Struck: The Netherlands can generate more than 250 million m² living space without a permit

New analysis with AI shows opportunities to relieve pressure on the housing market

Amsterdam, January 27, 2026: In the Netherlands, 250 million square meters of living space can still be built without a permit. This has been calculated by Struck, the Dutch AI platform for building regulations used by municipalities, architects, project developers, and other real estate companies. Struck has expanded its AI library of building regulations and zoning plans with a "permit-free checker" which shows the options available at an address level. There appears to be considerable room for adding more living space. This could somewhat alleviate the pressure on the Dutch housing market.

Max van Riel, CEO of Struck:

“The Netherlands is struggling with a housing shortage and the regulations are not bringing us any closer to a solution. So we looked for a creative way by checking how much  is allowed to be built without a permit. We expanded our AI platform, which quickly compiles all relevant spatial and technical building regulations with a permit-free checker to see what is possible per address.  And it turns out to be quite a lot, a total area larger than Amsterdam.”

Speed ​​up the construction process

In the Netherlands, there are more and more opportunities to build permit free, both from a technical and zoning perspective. However, it's often a quest to navigate complex regulations and lengthy questionnaires to determine this for each individual construction project. This makes determining the backyard area and the building area, and figuring out how many square meters may be built (or added), a significant challenge.

To speed up the construction process, Struck uses AI to search regulations and perform checks. Struck's "library" includes all national laws and regulations, as well as local regulations such as parking standards and aesthetic standards. Struck also has a direct link to all zoning plans and shows the possibilities for each address.

Max van Riel:

“While permit-free construction won't immediately solve the housing shortage, the study shows that substantial living space can be added in the short term without additional procedures or policy changes. Permit-free construction is also often used in practice for assisted living homes and additional living space for families. By extending an existing home without a permit, opportunities also arise to subsequently divide it or use it for home sharing, for which then a permit is required. These forms of small-scale residential additions could quickly provide relief to local housing markets. We can't eliminate regulations ourselves, but we believe this approach will directly contribute to the desire to simplify legislation and building regulations.”

Struck is available to companies and public authorities in the construction and real estate sector.
An account can be created at www.struck.eu.

This is a press release from Struck (www.struck.eu).
For more information, please contact Struck at: info@struck.eu
Max van Riel, cofounder Struck +31-6-420537803