Climate change and it’s effects have transitioned from being a warning of the future, and has translated firmly into changes in our present day. This can be seen in the UK and around the globe, as sea levels and temperatures rise alongside other erratic weather behaviours.

There have been consistent calls in the UK to address overheating, one of the most visceral consequences of climate change which has created a measurable increase in heat-related deaths. Document-O (the government’s comprehensive regulation and policy guide to mitigate overheating) has been reformed in recent years, but these standards now only apply to new builds, a problem that does little to tackle the issue in our already existing housing stock.

In the Netherlands, a new report by the Dutch Green Building Council and Climate Adaptation Services has mapped the overall exposure of social housing to adverse effects as a result of climate change, revealing inequalities between housing tenure that will become further entrenched as climate change worsens. The report is a piece of food for thought for our climate approach in the UK, a comprehensive view of the situation is instrumental in a strategic approach forwards.

Heat

Heat emerged as the defining risk. Three-quarters of analysed homes sit in neighbourhoods where summer nights will routinely stay above 20°C for weeks on end, the kind of persistent warmth that prevents buildings from cooling. For some associations, more than 80% of their stock falls in these heat-stressed zones.

The implications are far from abstract: prolonged hot nights are linked to sleep disruption, respiratory strain and increased mortality, particularly among older and medically vulnerable tenants. It sets a clear priority for adaptation efforts.

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Water

Heat may be the headline issue, but water is close behind. Climate effects rarely occur in isolation, and the report shows how other pressures accumulate.

Roughly a third of all homes face a medium to high risk of significant water depth on the street during extreme rainfall – a 70mm cloudburst that used to seem exceptional but now happens almost annually somewhere in the Netherlands. Older, tightly built neighbourhoods are especially at risk, with limited space for water to drain or infiltrate.

For around 175,000 social homes, exposure to surface water flooding is rated high or very high. As recent events in Enschede illustrated, even one intense storm can leave homes structurally damaged or permanently uninhabitable.

Hidden Risks

Beyond the visible impacts of heat and heavy rain lie slower, often costlier threats. More than a third of homes are exposed to medium or high groundwater-related risks, a rising issue for low-lying areas where drainage networks are already struggling.

Meanwhile, soil subsidence remains a localised but important concern. Most regions show low exposure, but where the risk exists, it can translate directly into cracked walls, uneven floors and long-term maintenance liabilities.

The most financially significant risk may be paalrot – timber-pile foundation decay caused by lower groundwater levels. Only a small proportion of homes are exposed, but for those that are, repairs can reach more than €100,000 per dwelling. For landlords with thin operating margins, even a modest cluster of cases can reshape investment plans.

Exposure

One of the report’s more striking insights is how often multiple climate risks converge in the same neighbourhoods. Only 66,000 of the 830,000 homes analysed showed low exposure across all themes. For the rest, at least one – and often several – climate impacts will demand attention.

In more than 270 neighbourhoods, multiple housing associations operate side-by-side in areas where two or more significant climate risks are present. That overlap creates clear opportunities: coordinated adaptation, shared investment plans and joint conversations with municipalities and water authorities. Collaboration has long been stated as one of the social housing sector’s key advantages, and a pressing issue that doesn’t discriminate between associations would benefit from a joined-up approach.

Social renters rarely have the means – or the legal flexibility – to climate-proof their own homes. Beyond small-scale interventions, most adaptation work requires landlord action. That makes clarity, planning and investment essential. Climate exposure is not just a technical or environmental issue: it’s a matter of health, affordability and long-term neighbourhood viability.

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A Call for Early, Coordinated Action

The study marks the first major attempt to map climate exposure across such a large share of the social housing sector. The authors are clear that vulnerability assessments are the next step – but even now, the direction of travel is unmistakable.

Ignoring climate pressures will cost more later. The sector’s best chance lies in early, coordinated adaptation: greener neighbourhoods, improved drainage, foundation assessments, and a recognition that the climate baseline for which most homes were built no longer exists.

A similar study in the UK will enable decision makers to arm themselves with detailed knowledge of the climate crisis and the action it demands today. Climate change will affect housing associations across the UK, and a unified approach to ensuring social housing tenants are not left dealing with the ramifications is vital.