The Effect of Further Liberalisation in the Healthcare Industry on the (Healthcare) Real Estate in the Netherlands: A Comparison to Germany

Up until recently, there have been two kinds of elderly living in the Netherlands: ‘care complex’ (light care) and nursing complex (intensive care), mostly located outside the city. Elderly could have been living there and receiving care from a care institution (almost) for free, if being referred by a special indication centre for healthcare. The care institution has been financed by a special public funding (for healthcare including living) that comes from the working citizens.At this moment, due to the shortage of the budget, the living subsidy for the light care patients is being stopped. (Elderly) care patients have to pay the rent for the living themselves. As a result, elderly are free to decide where and how they want to live. The contemporary care complexes are out and various new living shapes have come to existence like patio, domotica and senior living. But there is also a ‘lifetime proof apartments complex’, a trendy new shape of living, where younger and elder citizens can live for a lifetime. These new complexes are mostly located inside the city, near by healthcare, shopping and culture facilities. This (on-going) research analyses the impact to nursing complexes, when the living subsidy of the intensive care patients are also being revoked. Will nursing complexes also disappear and be replaced by many shapes of living like care complexes? Which shape of living will make the biggest chance in the future market of (care) real estate? Interviews have been held with economists, real estate investors, healthcare experts and retirement experts to find out what their long term visions are. Also a survey has been conducted to find out how and where the potential care consumers want to live.Many kinds of living will come into existence, but the lifetime proof apartment complexes will have the biggest chance to grow in the new market of (care) real estate.