SNF certification requirements for employers: a practical guide

If you place international workers in the Netherlands, SNF certification is the recognised proof that their housing is compliant. The Stichting Normering Flexwonen (SNF) sets a national norm for housing labour migrants, and certified accommodation is audited against it.

The norm covers minimum living space per person, sanitary facilities, fire safety, hygiene, information provision in the worker’s own language and good management practices. Accommodation is inspected periodically, and certification can be withdrawn if standards slip.

For employers and staffing agencies, SNF certification is increasingly not optional. Many collective labour agreements (CAOs) require it, end clients ask for it in tenders, and municipalities lean on it when issuing permits. Housing workers in non-certified accommodation exposes you to enforcement and reputational risk.

The practical implication is that you should not treat housing as a private-landlord problem to hand to each worker. Managed, compliant accommodation keeps the standard consistent and the paperwork audit-ready, so a client or authority checking your housing finds it already compliant.

We hold SNF certification across our worker housing and handle the permits and registration that go with it — so certification becomes something you can demonstrate, not something you have to chase.