Top 10 Mistakes To Avoid As A Tenant in the Netherlands

Special thanks to Gracia Sehdou of Sehdou Advocatuur for providing this article.

For many people, a move to the Netherlands ranks among the most exciting things in life. You move to a great city or town and contemplate what your perfect apartment or house will look like. Sounds familiar, right? But the reality of the Dutch rental market soon hits. Ask almost any expat, and the same predictable challenges await. Not planning for these challenges can be stressful. This is why we’ve compiled this list of the top 10 tenant mistakes to avoid as a renter in the Netherlands, with the help of our friends at Sehdou Advocatuur.

Dutch Rental Market: An Overview

Did you know that the Netherlands is the most densely populated country in Europe (if you exclude microstates such as Monaco, Vatican City, and Malta), with 17.9 million inhabitants squeezed into just 33 thousand km².

As a result, competition for rental properties is intense, and tenants often feel pressured to accept terms quickly.

However, acting too fast can sometimes become expensive.

As tenant lawyer Gracia Sehdou explains:

“May international tenants assume that whatever is written in the contract must be correct. In practice, we regularly see tenants paying excessive rent or signing agreements that do not fully comply with Dutch tenancy law.”

The Tenant Mistakes To Avoid in the Netherlands

1 . Accepting the Rental Price Without Question (and ignoring the WWS points system)

Before moving here, you’d probably heard about how high rents can get in the Netherlands, especially in cities like Amsterdam and Utrecht. But the Netherlands introduced a new points system in July 2024 to work out the maximum rent landlords can legally charge expats and tenants. This points system is based on size, amenities, and the property’s energy label. Blindly accepting the rent price without first checking whether the accommodation actually meets the legal requirements will very likely lead you into a contract where you end up overpaying. Always check the points before signing.

2. Assuming Your Temporary Contract is Legal

Many tenants assume that if a landlord hands them a temporary contract, it must be legally binding. Changes to Dutch law mean that, from July 2024, most contracts created should be permanent. The creation of the temporary rental contract was mostly abolished, with only a few highly specific exemptions. The exceptions mainly apply to specific tenant or housing situations, such as temporary work or study, renovation, or other legally defined categories. Always verify your contract type.

While the temporary rental contract for self-contained homes was largely abolished in July 2024, temporary contracts for individual rooms in a shared flat remain entirely legal for up to five years. If you are renting a room in the landlord’s home (hospitaverhuur), there is a strict legal probationary period of nine months during which the landlord may terminate the tenancy without providing a legal reason, provided they give at least three months’ notice. After the initial nine-month probationary period expires, you are legally granted full standard tenancy protections and cannot be evicted without a legal ground approved by a court.

3. Making Maintenance Requests By Phone Only

Has your heater broken? Does furniture need to be replaced due to wear and tear? Well, what may seem like a quick and easy phone call can cause problems down the line if there is no clear record of what you asked and no paper trail. Always put maintenance and defect requests in writing. This could be in the form of an email, letter, or WhatsApp message. Trust us. This is useful if a landlord denies that you reported the repair.

4. Missing the Six-Month Rent Assessment Window

There is a 6-month deadline from the contract start date to request the Rent Tribunal (Huurcommissie) to assess your rental price. But the relevant deadline depends on when the contract started and whether it is for a self-contained home (renting the whole property) or a room. Missing this deadline, if it’s a self-contained home, means giving up your legal right to claim back thousands of euros in unfair rent overcharges retroactively.

If you rent a room with a permanent contract, you can legally request a rent reduction based on the points system at any time during your tenancy. Whereas if you have a temporary contract for a room, you have until six months after the temporary contract ends to challenge the initial rent.

5. Paying Excessive Security Deposits

Whether you are renting an entire self-contained apartment or a room in a shared flat, be wary of handing over a substantial security deposit simply because it’s requested. Under the Good Landlordship Act (Wet goed verhuurderschap), effective July 2023, the security deposit is strictly capped at two months’ basic rent for all rental contracts. Furthermore, failing to secure a crystal-clear written agreement regarding the conditions for returning the deposit often results in not all of the deposit being returned to you when you eventually pack up and move out.

6. Failing to Log Problematic Neighbors

Living next to noisy neighbors is never fun. Again, for a quicker and more satisfactory resolution, you need a notepad and a pen to record all anti-social events, dates, times, and goings-on. Without it, neither you nor your landlord nor the local authority can take any meaningful action to solve your problem, so write it all down as it happens.

7. Subletting Without Written Permission

If you’ve looked at AirBnb or Booking.com and seen how much it costs per night to stay in Amsterdam, it might be tempting to put your room or apartment up for rent for a while while you go on holiday. Without explicit written permission from your landlord, subletting is a direct breach of contract in almost all cases. Also, subletting is almost always a serious offence under Dutch housing law and has serious legal consequences. Your landlord could terminate the tenancy or even claim damages. This applies whether you rent a self-contained apartment, a room in a shared flat, or a room in the resident landlord’s own home. not just a case of checking in with your landlord. Advertising on short-term platforms also has risks, as different cities have different rules about short-term rentals.

8. Relying on Verbal Agreements

As a general rule, avoid agreeing solely on words. Accepting verbal agreements regarding rent reductions, property changes, or extended stays is risky. When it comes to money, landlords can sometimes be unscrupulous. Technically, verbal contracts are legal, but it’s hard to prove what was said in court. This sometimes happens if a landlord suddenly changes their mind.

Always insist that every single fact, when the contract starts, when it finishes, rent, and conditions, is documented in a signed letter or email. Lots of expats feel a bit bad asking for a written contract from someone that they live with, like they don’t trust them, but this applies if you are renting an apartment or a room. Even if you live with the landlord, get everything in writing.

9. Giving Up Your Right to Privacy

Many international tenants simply do not know their privacy rights. They falsely believe that the landlord retains the right to enter the property at any time to check on things. This is absolutely false. Your landlord cannot enter your home without your permission, except in emergencies or with a reasonable, properly announced access request. If you are renting a room, the landlord cannot enter your private room without your permission and a good reason, though the agreement can govern shared areas. Do not relinquish your right to privacy out of politeness. This will compromise your living environment.

10. Fearing the Rent Tribunal

One of the things expats fear is not taking action when they realize they are paying too much rent. As long as the dispute is legitimate and you’ve tried to resolve it with your landlord, the Rent Tribunal (Huurcommissie) will help. The Huurcommissie is an accessible government tribunal with relatively low filing fees. Dutch law offers strong protection against retaliatory actions by landlords. The process empowers tenants and takes a tough stance with landlords who exploit the system.

Navigating the Dutch rental market requires an understanding of your rights, a bit of luck, and some determination. If you don’t think your counteroffer is fair, or you’ve been handed a temporary rental contract, don’t be afraid to stand up for your rights. Sehdou Advocatuur is a specialist in tenant advocacy services to help.

As Gracia Sehdou explains: “Many tenants wait too long because they assume they have no options. Often, legal solutions are available much earlier than expected.

Dutch law offers some of the world’s strongest tenant protections. It is designed to ensure you have a safe, fair, and comfortable home during your time in the Netherlands, whether long or short, and Sehdou Advocatuur can assist with this.