Housing association Centrada will no longer be building small flexible homes

The Centrada housing association will no longer build temporary flexible homes in Lelystad. The company mainly wants to produce permanent homes. That’s what director Martine Visser says.

Small temporary flexible homes are between 20 and 50 square meters in size. The houses can be built quickly. This means that people who need housing can be housed quickly.

Warning
But this type of housing is not the long-term solution to the housing crisis. This warning comes from the independent institution ‘Planbureau voor de Leefgeving’ (PBL). PBL’s warning comes after it discovered that the number of small flexible homes in the Netherlands is increasing. From 3,400 in 2022 to over 8,000 this year.

Tiny homes may provide a short-term solution to the housing shortage, but they are not the preferred option for home seekers. According to PBL, people prefer to move on to bigger homes. In addition, residents are not satisfied with the location of these homes, as they are often not close to amenities.

300 is enough
The Centrada housing association already has 300 temporary flexible homes in Lelystad. “That’s enough.” says director Martine Visser. She agrees with PBL that there should not be too many temporary flexible houses. According to her, it is more important to create enough permanent homes so that people can live there forever.

Harry Parwat, a resident of Lelystad, has lived in such a house of 30 square meters since 2023. He is very satisfied with his house, but he is looking for a bigger home.

Parwat has one bedroom now, but would prefer a two bedroom house. One for himself and another for his son who comes to visit him on weekends.