Finders Keepers: Find New Talent a Home

It’s tough to find good employees right now. Sometimes you have to look abroad, sometimes people have to move cities. When you have recruited the right people for your firm, you want to help them stay.

One really valuable perk an employer can offer is to help employees find a home.

But right now, there is a shortage of 350,000 homes in the Netherlands. A Pararius research has shown that private sector rents have been steadily rising, especially in the five major cities.

A new recruit from India, South Africa or Brazil might imagine a life on the canals, cycling to work and a colourful social life in the liberal capital of Amsterdam. The reality is very different. A “modest budget” of €1,300 per month will rent you a small flat in Bijlmer or perhaps a shared room inside Amsterdam’s ring road: options are lacking, and sometimes so is the quality of accommodation. In too many cases, this leads to staff departure.

According to surveys from ICP Housing for Internationals, people who have their own home are more satisfied with life in the Netherlands and stay longer. And for their employers, this means an expensive recruit becomes a valued part of the team.

Why not buy?

Up to a decade ago, it was difficult for expats to buy a house and take out a Dutch residential mortgage – but things have changed. In fact, internationals (who are used to investing their own money in a house purchase) are in a better position than the Dutch right now, in a changing market.

But buying a house is one of the most stressful times in life, add in another language and new sets of rules, taxes, obligations and rights, and it becomes even more difficult.

This is where Expat Mortgages comes in. Founded 15 years ago, we have helped thousands of internationals to find a mortgage in the Netherlands. We guide them from the first step to signing contracts, with an excellent local network of notaries, brokers, appraisers, surveyors and tax specialists (and we even help with the first two years’ preliminary mortgage interest rate tax rebate, free of charge).

InHouse sessions

Our service can make you a more attractive and successful employer. In today's competitive market, where it is difficult to attract employees, it is important to take good care of new and future recruits.

By putting them in touch with Expat Mortgages to help them find a solid base and happy home, you can free up their time and energy to focus on the job at hand. With our corporate service, you as an employer can also differentiate yourself from other employers in the competition to attract the best talent.

Expat Mortgages organises free ‘InHouse’ housing seminars but we can also provide (regular) presentations and individual help desk sessions at your location. After a first introductory session on buying a house, individuals can book a free, 30 minute advice session with us, in their workplace. If they choose to employ our services, our rates are straightforward and extremely competitive.

Firms such as Booking.com, GarantiBank, the European Medicines Agency and BackBase already use our help – with success stories for both HR and employees. “Everything started with Booking, when they approached us as they had a global mobility team arriving in the Netherlands who needed to find accommodation,” says Henk Jansen, founder of Expat Mortgages. “We wanted to share that positive experience with more companies.”

If you want to keep your expat employees loyal for longer and (drastically) reduce your recruitment costs, contact Expat Mortgages!