Renting a Home in Schiedam

Schiedam was once the gin capital of the world. At its peak, 392 distilleries and twenty windmills, which ground malt for the distilleries, operated here. Six of those windmills still stand. They are the tallest classic windmills in the world, up to 33 meters high, built to catch wind above the city buildings. Along the Lange Haven, the former distillery owners' buildings stand: monumental facades, warehouses, a city silhouette you won't find anywhere else in South Holland.

Today, Schiedam has about 82,000 inhabitants (2025) and a housing stock of which half are rental properties. Those considering renting a home in Schiedam choose a city that is literally next to Rotterdam but refuses to be absorbed by it. Metro lines A and B take you to Rotterdam Central in ten to fifteen minutes. The A20 and A4 highways are on the city's outskirts. But Schiedam has its own city center, its own canals, its own windmills, and its own pace.

The City Center: Canals, Warehouses, and Gin

The Lange Haven is the backbone of old Schiedam. An elongated canal with monumental buildings on both sides, thoroughly renovated in 2015-2016 while preserving its historical character. Along the water stand the windmills De Walvisch and De Nieuwe Palmboom. The National Genever Museum is housed in a former distillery. The Korte Haven, dug in 1577, is the terrace area: hospitality, cafes, and views of the water.

Living in the city center means apartments and upper floors in old buildings. Sometimes a former warehouse, sometimes a canal house with crooked walls and steep stairs. The free sector supply is limited and moves quickly. Parking is difficult, sound insulation varies. But the combination of water, monuments, and a city center not built for tourists but for residents makes the center the most sought-after place in Schiedam.

Family home with polder views

€1,460 / month

Slot Haamstedepad 37, Schiedam

3

108 m²

12/19/2025

House

Renovated house with spacious garden

€1,450 / month

Professor Kamerlingh Onneslaan, Schiedam

120 m²

Immediately

House

Schiedam-East and De Gorzen: Nineteenth-Century Working-Class City

East is the oldest residential area outside the canals. De Gorzen, the heart of the district, consists of narrow streets with multi-apartment buildings and working-class houses dating from the period when the distilleries were running at full capacity. It is the district where the gin workers lived, and that history is still visible in the urban planning: dense development, little green space, short distances.

Catching up until 2035 is part of the district's urban renewal. This means that in the coming years, demolition, renovation, and new construction will take place. For free sector tenants, East is the district where you get the most square meters for your budget. The downside is that the district scores lower on liveability than Spaland or Kethel. Those who accept that and appreciate the proximity to the city center will find opportunities here that are already gone elsewhere in Schiedam.

Nieuwland: Reconstruction with a Renovation Promise

Nieuwland was built in the 1950s and 1960s, during the major post-war reconstruction wave. Multi-apartment buildings, gallery flats, the austere repertoire of that period. The district is multicultural, the homes have been partly renovated, and a long-term program is underway to improve liveability and diversify the housing supply.

For tenants, Nieuwland offers something that more popular neighborhoods cannot: availability. Turnover is higher, supply is greater. The homes are functional, and the location relative to the metro and city center is good. It's not a neighborhood you choose for the atmosphere, but for the practical combination of accessibility and affordability.

Groenoord: High-Rise in Green Spaces

Groenoord dates from the 1960s and 1970s. High-rise flats and multi-apartment buildings in a district that, despite its name, appears surprisingly urban. A large-scale restructuring is underway in Groenoord-Zuid: demolition and new construction of outdated flats, redesign of public spaces. The district is visibly changing.

This makes Groenoord interesting for tenants considering the medium term. The homes currently becoming available are often post-war and functional. The new homes being built offer better insulation and more space. The district is within cycling distance of the center and has its own shopping strip.

Spaland and Woudhoek: The West Flank for Families

Woudhoek, built in the late 1970s and 1980s, and Spaland with the Sveaparken, built in the 1990s and 2000s, together form the western edge of Schiedam. This is the Schiedam that doesn't look like a city: spacious streets, single-family homes with gardens, separate bicycle paths, playgrounds.

Spaland scores highest among all Schiedam districts in liveability surveys. Woudhoek follows closely behind. The homes are predominantly single-family houses in rows and semi-detached properties. The rental housing supply is limited because families tend to stay here for a long time. But when something becomes available, it is exactly the type of home most families are looking for: space, garden, peace, and still ten minutes cycling from the metro.

Kethel: The Village Within the City

Kethel, on the north side of Schiedam, was once an independent village. The old village center still stands, with a church, narrow streets, and the atmosphere of a place that has grown onto the city but doesn't want to belong. Around the core are new construction neighborhoods with single-family homes and plenty of greenery.

It is being investigated whether Kethel can get its own train station. If that goes ahead, the accessibility of the district will fundamentally change. For tenants who want to live in a village but within the municipal boundaries of a city with metro, train, and highway, Kethel is the only answer Schiedam offers.

SchieDistrict: Four Thousand Homes Next to the Station

The biggest change awaiting Schiedam is SchieDistrict, formerly Schieveste. Approximately 4,000 new homes and 20,000 jobs will be created directly next to Schiedam Centrum station. The station itself will be renovated. It's the kind of area development that can change a city's character.

For the free sector rental market, SchieDistrict means that a structural supply will be added in the coming years at Schiedam's most accessible location. Already, 65,000 travelers board at Schiedam Centrum station daily. That number will grow to 100,000. Living next to this hub means living at the intersection of Schiedam and Rotterdam, with the advantages of both.

React Without Hesitation

Schiedam's rental market is tight, despite the city's size. Half of the housing stock consists of rental properties, but a large portion of these are social housing with waiting lists. In the free sector, competition is noticeable, especially in the city center and Spaland. Landlords typically require three to four times the monthly rent as gross income.

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