There are lots of things to consider when you lease lodging. This includes making certain you are not paying excessive in regards to rent, a deposit or service expenses. The Landlords (Good Practices) Act entered force on 1 July 2023. This act introduced brand-new guidelines and upgraded some old guidelines. It is necessary to know your rights and commitments. So follow this detailed strategy when you lease accommodation.

Step 1: check how much the lease, deposit, service expenses and mediation costs are

Rent

Check whether the lodging you wish to lease is classified as social housing or if it is private-sector leasing. This is a crucial difference, because different rights and responsibilities apply to each type. If you are going to be renting accommodation in 2024 and the basic rent is EUR879.66 or less, the lodging is thought about to be social housing. Social housing has a rent ceiling, which is determined using a points system. If you rent accommodation in 2024 and the standard lease is above EUR879.66, the lodging is thought about to be a private-sector leasing. There is no lease ceiling for private-sector lodging.

Check whether the lease matches the quality of the lodging by running the Rent Check.

Rent Check self-contained accommodations
Rent Check shared accommodations

If you are paying too much, ask your proprietor to lower the lease. If you can't reach an arrangement with your property manager, call the rent tribunal (Huurcommissie).

Please note: if you are residing in a private-sector rental, ask the rent tribunal to evaluate your beginning rent within six months of your first payment. If you reside in social housing, you can ask the rent tribunal to check the rent you are paying at any time.

In some municipalities, property managers require a rental authorization to be able to rent accommodation. Conditions may be connected to the license, such as just how much the lease can be. If this is the case, you can also ask the municipality to examine your lease.

Deposit

For tenancy arrangements dated 1 July 2023 onwards, the optimum deposit a landlord can charge is two months' standard lease. When the tenancy arrangement has actually ended, you will in principle get your deposit back within 14 days. But if you still owe your landlord cash, they can deduct this from your deposit. In that case they need to repay the staying deposit within thirty days.

Your landlord can just keep your deposit to cover the following:

- unsettled rent;
- service costs;
- damage to the lodging that the renter must cover;
- energy effectiveness charge (in Dutch: energieprestatievergoeding, EPV).

Service costs

Your property manager can only charge you real service costs that have been sustained. They can not charge more and keep the difference.

Service expenses consist of:

- cleaning costs;
- expenses of lighting common locations;
- jobs carried out by a caretaker.

Gas, water and electricity do not fall under service expenses. You pay these costs separately.

You pay service expenses monthly, on top of the basic rent. Each year your landlord will provide you with an overview of the service costs charged to you. This will show you:

- which costs your property owner has incurred;
- how much of these expenses you have actually paid;
- whether you have actually paid excessive or too little;
- whether you will get cash back or need to pay more.

If you have actually not gotten a summary of service costs, or if the introduction is incorrect, get in touch with the lease tribunal or your town.

Mediation charges might just be credited one celebration

If your property owner uses a rental agency, your proprietor pays the mediation fees. The firm can not ask you to pay mediation fees too. Mediation costs are sometimes called administration, agreement or company costs. If you yourself utilize an agency or intermediary to discover accommodation, you will need to pay their charges yourself.

Step 2: check your occupancy arrangement and the info provided by your property manager

Tenancy contracts dated 1 July 2023 onwards should remain in composing. If you make oral arrangements with your property owner, your property manager should validate these agreements in writing.
Your property manager needs to also provide you with info in discussing:

- how the accommodation can be used;
- when your property manager can enter the accommodation (just with your approval, unless there is an emergency);.
- the different kinds of tenancy agreement and the associated occupant security and rental cost security;.
- what you can do if the lodging needs repair;.
- who you can call if you have concerns about your accommodation;.
- who you can call if you can't fix a problem with your proprietor (local reporting workplace, rent tribunal or district court);.
- just how much you require to pay as a deposit and how it will be returned;.
- service costs (an overview of service costs charged should be provided every year).

If your occupancy contract started before 1 July 2023, you will get this extra details by 30 June 2024 at the current.

Extra details for European labour migrants

If you have originated from a European nation to momentarily operate in the Netherlands, and your employer offers you with accommodation, your employer should give you details about your accommodation in a language you comprehend. This does not apply to the tenancy agreement, nevertheless. The tenancy agreement can be in Dutch.

Your occupancy arrangement must also be separate from your employment agreement. This implies that you do not need to vacate the accommodation if your employment ends. This only applies to tenancy agreements dated 1 July 2023 or later on.

Step 3: check if you are entitled to housing benefit

You may be entitled to housing benefit. You can check this on toeslagen.nl.

Step 4: do something about it if you can not solve a concern with your landlord

If you have a problem with your proprietor and can't fix it, there are different strategies you can take.

Involve the rent tribunal

If you are renting social housing, and you do not concur with the amount of lease you are paying, a rent boost or the level of upkeep, you can contact the rental tribunal.

If you lease private-sector accommodation, and disagree with your proprietor's annual lease increase, or a rent increase following enhancements to your lodging, contact the rent tribunal. You can likewise ask the lease tribunal to evaluate your starting rent. You must do this within 6 months of the start of the tenancy.

The lease tribunal is an independent and neutral dispute conciliator. Any decisions it takes are lawfully binding for both occupants and landlords. If you can not take the conflict to the lease tribunal, you can take it to the district court.

Reporting a concern to the town

As of 1 January 2024, every town has a reporting office where occupants and those trying to find accommodation can report problems with property owners.

If a landlord breaches one of the guidelines in the Landlords (Good Practices) Act, the municipality needs to act. Here are some examples. A property owner is in breach of the rules if they:

- do not supply you with a written tenancy agreement or written information about the occupancy;.
- charge you unjustified service expenses or deposit expenses;.
- victimize you or intimidate you. Intimidation consists of threatening to end the tenancy agreement or cut off your gas, water or electricity if you complain.

If a landlord is found to be in breach of the rules in the Landlords (Good Practices) Act (or other guidelines), the town can do a number of things, including:

- issue an official warning;.
- concern a fine; or.
- in severe cases, take control of management of the lodging.

If you have a grievance that is not connected to the Landlords (Good Practices) Act, your municipality can put you in touch with the ideal organisation.

Report discrimination

Your property owner is not enabled to victimize you. To prevent discrimination (mindful or unconscious), landlords need to state in composing how they pick their occupants. When marketing lodging, property managers need to include details on how occupants will be picked. Landlords must explain to unsuccessful prospects why they were not selected.

If you presume discrimination, contact the reporting workplace of your municipality. You can likewise call an anti-discrimination service (ADV). These services offer independent guidance to individuals who report discrimination or have questions about discrimination.
You can also call:

the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights (+31 (0 )30 888 3 888/ info@mensenrechten.nl); or.
the authorities.

Brochure with extra info

Most occupants more than happy with their proprietor. But sometimes things do not go as anticipated and issues can arise. The Landlords (Good Practices) Act offers renters defense and gives proprietors clarity about what's enabled and what's not allowed. This brochure supplies additional information about the law. The brochure is available in Dutch, English, Bulgarian, Polish, Romanian and Spanish.