There are great deals of things to think about when you rent lodging. This consists of making certain you are not paying excessive in terms of rent, a deposit or service expenses. The Landlords (Good Practices) Act entered into force on 1 July 2023. This act presented brand-new rules and updated some old guidelines. It is very important to know your rights and obligations. So follow this step-by-step strategy when you lease accommodation.

Step 1: check how much the rent, deposit, service costs and mediation charges are

Rent

Check whether the accommodation you wish to lease is classified as social housing or if it is private-sector rental. This is a crucial difference, due to the fact that different rights and responsibilities apply to each type. If you are going to be renting accommodation in 2024 and the standard lease is EUR879.66 or less, the lodging is considered to be social housing. Social housing has a rent ceiling, which is computed utilizing a points system. If you lease lodging in 2024 and the standard lease is above EUR879.66, the accommodation is thought about to be a private-sector rental. There is no rent 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 excessive, ask your proprietor to reduce the lease. If you can't reach a contract with your property owner, contact the lease tribunal (Huurcommissie).

Please note: if you are residing in a private-sector rental, ask the lease tribunal to examine your starting lease within 6 months of your very first payment. If you live in social housing, you can ask the rent tribunal to inspect the lease you are paying at any time.

In some towns, landlords need a rental permit to be able to lease out accommodation. Conditions might be connected to the authorization, such as just how much the rent can be. If this is the case, you can also ask the town to assess your lease.

Deposit

For tenancy contracts dated 1 July 2023 onwards, the optimum deposit a property manager can charge is two months' basic rent. When the occupancy contract has ended, you will in concept get your deposit back within 14 days. But if you still owe your property manager money, they can subtract this from your deposit. Because case they should repay the staying deposit within 30 days.

Your property manager can only keep your deposit to cover the following:

- unsettled rent;
- service expenses;
- damage to the accommodation that the occupant must cover;
- energy effectiveness charge (in Dutch: energieprestatievergoeding, EPV).

Service costs

Your property manager can just charge you real service expenses that have actually been sustained. They can not charge more and keep the distinction.

Service expenses consist of:

- cleaning costs;
- costs of lighting communal areas;
- jobs brought out by a caretaker.

Gas, water and electrical energy do not fall under service expenses. You pay these expenses independently.

You pay service expenses monthly, on top of the standard rent. Each year your property manager will offer you with a summary of the service costs charged to you. This will reveal you:

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

If you have actually not received an introduction of service expenses, or if the overview is incorrect, get in touch with the lease tribunal or your municipality.

Mediation fees may just be credited one celebration

If your proprietor utilizes a rental agency, your property manager pays the mediation costs. The firm can not ask you to pay mediation costs too. Mediation costs are sometimes called administration, contract or agency costs. If you yourself use a company or intermediary to discover lodging, you will need to pay their fees yourself.

Step 2: examine your tenancy agreement and the information provided by your proprietor

Tenancy agreements dated 1 July 2023 onwards must be in writing. If you make oral contracts with your landlord, your landlord should confirm these contracts in composing.
Your landlord must likewise provide you with information in blogging about:

- how the lodging can be utilized;
- when your property owner can go into the accommodation (just with your authorization, unless there is an emergency situation);.
- the numerous types of tenancy contract and the associated occupant defense and rental cost protection;.
- what you can do if the lodging is in need of repair;.
- who you can contact if you have concerns about your accommodation;.
- who you can get in touch with if you can't resolve an issue with your proprietor (community reporting workplace, lease tribunal or district court);.
- just how much you need to pay as a deposit and how it will be returned;.
- service expenses (an overview of service expenses charged should be supplied every year).

If your tenancy contract began before 1 July 2023, you will receive this extra details by 30 June 2024 at the most recent.

Extra information for European labour migrants

If you have actually originated from a European nation to briefly operate in the Netherlands, and your employer offers you with lodging, your company should give you info about your lodging in a language you comprehend. This does not apply to the occupancy contract, nevertheless. The tenancy arrangement can be in Dutch.

Your occupancy contract should also be separate from your employment agreement. This suggests that you do not need to move out of the accommodation if your work ends. This only applies to occupancy arrangements dated 1 July 2023 or later on.

Step 3: inspect if you are entitled to housing benefit

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

Step 4: act if you can not solve a concern with your property owner

If you have an issue with your proprietor and can't resolve it, there are various courses of action you can take.

Involve the rent tribunal

If you are renting social housing, and you do not agree with the quantity of rent you are paying, a lease increase or the level of maintenance, you can get in touch with the rental tribunal.

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

The rent tribunal is an independent and unbiased dispute conciliator. Any choices it takes are lawfully binding for both occupants and property owners. If you can not take the conflict to the rent tribunal, you can take it to the district court.

Reporting a concern to the town

As of 1 January 2024, every municipality has a reporting office where renters and those searching for lodging can report issues with property managers.

If a property manager breaches one of the rules in the Landlords (Good Practices) Act, the town should take action. Here are some examples. A landlord is in breach of the guidelines if they:

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

If a property owner is discovered to be in breach of the rules in the Landlords (Good Practices) Act (or other rules), the municipality can do a variety of things, including:

- issue a main warning;.
- concern a fine; or.
- in extreme 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 proprietor is not enabled to discriminate against you. To prevent discrimination (conscious or unconscious), landlords need to state in writing how they choose their renters. When marketing accommodation, landlords must include details on how renters will be selected. Landlords need to explain to unsuccessful prospects why they were not chosen.

If you think discrimination, get in touch with the reporting workplace of your town. You can also contact an anti-discrimination service (ADV). These services offer independent recommendations to individuals who report discrimination or have concerns about discrimination.
You can also get in touch with:

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

Brochure with extra details

Most renters more than happy with their property manager. But in some cases things do not go as expected and problems can arise. The Landlords (Good Practices) Act uses tenants defense and offers landlords clearness about what's allowed and what's not allowed. This sales brochure offers additional information about the law. The sales brochure is offered in Dutch, English, Bulgarian, Polish, Romanian and Spanish.