Despite recent declines in house prices, the official value of Dutch private property has surged by 16.4% this year due to calculations based on last year's figures, according to the national

statistics agency CBS.

The average WOZ (Property Valuation Act) value of a Dutch home in 2023 stands at €369,000. Lelystad witnessed the largest increase at 26%, followed by Amsterdam with a rise of 19% and Utrecht with 17.6%.

The WOZ value plays a crucial role in determining local and other property-related taxes in the Netherlands.

In terms of monetary value, the municipality with the highest WOZ value is Bloemendaal in Noord-Holland province, averaging at €932,000, while Pekela in Groningen has the lowest average figure at €194,000.

This year has seen a record high number of homeowners protesting against the official valuation of their properties. Approximately 600,000 homeowners have lodged complaints about their WOZ values, triple the figure recorded in 2022.

In response, the government plans to strengthen regulations governing specialist bureaus that assist homeowners in challenging official property valuations.

If homeowners protest the valuation themselves, councils are not required to cover the associated costs, which can exceed €600. Valuations are based on general price trends and the sale prices of similar properties in the vicinity.

Research conducted by the valuation monitoring body Waarderingskamer reveals that in 2021, 51% of requests for lower valuations were handled by external agencies. On average, 40% of protests were successful, leading to an average decrease in valuations by 9%.

Although house prices have been declining since the summer of the previous year, they were still approximately 20% higher in January 2022 compared to the same period the previous year. Recent months have shown signs of a slight upward trend.