Living
Moving to a new country is exciting. You have to arrange many things, such as registering with the Dutch government to be able to work here, arranging health insurance and of course arranging housing. You also have to get used to the culture and rules of the Netherlands.
Fortunately, Flexible Human Services can arrange a lot of things for you. We are happy to help you with this! We take these things off your hands so you don't have to worry about them! For example, we can arrange very affordable health insurance for you. See the page about healthcare for more information about health insurance. We can also help with registration with the Dutch government. In addition, we have a Housing partner; Flexwonen.nu, who can arrange housing for you.
Of course, you also have free time to spend besides your work. On the Language & Integration page you will find some tips for fun activities to do in the Netherlands.
Housing in the Netherlands
The Netherlands is a small country with a lot of inhabitants. Unfortunately, this means that there is a shortage of affordable housing in some areas. Keep this in mind if you want to arrange your own accommodation in the Netherlands. Housing offered by private landlords is often very expensive, probably a lot more expensive than you are used to in your home country. Our tip is: start looking for affordable housing in time if you would like to arrange this yourself.
When you come to work in the Netherlands at Flexible Human Services, you have the option to arrange housing through us. This is done through our partner Flexwonen.nu.
When you come to work with us, we will help you with all the registrations you need to be allowed to live in the Netherlands. This registration is required to be allowed to work and live in the Netherlands. We arrange transport to and from the registration desk at the RNI, where you register and receive a Citizen Service Number (BSN).
If you plan to stay in the Netherlands for a long time, it is wise to register with a housing association. A housing association often offers "Social rental housing". These homes are cheaper than privately rented homes. There is also a maximum rental price for these homes, this rental price limit is determined by the Dutch government. The rent for such a home is around €800 per month. All homes that are not rented through a housing association are often well above this amount.
Pay attention! A housing association does check in advance whether you can get social housing based on your income. If your income is too high, you will not be eligible for social housing. In addition, it can take a long time before you can rent social housing. Waiting times are often more than 7 years (even longer in densely populated areas). We call that a waiting list for the people who are registered. If you are registered with a housing association, you must respond to the housing offer yourself. These are the homes that have become available. You can find these on the housing association's website. The housing association does not offer you a home on its own initiative.
Due to the long waiting times for social housing and the high prices of private rental housing, this means that you will most likely not be able to find affordable private accommodation independently in the Netherlands immediately.
Living at Flexwonen.nu
Due to the high rental prices in the private sector and the limited supply of Social Rental Housing, we have a housing partner Flexwonen.nu. They can arrange housing for you. Many of our new employees choose this option. Flexwonen.nu meets the SNF quality mark.
Stichting Normering Flexwonen
SNF (Stichting Normering Flexwonen) is the independent foundation that stands for good and safe housing for labor migrants in the Netherlands. Read more about SNF on this website (available in several languages).
When you rent your accommodation from Flexwonen.nu, we will deduct the rent from your salary. Flexwonen.nu charges a fixed price that includes everything: rent, internet, possibly a bicycle and costs for Gas, Water and Electricity (GWE) (for normal use). The living spaces of Flexwonen.nu meet the guidelines set by the Dutch government. For example, a number of requirements have been drawn up, such as that there must be at least 1 toilet and 1 shower for every 8 residents. Read more about the requirements for living spaces (in Dutch, English or Polish).
The Stichting Normering Flexwonen (SNF) checks whether the accommodations of Flexwonen.nu meet the set requirements. Audits are carried out regularly at Flexwonen.nu.
In all homes there is information about what to do in an emergency. This is posted in a central location in the home. The information on these posters is multilingual. It contains telephone numbers of the Flexwonen.nu location managers, the police and the emergency number 112. There is also a poster from SNF stating how many people are allowed to live in the house. In addition, there is also information on how to contact the various departments of Flexible Human Services.
Large housing locations of Flexwonen.nu also have an service coordinator present. In addition, you can submit repair requests or questions via our easy application on your phone. Flexwonen.nu will then contact you about the repair or question.
Of course, there is much more to living. Read more about living and working in the Netherlands on the following pages: