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You are here: Home Housing Renting Renting a home in the Netherlands
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07/02/2012Renting a home in the Netherlands

Renting a home in the Netherlands Finding a house or apartment to rent in is not easy in the densely populated Netherlands. Here's our guide to renting accommodation.

Renting: using an agent
 
A good agent should be able to tell you about the market, city, price and quality of housing--as well as restrictions that apply to expats, arrange visits for you, negotiate with landlords and provide a contract in English. Make sure they have a good choice of properties on their books.

There are three sectors:

  • Distribution sector: these are properties that have restrictions on them such as income level, place of work, and visa type/status. These restrictions are applied by the local authority and which all intermediaries should be aware of and also apply.

    You are only allowed to rent a property in this sector when your total taxable income is € 43.000 or less. This is including holiday allowance, bonuses  etc.

  • Liberalized sector: Most expats end up living in accommodation in these sectors as there are fewer restrictions.
  • Housing corporations: Rent-controlled property mainly owned by housing corporations. While these properties are often considered to be the best value, there are many restrictions regarding who may live in them and waiting lists can be several years long.


Rules and regulations

The Dutch rental system for housing, tenants and agents is intensely regulated but not necessarily reflective of current market conditions. The points system is the framework within which base rents (kale huur) is determined. However, the reality is there are too few rental properties, which puts upwards pressure on some types of accommodation.

  • Dutch base-rents are calculated using a  ‘points’ system, woningwaarderingsstelsel, which scores everything from the floor space and heating system to the size of the kitchen sink. See www.vrom.nl for more information on the House Value Rating System.
  • The government regulates base-rents up to EUR 663.70 a month (2012) and anything over this price is in the ‘liberalised’ sector (assuming it has the correct points/price ratio).
  • Signed the contract but now think you are paying too much? Contact a local huurteam.
  • Some landlords expect your employer to act as a guarantor.
  • Generally income and residency conditions for cheaper housing apply, and you need an economic tie to the region.
  • Be cautious of sub-lets when searching solo. You may have problems registering with the GBA and be evicted with little notice. 
Costs and contracts

Your rental contract should cover:
  • Status: is the property furnished, semi-furnished or empty? There may be an inventory and/or photos.
  • Duration of lease (e.g. one year).
  • Notice period and stipulations about how notice should be provided.
  • Service charges (check “all-in”. What portion is rent?).
  • Utilities (apportioned how?). If you agree to a monthly fee, including an advance for utilities, then make sure that utility use is metered for your property. In this way, you can make sure you're not paying too much (and the landlord can ensure that he/she is not receiving too little).
  • A diplomatic clause if you have to leave because your employer has relocated you elsewhere. You need to be clear on when and how this clause can be used to allow you to escape your rental obligations.
Expect to pay one or two months’ rent as deposit, a month rent in advance to the landlord and a month rent plus 19 percent tax as commission if you use an agent.


Agent tips from Perfect Housing

  • Discuss your needs explicitly.
  • Select one, at most two, agencies: “we all talk to each other”.
  • Arrange viewings three weeks before you need to move in, no earlier. Oh, and have vision: “You may still have to look through the crap of the current tenant strewn randomly throughout every room.”
  • Make your mind up. You like the place. You agree terms in writing. You take it.
  • Don't be pressured, but be ready to move quickly.


Renting: other options

If the agent brokerage commission seems one financial burden too many, there are other ways to find property but you will need to put in lots of legwork and don't expect the monthly rental price to be much cheaper. Most of all, you will need luck and timing is important. If you start your search too early (say a couple of months before you need to move in) good properties won't be available. Every avenue is worth exploring. Post a notice in the housing section of expat forums or Dutch internet sites with housing or reply to postings from private landlords. Steer clear of anyone asking for a cash payment or commission.

Given the competition for housing, you need to be able to respond to adverts quickly and, if you can, take someone along with you when viewing. If you see a flat advertised in an estate agency window or in a newspaper with an estate agent contact number, make it clear you are only interested in that property and you shouldn't have to pay a commission but you will still have to pay a deposit, share utilities etc. There may be room for negotiation. Always check that you can register with the GBA and check the contract. The standard NVM (Dutch estate agent association) contract has an English version for comparison.

