The shortage of affordable housing in the Netherlands has not been this problematic since after the second world war. In Amsterdam, for example, the waiting time for social housing is more than 13 years and the prices of the private rental sector are higher than they have ever been. After ten years of neo-liberal policy, apartments have become appealing assets for investors which causes middle income residents to miss out on either buying or renting an apartment. This resulted last year in a series of large protests. Protesters demanded policy that would make living affordable. In 2020 the housing shortage in the Amsterdam metropolitan area was estimated to be around 50.000 dwellings.