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Rent and tenancy agreement

This information is provided by:Netherlands Enterprise Agency, RVONetherlands Enterprise Agency, RVONederlandse versie

Do you rent houses or apartments? As a landlord in the Netherlands you have to observe several rules and obligations, for instance:

You must keep to the rules of the Good Landlordship Act (in Dutch, scroll down for explanatory videos in several languages).

Rental permit

Some municipalities have a rental regulation. It may state that you must have a rental permit to rent out living space. With a rental permit, municipalities can impose additional requirements on landlords, such as a fair rent and timely maintenance of the property.

Temporary tenancy agreements

Landlords may offer temporary tenancy agreements (in Dutch) for 2 years (private sector independent properties) and for 5 years (non-independent properties). Independent means having a private entrance and kitchen and bathroom facilities. In some cases landlords may end a tenancy agreement if the accommodation needs to be vacated urgently, for example for personal use. Temporarily renting out a property that is for sale is possible.

Fixed energy performance compensation

Landlords who invest in energy efficiency (zero energy houses) may pass on the investment costs to their tenants. This fixed 'energy performance compensation' replaces the regular (and in most cases higher) energy bill their tenants have to pay.

Disputes

If you have a dispute with tenants or their representatives that cannot be solved amicably, you can take it to the Rent Tribunal (Huurcommissie, in Dutch).

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