Waarborgfonds Sociale Woningbouw (WSW) is an independent, private-law foundation under Dutch law that supports the financing of social housing in the Netherlands.45 It was established in 1983 by the predecessors of the Dutch housing-association trade organisation Aedes.7
WSW guarantees the interest and repayment obligations of participating housing associations. This guarantee enables associations to access the capital market on favourable terms and finance the construction, management and improvement of social rental housing.41 Its guarantee activities also cover loans for other properties with a social function.5
In addition to providing guarantees, WSW assesses the financial risks of individual housing associations and the sector as a whole.4 It uses this risk assessment to monitor participants and help protect the continuity of the guarantee system.25 Since 2015, WSW has also carried out the financial remediation—or sanering—of housing associations on behalf of the responsible minister.7
WSW’s geographic scope is national: its participants are Dutch housing associations, and its activities concern social housing provision within the Netherlands.4 At the end of 2024, 264 housing associations—97% of all associations—participated in WSW, with €94.9 billion in guaranteed loans.5 The organisation is a not-for-profit foundation with a board, supervisory board, objections committee and participants’ council, and had approximately 70 employees according to its organisational information.412
WSW’s registered office and headquarters are at Olympia 1G in Hilversum, Netherlands.35 Rob Haans became board chair on 1 November 2025, succeeding Rob Rötscheid; Rötscheid was subsequently designated to take responsibility for risk management, succeeding Jo van Kalsbeek.11