Students

Universities try their best to help students with housing but don't play down the shortage issues. There are non-commercial agencies for students, housing corporations and anti-kraak (anti-squat) agencies that rent out accommodation. Check the city housing department or Dienst Wonen for more information about low-priced housing. There are often links to other useful room (kamer) internet sites and other sources.

Shorter-term housing

Many cities in the Netherlands have aparthotels for corporate clients which can sometimes be less anonymous than hotels. If you are looking for a private apartment for a couple of months, the websites aimed at tourists are also worth scouring and they have a wide choice of accommodation including property in the choicest of locations, which will be priced accordingly. New short-stay rules in Amsterdam mean that it is ‘illegal’ to rent the majority of properties for less than six months. The only exceptions are where a property has been explicitly exempted or where the landlord has a short-stay permit and when a property is built after 1 January 2008. Despite this, there are many properties listed for less than six-month stays which are illegal due to new rules.

Living on the water

Tempted by life on a houseboat or Dutch barge? The houseboat market is a very close-knit community so personal references will go a long way. There are many rules and regulations regarding permits and mooring conditions and if you want to buy a boat, it will usually (certainly for newcomers) be a cash transaction. Track down a specialist agent to steer you through the procedures. Useful sites include www.waterwonen.nl; www.botentekoop.nl (which includes all kinds of boats for sale).
 
Updated January 2012 by Mike Russell of Perfect Housing


6 reactions to this article

Cobi van Soest posted: 2010-05-14 10:53:34

Hi,
I would like to place my appartment 'to let' on some expats websites.
My husband and I are going to Thailand for 2 months,
around 11th of Septembre.

It's a beautiful new appartment in Amsterdam West.
It is fully furnised en warmly decorated, 94M2.
- 2 bedrooms
- great bathroom
- living room 41M2
- luxe kitchen with a bar
- nice balcony on the West side
- parking place in the garage

I would love to hear about the possibilities.
Thank you,
Cobi van Soest

Beware of Morrocans posted: 2010-08-28 23:08:39

There are some bad elements in the dutch society which give fraud houses on rent. THey take the rent and security deposit in advance when you sign the contract and then..when u start shifting to the accomodation...you come to know it was a fraud.

BEWARE

I dnt want to blame the whole community but many Morrocans are active in this..Beware of those guys...Its some guys which bring bad name to whole community

Cobi posted: 2010-08-29 16:08:18

We've rented it out to some good persons.
So the worries are gone

Philip posted: 2010-09-05 21:24:15

The reason why there are so many problems finding a place and high risk in the housing market in the Netherlands is that there is too much government regulation. Some private landlords would rather keep a place empty than rent because of all of the government regulations that distort supply and demand. Recently they banned squatting, which was a policy of trying to force landlords to rent, and the new free market oriented government may make some other reforms which will be of benefit to improve supply from the private sector. The Netherlands is a classic example of problems caused by too much price controls and regulation in the housing sector. Currently, some people get a very cheap place to rent, but there is an overall significant shortage in housing due to price controls. In practice, while some renters have too many rights (and landlords choose not to rent out in some cases and that is the reason for empty buildings) other renters in the Netherlands on the black market have very few rights and may be told to leave on less than 24 hours notice, literally, which happened to me once. They may also pay 2 or 3 times the normal rent of an apartment, and usually a lot more than the person they are subletting from. In any case, it is a perfect economic case study of how price controls and government regulations cause a shortage of housing and create a black market, since all of the elements expected by the theory of supply and demand are prominently there. It is straight out of an Economics 100 textbook, which is a course that more politicians and persons working in the government should be required to take. It is a real contradiction that in such a capitalist country as the Netherlands that they would have such an obvious problem.

