Renting an Apartment in Netherlands
Guide to renting a property in the Netherlands including types of housing, where to find rental listings, advice about Dutch leases, fees to be paid and where to turn when problems go unresolved…
Residential rental properties in the Netherlands fall into four basic categories…
- Housing for lower-income residents/families (‘sociale huurwoningen’)
- Housing for the elderly (‘senioren woningen’)
- Student housing for college and university students (‘studentenwoningen’)
- Private housing (‘vrije sector’)
WHERE TO FIND AVAILABLE RENTALS
There are several places in Holland one can look to for property rental listings including…
PROPERTY WEBSITES are an excellent starting point to see examples of what is available. Most cover all of the Netherlands but some are regional, specific to a metropolitan area or group of adjacent villages. The following all have information available in English.
- Funda is the largest property website in the country as it is the one attached to the largest real estate agent association NVM (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Makelaars). Approximately 70% of Dutch estate agents are NVM members.
- Pararius is another large Dutch property website but this one is solely for rentals (not sales) and rental agents with listings in all areas of the Netherlands.
- 123 Wonen is headquartered in Groningen but has apartment rental listings in all major Dutch cities.
- DirectWonen has apartment and house rentals in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and other large Dutch cities.
- Rentbird is a Netherlands rental property membership service with the latest listings in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam Utrecht or other Dutch city that meet the parameters you set.
- Rentslam sends you every rental listing matching your search profile as soon as it is published, removing the need to spend hours a day browsing online.
- Snelwonen is a search service for apartment, studio and room rentals in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and other cities. Their system scans housing sites multiple times an hour to find newest listings. The user is notified through the Snelwonen mobile app that a matching property has become available.
HOUSING AGENTS typically post pictures and details about available properties they have in their office windows (as well as online). Properties for rent are designated ‘Te Huur’ while properties for sale will say ‘Te Koop’. Most housing agents are happy to perform property searches for you based on the parameters you provide (price range, number of rooms, bathrooms, neighborhood or district preference, if parking is needed, how close to public transport it needs to be, proximity to a certain school your child will be attending, etc). Housing agents do charge a fee which can vary but commonly is equal to one month’s rent. For newly arriving expats who do not have the time to search themselves, or have a substantial number of requirements, the services of a housing agent may prove beneficial in the long run.
LOCAL DUTCH NEWSPAPERS particularly the weekend editions. Property agents commonly advertise one or more units they have available in these local and regional papers. The agent’s contact information will be included in the ad. Contact him/her to set up a viewing appointment.
TYPES OF RENTALS
Rented accommodation will be either furnished, part-furnished or unfurnished. If a listing makes no mention of furnishings, one can assume it is being offered unfurnished.
- Furnished (‘gemeubileerd’) apartment/home rentals will usually include key pieces of furniture along with standard appliances
- Semi-furnished (‘gestoffeerd’) rentals usually includes major kitchen appliances along with floor coverings and curtains
- Unfurnished (‘ongemeubileerd’) rentals are usually bare bones, but may include flooring, toilets, sinks and sometimes a stove. They rarely include major appliances such as refrigerators or washer/dryers.
Under Dutch tenancy laws, furnished apartments are treated like hotels, which means a tenant can be given short notice they must vacate. Unfurnished apartments offer the tenant more protection.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR LEASING AN APARTMENT
The prospective tenant will need to provide:
- Proof of identity
- Payslip (‘salarisstrook’) or copy of an employment contract. Students need to show proof of school registration if they are entitled to Dutch study support.
LEASE AGREEMENTS
Rental agreements will always be written in Dutch. A private property lease can be for a specific period of time (for example 1 year or 18 months) but more commonly will be open ended without an end date. If the notice period (i.e. the window from the time of notification to the landlord to the date the tenant moves out) is not stipulated, it automatically defaults to one month.
A standard Dutch rental lease will mention the following key points:
- Duration of lease
- Whether the accommodation is furnished/unfurnished
- Whether parking is included
- Whether utilities are included
- Whether there are additional service charges not included in the rent (such as maintenance of communal areas)
- Notice period
- What is considered normal wear and tear
A lease is meant to protect both the tenant and the landlord, so any relevant issues not covered in the rental agreement should be clarified and then added to the agreement as additional clauses.
It is best not to leave matters of importance open to interpretation, as it can lead to a dispute when you are getting ready to vacate. For example, if you replace a worn floor covering, will the landlord compensate you at the end of the lease? If not, and you decide to take it with you, you will likely need to relay the original worn covering otherwise your security deposit will be charged. This is why it is best to get agreements in writing before moving in. Contesting a dispute becomes far more difficult if you are doing it from another country.
