclose exact figures per city. However, it's noted that the number of properties varies by city, with inclusion criteria requiring at least 30 listings in each property category (see the question below for more details). As an example, in the room sector, typically most cities have 200-700 properties per quarter, with cities with the largest inventories reaching 1,500.

How many cities are covered by the Rent Index?

The Rent Index Q1 2024 covered 28 cities in 11 European countries. These cities are: Amsterdam, Rome, Paris, Rotterdam, The Hague, Munich, Utrecht, Milan, Lisbon, Hamburg, Florence, Bologna, Prague, Stuttgart, Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Barcelona, Madrid, Köln, Valencia, Düsseldorf, Porto, Vienna, Helsinki, Brussels, Turin, Athens and Budapest.

Why are certain cities excluded from the report?

Cities are included in our report only if they have enough inventory to provide statistically representative data. Cities with fewer than 30 listings per property type (apartments, rooms, studios) are omitted from the analysis. This is the reason why cities like London or Dublin are not included in the Rent Index.

Does the report focus solely on furnished properties?

Primarily, yes. In the Q1 2024 edition, 97% of the analyzed properties were fully furnished, and 61% included bills. As furnished properties are an important part of the Dutch housing market, especially in the largest cities, the report can indicate prices in the free housing sector in the Netherlands.

Is HousingAnywhere a short-term rental platform?

No, HousingAnywhere is a mid-term rental platform. While the length of the stay is agreed between each tenant and landlord, the stays in the properties booked via HousingAnywhere are usually between 6 and +12 months. Looking back into the length of stays of the properties booked in the Netherlands via HousingAnywhere in the last 12 months, the average stay is 254 days (more than 8 months).

Is the platform exclusively for internationals (or ‘expats’)?

Not exclusively. HousingAnywhere is catered to tenants relocating to a new city, including people relocating within or across borders. The platform is designed to provide an accessible online rental experience, removing language, cultural, and territorial barriers. In 2023, 40% of those who looked for properties in the Netherlands via HousingAnywhere were located in the Netherlands, and the rest in other countries.

Why does the report highlight the absolute price of properties rather than the price per square meter?

Both the absolute rent and the price per square meter provide important insights. In markets with limited supply like the Netherlands, absolute prices are particularly telling due to constrained tenant choices. However, the size of the property can impact the rent price. While the text in the report focuses on the absolute price, the price per m2 is available in the Rent Index website.

How is the price per square meter calculated?

The price per square meter is determined by dividing the median rent by the median property size. In the case of rooms, it's calculated based on the median rent divided by the total size of the property, not just the room.

Can HousingAnywhere influence the rents listed on its platform?

HousingAnywhere focuses on providing an easy to use online rental platform, where tenants and property providers can match and have safe conversations, bookings and payments. HousingAnywhere is not involved in the contracts signed between the two parties, nor in the rents agreed. However, HousingAnywhere strives to offer information to both parties so they can make well-informed decisions.

Does the Rent Index represent the entire Dutch rental market?

The Rent Index is based on internal data, which might influence the findings to some extent. Nevertheless, the volume of data allows to indicate certain trends in the free rental sector. With presence in several European cities, its extensive dataset enables an interesting comparative between European locations.

Why is it important for HousingAnywhere to communicate rental trends widely?

By sharing insights on rent prices and market trends, HousingAnywhere aims to be a key informational resource that contributes to discussions addressing challenges and opportunities in the rental sector. While the particularities of the platform can affect the findings of the report to some extent, the volume of data is robust enough to indicate certain market trends. Each edition of the Rent Index includes contextual information, and HousingAnywhere carefully listens to the readers’ feedback to enhance transparency and utility of the report.

Press Contact

If you have more questions which are not answered in these FAQs, do not hesitate to reach out to HousingAnywhere’s press team at press@housinganywhere.com.