Renting an Apartment in Zoetermeer

When Zoetermeer was designated as a growth center for The Hague in the 1960s, the municipal council made a choice that still defines the city today. Construction would be compact, with "well-equipped high-rise buildings" in three districts: Driemanspolder, Palenstein, and Meerzicht. This decision from 1963 explains why Zoetermeer has more apartments than one would expect based on its population. It also explains why renting an apartment in Zoetermeer is not a concession to lack of space, but a choice from a stock designed from the outset.

The rental homes page of Zoetermeer covers the city district by district, with an emphasis on single-family homes and gardens. Here, the focus is on multi-story construction: the apartment blocks from the early years, the residential towers in the Stadshart, the new-build apartments in Palenstein, and projects yet to come. Zoetermeer has about 128,000 inhabitants (2026), and the RandstadRail takes you to The Hague Central in 25 to 30 minutes. You might have known that already. What you might not have known: this city has an apartment stock ranging from gallery flats from 1966 to seventy-meter-high residential towers.

The Stadshart: Residential Towers Next to the Shopping Center

The Stadshart is the center of Zoetermeer, but not in the classical sense. There is no market square, no church, no centuries-old street. The Stadshart is a shopping center with a square around it, built in the 1980s and renovated several times since. It is also where Zoetermeer is now reaching for the sky.

The most striking addition is 70LUX, a seventy-meter residential tower on Luxemburglaan. 134 apartments, ranging from two- to four-room homes of 45 to 131 square meters. A+++ energy label, triple glazing, heat pump, solar panels. The tower is directly next to the shopping center and within walking distance of the RandstadRail station. On Italiëlaan, SAM stands, a 23-story tower that functions as a landmark for the Stadshart. And on the site of the former V&D building on Duitslandlaan, a new residential tower of approximately seventy meters with 242 apartments is planned.

Sunny 2-bedroom apartment with terrace

€1,153 / month

Reimsstraat 177, Zoetermeer

2

65 m²

4/1/2026

Apartment

Bright corner apartment with views of Bentwoud

€2,150 / month

Amstelstroom 51, Zoetermeer

97 m²

3/1/2026

Apartment

Modern 55+ apartment with terrace

€1,387 / month

Van Leeuwenhoeklaan 247, Zoetermeer

Immediately

Apartment

The Stadshart is thus transforming from a shopping area into a mixed-use residential and shopping area. Above the shopping center itself, there are already 48 existing apartments. The new owners want to transform the center into a mix of shops, hospitality, care, and living. For those looking for an apartment with everything within walking distance, the Stadshart is the most urban experience Zoetermeer has to offer. It doesn't feel like a city center, but the functional mix is growing.

Driemanspolder: Seventy Percent High-Rise

Driemanspolder is the district that most clearly shows what the 1963 decision meant. Seventy percent of the buildings are high-rise. The original urban plan from the 1960s is still intact, and all original flats are still there. These are gallery flats and communal entrance flats of four to ten stories, built during a period when the Netherlands urgently needed housing quickly and efficiently.

The architecture is sober. Concrete facades, galleries, standard layouts. But the setup is more spacious than you'd expect: wide green belts between the blocks, playgrounds, mature trees. It's a district that functions as intended. The apartments are compact, and rental costs are lower than in the Stadshart or the newer districts. For those seeking an affordable apartment who don't need new-build finishes, Driemanspolder offers the most options in this segment.

Palenstein: New Apartments on the Site of the Old Ones

The rental homes page describes how Palenstein has been transformed. Here we zoom in on what this transformation specifically means for the apartment stock. The gallery flats from 1966 are being demolished phase by phase and replaced by new builds. In recent years, more than two hundred new apartments have been completed or are under construction. These are two- and three-room homes, sustainably built, with better insulation and larger balconies than the flats they replace.

What makes Palenstein interesting for apartment seekers: it is new construction that is not on the outskirts of the city. The district is centrally located, has its own RandstadRail stop, and the amenities are already in place. You don't have to wait for the neighborhood to be "finished," because the streets, greenery, and shops have existed for decades. Only the buildings are new. This is a different kind of new construction than a bare district on the city edge where the trees still need to grow.

Meerzicht: The Apartment Strip Along Meerzichtlaan

Meerzicht is described on the rental homes page as typically 1970s, with communal entrance flats and terraced houses. But the district has a clear division that is relevant for apartment seekers. The northeastern part, along Meerzichtlaan, is concentrated high-rise. Here stand the larger apartment buildings: four to eight stories, gallery flats with three-room apartments, built between 1969 and 1974.

The apartments in this part of Meerzicht are larger than those in Driemanspolder. Many homes have a spacious balcony and views over the greenery that permeates the district. Meerzichtlaan itself is a wide avenue with rows of trees that separate the high-rise from the low-rise to the south. The Meerzicht shopping center is within walking distance, and the RandstadRail stop Centrum West serves the district. It's not the most exciting architecture, but the layouts are practical, and the rental costs are competitive.

Entree: The Future Urban District

On the west side of the Stadshart, Entree is being developed, a new urban district with residential towers. The project has been postponed several times, and construction has been delayed. The plans envision a mix of living, working, and amenities, with high-rise as a starting point. It's the kind of project that should give Zoetermeer a more urban character.

For apartment seekers who need a home now, Entree is not relevant. But it's good to know that the supply in and around the Stadshart will grow in the coming years. The combination of 70LUX, the V&D tower, and Entree makes the center of Zoetermeer the area with the most activity for apartment hunting.

Stacked Living in a Horizontal City

Zoetermeer is known as a city of single-family homes and gardens, and that's true for most of its territory. But the apartment stock is larger than that image suggests. From the gallery flats in Driemanspolder to the residential towers in the Stadshart, from the renovated Palenstein to the apartment strip along Meerzichtlaan: there is choice in construction year, height, and finish.

Competition for apartments exists, especially around the Stadshart and for new builds. Set up a search alert with filters for Zoetermeer so you receive notifications for new listings. Have your documents ready: pay slips, employer's declaration, copy of ID. And don't only look at the newest towers. Driemanspolder and Meerzicht offer three-room apartments that attract less competition, while the RandstadRail stops there just as conveniently.