Around 120,000 homeowners in the Netherlands are living in properties with foundation damage severe enough to require urgent repair — including cracked walls, moisture problems, and structural tilting — but most cannot afford the cost, according to a new report by the AFM (the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets). The total repair bill is estimated at €11 billion, with 75,000 households collectively facing a €6 billion shortfall, and for 25,000 of those, even taking out a loan is not considered a viable option. The crisis is expected to worsen due to climate change, as prolonged dry periods lower groundwater levels, causing wooden foundation piles — commonly used in low-lying areas of the country before 1970 — to dry out and rot, while the government's current support package of €56 million through 2028 has been widely criticised as far too small to address the scale of the problem.