Apartments, rooms and studios for rent in Krimpenerwaard

Renting in Krimpenerwaard means choosing a village rather than a city. The municipality was formed in 2015 from Bergambacht, Nederlek, Ouderkerk, Schoonhoven and Vlist, and it covers the peat meadows between the Lek in the south, the Hollandse IJssel in the north and the Vlist in the east. Rentals in Krimpenerwaard are spread over villages such as Schoonhoven, Lekkerkerk, Krimpen aan de Lek, Ouderkerk aan den IJssel, Stolwijk, Bergambacht and Haastrecht, each with its own centre and its own small stock of homes.

The renters who land here usually want space and quiet within reach of Rotterdam or Gouda, and accept a longer commute in return. Listings are few at any moment, so it pays to follow the whole area at once on RentHunter and to read every advertisement carefully: the village decides your commute more than the price does.

• Houses along dikes and in village streets Houses make up the core of the rental stock in Krimpenerwaard: terraced homes in the village centres, semi-detached houses on the edges and older dike houses along the Lek and the Hollandse IJssel. Browse houses for rent in Krimpenerwaard if you want a garden and room for a family. Check in the details of each advertisement whether the house is a social rental, a mid-market rental or a private one, as the rules differ.
• Apartments in the village centres Apartments in Krimpenerwaard are concentrated in the larger villages, above shops or in small complexes near the centre, and many are aimed at older residents who left a family house. For a first home or a couple without children, apartments in Krimpenerwaard are the most practical option, with shops and the bus within walking distance.
• Rooms: rare, mostly in private homes Krimpenerwaard has no university or college, so rooms are rare and usually rented out by owners with a spare bedroom or an annex. Rooms in Krimpenerwaard suit seasonal workers, people between two homes and young locals saving for their own place. Expect to share the kitchen and bathroom with the owner and to agree on house rules in advance.

Krimpenerwaard is a rural municipality in Zuid-Holland where dairy farms, ditches and dikes set the rhythm, and where most residents know their neighbours. Families, retirees and commuters who grew up in the area make up most of the renters, with fewer newcomers than in the cities around it.

Schoonhoven is the largest centre of Krimpenerwaard, a fortified town on the Lek known as the silver town for its long tradition of silversmiths and its school for gold and silversmiths. It has the most shops and the widest choice of apartments in the municipality. Renters who want village life with a small town centre usually start their search here.

Lekkerkerk and Krimpen aan de Lek lie on the western side of Krimpenerwaard, along the Lekdijk, the dike road that follows the river. They are the villages closest to Rotterdam, which makes them the first choice for renters who work in or around Rotterdam. Homes on the dike itself have river views but steep driveways and little parking, so view them in person.

Krimpenerwaard is one of the areas where Gouda farmhouse cheese, boerenkaas, is still made on the farm, and many farms around Stolwijk and Bergambacht sell it at the gate. The open peat meadows make for long cycling routes, but also mean that homes outside the village cores can be far from a supermarket. Living in a farmhouse or a dike house is quiet and green, and it works best with a bike and a car.

Krimpenerwaard has no railway station, so commuting starts with a bus or a bike ride to Gouda or to the edge of Rotterdam. By public transit Amsterdam is about 89 minutes away, Eindhoven about 121 and Groningen about 164 minutes, which makes daily commutes beyond the Randstad hard. The village you rent in decides whether Rotterdam or Gouda is your nearest hub.

Rotterdam is about 55 minutes from Krimpenerwaard by public transit, for a distance of only 23 km, because the trip runs by bus before you reach the metro or train. From Krimpen aan de Lek and Lekkerkerk the trip is shortest, so these villages draw most Rotterdam commuters.

Den Haag is about 67 minutes from Krimpenerwaard by public transit, usually by bus to Gouda and then by train. Renters from the northern villages, such as Gouderak, Ouderkerk aan den IJssel and Haastrecht, have the shortest ride to Gouda station.

Utrecht is about 87 minutes from Krimpenerwaard by public transit, via Gouda. Renters who work in Utrecht often look just east of the area as well, in rentals in Oudewater, across the Hollandse IJssel in the province of Utrecht.