Researching the neighbourhood before you buy a house

Amenities and accessibility

For every 100 by 100 metre square of the Netherlands, CBS (Statistics Netherlands) calculates how far residents have to travel by road to amenities such as the supermarket, GP, primary school, railway station and motorway junction. This gives an objective picture, independent of what an advertisement promises.

• Do you have (or plan to have) children? Look at primary schools and childcare nearby, and at the type of education and religious or philosophical denomination.
• Do you travel by public transport? Check which stops are nearby and whether buses, trams, metros or trains call there.
• Do you work elsewhere? Test the journey time at the time you would travel, for example in the morning rush hour.

Noise, air and climate

You will not always notice a busy road, railway line or flight path during a viewing. Noise maps show the average level of traffic noise. Air quality, heat and the risk of flooding also vary from place to place. Read more about noise, air quality and climate.

Safety

The police publish the number of recorded crimes per neighbourhood, such as burglary, bicycle theft and vandalism. Compare these figures per 1,000 residents with the municipal average, and bear in mind that they are based on reports: a shopping area or station attracts certain crimes without making it unsafe to live there.

Also consider external safety: are there pipelines, companies handling hazardous substances or routes for transporting hazardous substances nearby? This information is in the public Register Externe Veiligheidsrisico's (the register of external safety risks).

What is going to change?

• Official notices (bekendmakingen): municipalities publish applications and decisions on building, demolition and tree felling. This shows you whether anything is going to be built in the street.
• Omgevingsplan (zoning plan): which designated uses apply in the area, and what may be built on the vacant site around the corner?
• Nature: is the house close to a protected nature area? That is pleasant to live near, but it can also bring rules for building.

Go and see for yourself

Figures tell you a lot, but not everything. Walk or cycle through the neighbourhood at different times: on a weekday morning, a Friday evening and at the weekend. Have a chat with the neighbours; they often know the most about parking pressure, nuisance and plans.

Neighbourhood figures are averages and say nothing about a specific property or its occupants. A property report sets out the public data for a single address, with the source for each section.