Mark Holden posted: 2011-02-13 22:43:14

It isn't true that houseboat sales will be mostly cash transactions; mortgages are available just like other housing [although the banks are slightly stricter about boat loans]. There are specialist mortgage brokers for boats [www.fransmans.nl]
Few are available for long term rent, but I sometimes have one.
www.amsterdamhouseboats.nl

roger posted: 2011-10-05 19:01:52

As of 1 October 2011, it will no longer be possible to REDUCE rents on small houses!!!?

I feel so bad because i didn't know and now it is too late.
They told me that even Mr Zijlstra can't do a thing, as the law overrules everything and keeps the high rent to stay high (meaning it can never be disputed ever again?!)
Here is the link in english:
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2011/05/rentcontrolled_housing_plan_in.php

And here is a link to Perfect Housing saying the law has passed, effectively making any house 'free'to rent at any (ridiculous) high rent- I called the municipality and they say it's for real:
http://www.perfecthousing.nl/index.php?subID=483

6 reactions to this article

Cobi van Soest posted: 2010-05-14 10:53:34

Hi,
I would like to place my appartment 'to let' on some expats websites.
My husband and I are going to Thailand for 2 months,
around 11th of Septembre.

It's a beautiful new appartment in Amsterdam West.
It is fully furnised en warmly decorated, 94M2.
- 2 bedrooms
- great bathroom
- living room 41M2
- luxe kitchen with a bar
- nice balcony on the West side
- parking place in the garage

I would love to hear about the possibilities.
Thank you,
Cobi van Soest

Beware of Morrocans posted: 2010-08-28 23:08:39

There are some bad elements in the dutch society which give fraud houses on rent. THey take the rent and security deposit in advance when you sign the contract and then..when u start shifting to the accomodation...you come to know it was a fraud.

BEWARE

I dnt want to blame the whole community but many Morrocans are active in this..Beware of those guys...Its some guys which bring bad name to whole community

Cobi posted: 2010-08-29 16:08:18

We've rented it out to some good persons.
So the worries are gone

Philip posted: 2010-09-05 21:24:15

The reason why there are so many problems finding a place and high risk in the housing market in the Netherlands is that there is too much government regulation. Some private landlords would rather keep a place empty than rent because of all of the government regulations that distort supply and demand. Recently they banned squatting, which was a policy of trying to force landlords to rent, and the new free market oriented government may make some other reforms which will be of benefit to improve supply from the private sector. The Netherlands is a classic example of problems caused by too much price controls and regulation in the housing sector. Currently, some people get a very cheap place to rent, but there is an overall significant shortage in housing due to price controls. In practice, while some renters have too many rights (and landlords choose not to rent out in some cases and that is the reason for empty buildings) other renters in the Netherlands on the black market have very few rights and may be told to leave on less than 24 hours notice, literally, which happened to me once. They may also pay 2 or 3 times the normal rent of an apartment, and usually a lot more than the person they are subletting from. In any case, it is a perfect economic case study of how price controls and government regulations cause a shortage of housing and create a black market, since all of the elements expected by the theory of supply and demand are prominently there. It is straight out of an Economics 100 textbook, which is a course that more politicians and persons working in the government should be required to take. It is a real contradiction that in such a capitalist country as the Netherlands that they would have such an obvious problem.

Mark Holden posted: 2011-02-13 22:43:14

It isn't true that houseboat sales will be mostly cash transactions; mortgages are available just like other housing [although the banks are slightly stricter about boat loans]. There are specialist mortgage brokers for boats [www.fransmans.nl]
Few are available for long term rent, but I sometimes have one.
www.amsterdamhouseboats.nl

roger posted: 2011-10-05 19:01:52

As of 1 October 2011, it will no longer be possible to REDUCE rents on small houses!!!?

I feel so bad because i didn't know and now it is too late.
They told me that even Mr Zijlstra can't do a thing, as the law overrules everything and keeps the high rent to stay high (meaning it can never be disputed ever again?!)
Here is the link in english:
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2011/05/rentcontrolled_housing_plan_in.php

And here is a link to Perfect Housing saying the law has passed, effectively making any house 'free'to rent at any (ridiculous) high rent- I called the municipality and they say it's for real:
http://www.perfecthousing.nl/index.php?subID=483

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