Renting a Home in Heemskerk

Heemskerk is a municipality with nearly 40,000 inhabitants, bordering Beverwijk but with a completely different character. Where Beverwijk has a city center, Heemskerk feels more village-like — lower-rise buildings, more gardens, more space. The western side directly borders the North Holland Dune Reserve, the eastern side borders the A9. In between are residential areas that vary greatly in construction period, housing type, and price level.

The free sector rental market here is smaller than in cities like Haarlem or Alkmaar. The available supply mainly consists of single-family homes — terraced houses, corner houses, and semi-detached houses. This makes Heemskerk attractive for families and couples who want more square meters than a Haarlem apartment offers, without significantly increasing travel time to Amsterdam. From Heemskerk station, you can reach Amsterdam Centraal in about 40 minutes with a direct sprinter connection.

Broekpolder: Heemskerk's Newest Neighborhood

Broekpolder is often the first place many home seekers encounter, and that's no coincidence. The neighborhood was built between 1999 and 2019 in a former polder between the railway and the A9, as a joint project of Heemskerk and Beverwijk. A total of about 3,500 homes were built, divided into seven sub-plans, each designed by a different urban planner: De Lanen, De Citadel, De Ladder, De Wierden, Waterwijk, Het Waterbalkon, and Het Groene Balkon.

The result is a neighborhood that looks remarkably varied for new construction. Around the Citadel shopping center, there are apartments in a historicizing style with underground parking. Further from the center, you'll find ground-level homes with larger plots, plenty of water, and bridges. In the middle of the neighborhood lies an archaeological park at the site of an underground monument — a reminder that this is one of the oldest polders in the Netherlands.

The average WOZ value in Broekpolder is around €506,000, making it one of Heemskerk's more expensive neighborhoods. For free sector tenants, this means higher monthly rents but also homes with energy label A or B, modern kitchens and bathrooms, and often a private parking spot. The neighborhood has three primary schools, a sports hall, and its own shops — you don't need to leave the neighborhood for daily groceries.

Heemskerkerduin and the Market Garden Area: Space by the Dunes

On the western side of Heemskerk, where the buildings transition into the dune area, lies Heemskerkerduin. This is a very different Heemskerk from Broekpolder. The homes here are on larger plots, often with views over former market gardens that still characterize the area. The average WOZ value of €606,000 is the highest of all Heemskerk neighborhoods — but the supply in the free rental sector here is also the tightest, precisely because owners rarely sell or rent out.

Those who do find a rental home here live a fifteen-minute bike ride from one of the quietest beaches on the North Sea coast. Heemskerk's beach is only accessible by bike or on foot, so it never gets overcrowded, even on busy summer days. The parabolic dunes in this area — some more than a kilometer and a half wide — are among the largest in Europe.

It's a neighborhood for people who prioritize nature over amenities. There are no shops in Heemskerkerduin itself; for groceries, you drive or cycle to the center or to the Citadel in Broekpolder.

Assumburg and Kerkbeek: The Heemskerk of the Seventies

Between the village center and Broekpolder lie Assumburg and Kerkbeek, two neighborhoods largely built in the 1960s and 1970s. Here you'll find classic Dutch terraced houses with front and back gardens, interspersed with porch apartments and low-rise flats. The street plans are recognizable: wide loops, lots of greenery, playgrounds on the corners.

Assumburg is currently in motion. The municipality is investing in redesigning the residential streets: new sewage, more trees, flower-rich grassy areas instead of tiles, and better drainage. For tenants, this means a neighborhood that will visibly improve in the coming years. Rental prices are lower here than in Broekpolder or Heemskerkerduin, which makes Assumburg and Kerkbeek interesting for tenants looking for a single-family home without the new-build price tag.

Kerkbeek borders the village center, giving it the shortest walking distance to shops, doctors, and catering establishments. Assumburg is slightly further south and feels a bit quieter, with the advantage of quicker access to the railway and the A9.

Noordbroek, De Maer, and Breedweer: The Northern Flank

The neighborhoods on the north side of Heemskerk — Noordbroek, De Maer, and Breedweer — consist mainly of single-family homes from the 1980s. They border Heemskerk's green main structure: a strip of nature that serves as a buffer between the built-up area and the countryside towards Castricum.

This part of Heemskerk is the most "neighborhood-like" of the entire municipality: quiet, clear, with a primary school and playground around the corner. The housing supply in the free rental sector here is limited, but if a property becomes available, it is almost always a single-family home with a garden. Travel time to the center is five minutes by bike.

Zuidbroek-Oosterwijk: Between Two Municipalities

Zuidbroek-Oosterwijk is a special case. The neighborhood is located alongside the railway line and extends across both Heemskerk and Beverwijk. The homes primarily date from the 1960s and 1970s, with a relatively large proportion of flats compared to the rest of Heemskerk. It is a neighborhood in transition — the municipality has plans for redevelopment of the station area and wants to transform the entire area around the station in the coming years.

For tenants who are flexible about a neighborhood's appearance, Zuidbroek-Oosterwijk offers opportunities. Rental prices are lower here than elsewhere in Heemskerk, the distance to the station is short, and the redevelopment plans could lead to a significant upgrade in the long term. Those who rent here should be aware of the current state of some complexes — always inspect thoroughly and inquire about the maintenance plan.

What to Look Out For as a Tenant in Heemskerk

The free sector in Heemskerk largely revolves around single-family homes. This is an advantage if you're looking for space, but it also means that the supply is thinner than in cities with many apartment complexes. Fewer homes come onto the market at the same time, and if a suitable one appears, there are often multiple applicants.

Landlords in the free sector apply an income requirement of three to four times the monthly rent. Make sure you have an employer's declaration and recent pay slips digitally ready before you respond — decisions are often made within a few days for popular homes. Setting up a search alert on our platform helps you get an immediate notification as soon as a new property that matches your criteria comes online.

Heemskerk is not a city where you'll find a home within a week. But it's also not Amsterdam or Haarlem where hundreds of people respond to the same property. With patience and a realistic budget, you'll find a home here with more space and tranquility than you'd get for the same money in larger cities.