DEPOSITS/COSTS
Standard practice in the Netherlands is to pay the first month’s rent in advance. In addition a deposit (‘Borg’) equivalent to one or two months’ rent is usually required. If a housing agent provided services, his/her fee will need to be paid as well.
In some cases, an agent may negotiate with the landlord for the deposit to be offset against the last month or two of rent. Such an agreement is less common in the Netherlands than in other countries. Landlords want to protect themselves as much as possible, meaning it is more beneficial to them to have the entire security deposit at their disposal through the tenant’s move out which is when the final walk-through will occur. If there is damage noted, the landlord will want to deduct it from the security deposit rather than asking for a payment from a tenant who may be leaving the country shortly.
Make sure all payments are documented. Paying rent and move-in fees are best done by bank transfer to ensure there is a record of all payments.
RENTAL AGENT BROKER FEES
A broker cannot charge a fee if they advertised the apartment online (on their own website, Pararius, Funda, etc.). According to Dutch law (art. 7:417 BW), it is illegal for the broker to charge a fee to the tenant if the broker represents the landlord. The Netherlands’ Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that a broker represents the landlord if the broker advertised the landlord’s apartment online. Sadly a lot of brokers continue to charge tenants a fee (especially expats who may not be overly familiar with Dutch rental law).
If you paid such a fee, here are some tips to help retrieve your money afterwards:
- Keep proof that you found the apartment yourself
- Make screenshots of the advertisement. Make sure that the name of the broker is visible
- Contact the broker by e-mail, not by telephone
- Ask the broker if you can directly contact the landlord
You have up to five years to reclaim a broker’s rental fee. The following is a sample letter which can be used to help get your money back.
NOTE: This is a sample letter from De Waal Juristen. You can adapt the letter to your own situation. You are responsible for the letter yourself. Send the letter by registered post as well as e-mail. Keep a copy yourself.
[Name of Rental Agency]
[Address]
[Post Code and City]
[Email]
[City and Date]
Subject: Reimbursement of Brokerage Fees
Dear Sir / Madam,
On [Date] I found the apartment that your agency advertised online on behalf of the landlord. Before entering into the rental contract, I paid your agency a brokers fee. I transferred the fee to you on [Date]. However, according to article 7:417 BW a broker cannot charge a tenant if the broker represents the landlord. The Dutch Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that a broker represents the landlord if the broker advertised the landlord’s apartment online. It was therefore not legally permitted to charge me as a tenant. Not even if it is stated in your general terms and conditions.
I therefore wrongly paid you the amount of [Fee Amount]. I request that you refund this amount within 14 days. Please transfer it to bank account number [Account Number] in the name of [Account Name]. If I don’t hear from you within two weeks, I will seek legal assistance. I will recover the cost of this illegally charged fee from you. I hope you will act expeditiously to resolve this issue so as not to require external parties. To make sure that this letter reaches you, I am sending it to you by both registered post and e-mail.
Kind regards,
[Signature]
[Your Name]
[Address]
[Post Code and City]
[Phone Number]
[Email]
ADDITIONAL COSTS…
- Service charges, if there are any, should be explained in the lease
- Insurance may or may not be included in the rental cost and again this should be detailed in the lease. It is always wise to get a ‘contents liability insurance policy’ in case the property is damaged or destroyed due to fire, leaks or theft.
- A real estate tax (‘onroerende-zaakbelastingen’ or OZB) is payable yearly to the local authorities. A lease for less than 12 months should include a reduced rate of this tax as part of the contract. The municipality sends out the annual assessment with the tax which is based on the market value or square footage of the property. The tax has two parts – the occupant’s part and the owner’s part. Owner-occupiers pay both parts. Rates will differ from one municipality to another. The OZB tax bill for property owners includes other municipal expenses such as the Sewer Tax (‘rioolrecht’) for use of the municipal sewer system and the Waste/Cleaning Tax (‘afvalstoffenheffing’/’reinigingsrechte’) for the collection of trash.
LANDLORDS/TENANTS
Both the landlord and the tenant have certain obligations in the Netherlands…
This should have been covered in the detailed lease, particularly with regard to the landlord’s agreement to replace or repair worn or faulty items or any requirement for the tenant to make good any defects caused by their negligence.
Make sure that any conditions regarding notice period are clear to both parties.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
In the event of a dispute contact the leasing agent. All NVM-registered estate agents have professional indemnity coverage in the event they are found guilty of misconduct or negligence.
There is also the Bureau voor Rechtshulp which offers legal assistance to residents with limited financial means.
DUTCH RENTER’S INSURANCE
Contents or renter’s insurance is available from many insurers in the Netherlands. This type of insurance is referred to as inboedelverzekering in Dutch. See policies available at…
Related information…