Apply for permit to create living space

A living space is self-contained (independent) if it has:

• private access from the public road. Or if it has private access to a shared area (vestibule, gallery or staircase), with access to the public road
• its own Begin link: house number, end link.
• its own bathroom, kitchen and toilet

The municipality allows structural property division in only a handful of neighbourhoods. This is to ensure that there are still enough homes for larger households. A permit to create living space will be granted only in the neighbourhoods listed below:

• Bosweide
• De Bras
• De Lanen
• De Velden
• De Vissen
• Erasmus Veld
• Hoge Veld
• Huygenspark
• Lage Veld
• Parkbuurt Oosteinde
• Rietbuurt
• Waterbuurt
• Zonne Veld

---

• The new units have a minimum living space of 40 square metres.
• The new units have a minimum of 1 complete floor.
• The parking pressure (number of occupied parking spaces) is lower than 90%. Or you provide sufficient parking spaces on your own premises.
• You have an Begin link: environment and planning permit, end link. .
• You are not allowed to structurally divide the property the first 10 years after the municipality granted the environment and planning permit for a roof structure.

In addition you make sure:

• there is good soundproof insulation between the newly created units and the neighbours’ apartments. The acoustic insulation should preferably meet the conditions for newly built homes. Read more about noise on the Begin external link: website of the Nederlandse Stichting Geluidshinder(External link), end external link..
• you discuss and get approval from the homeowners association (Vereniging van Eigenaren, VvE).

Only the owner of the property can apply for a permit to create living space.

You will hear within 8 weeks whether you will get the permit.

You will pay € 543.90 (in 2024) or € 562.85 (in 2025) to apply for a permit to create living space. You will not get this money back if the municipality rejects your permit application.

Buying a structurally divided property

Are you buying a property which has been structurally divided? Then check:

• whether the structurally divided property has 2 or more apartments. The apartments have a private entrance and their own bathroom, kitchen and toilet. And they often have a different house number (for example, 1A, 1B and 1C).
• whether the municipality has granted a permit for the structural division of the property. A property division can be illegal (without a permit being granted) or legal (with a permit). Purchasing an illegally divided property can lead to problems. Because sometimes an illegal property division cannot be made legal. You must then reverse the illegal division yourself. Did the illegal structural property division take place after 1 July 2019? Then it is almost never possible to make the division legal. You can sometimes make property divisions from before 1 July 2019 legal.

Sustainability

Structural division provides opportunities for making a property sustainable. This offers many advantages, for example, in terms of your comfort or energy bill. Read more on Begin external link: Hou van je huis(External link), end external link. (in Dutch).

For more information contact the department of Permits and Supervision (Vergunningen & Toezicht). Send an email to Begin link: huisvesting@denhaag.nl, end link. .