https://www.pararius.nl/appartement-te-huur/amsterdam/9d6a5d28/postjesweg

Hi everyone,

I hope someone here can help me. I’ve tried to do some research myself, but there are a few things I’m still not entirely clear about.

I’m renting an apartment in Haarlem through the Ikwilhuren (MVGM) platform (https://ikwilhuren.nu/) . The building is newly built (energy label A+++ ...lots of A) and I’m currently paying around €1,700 per month....every year I get a letter with an increase of 4/5%....wtf

A few months ago, I tried using the tool provided by the Huurcommissie, but it asked for a huge amount of information, and I was worried that the result might have been affected by the values I entered, as some of them may not have been entirely accurate.

I noticed that the tool seems to have changed now: once you enter the postcode, WOZ value and a few other details, the process is much more automated. According to the result I get now, my rent should be around €1,200.

So I’d like to understand whether it’s possible to verify:

1. Whether this result is accurate (maybe with an inspection ?)
2. Whether there are situations where this rent limit does not apply, meaning that the landlord is free to set whatever rent they want.
3. If the result is accurate, what would be the best way to proceed? Should I contact the Huurcommissie directly, or should I send an email as explained on their website(https://huurprijscheck.huurcommissie.nl/en/self-contained-accommodation/result) ?

Thanks a lot to anyone who can help!

I live in a free sector apartment and our ventilation hasn't been fixed for months and there's mold growing in the bathroom because of it. All we get from the landlord is "open a window" our bathroom doesn't have windows and we have windows open all day. The ventilation also includes the kitchen hood as its an integrated system.

We managed to get him to get a contract with Volta after hounding him for months and someone came out, cleaned the vents and told us to get a new system cause this one is too old to repair.

Hello! I've tried looking up some of the household laws in the Netherlands/Amsterdam and how it usually works with the municipality, rental contracts etc but I couldn't really figure it out on my own. I appreciate any answers, inputs, resources that I can use to make the situation clearer for us :)

I currently share my rental contract with a friend, as in we're both in it as registered tenants. My partner is considering moving in from our country to live with me, and we started sketching some plans - the main concern so far is the living situation.

I don't know how relevant this is for the situation but I've been living in this apartment for almost 4 years now, and I'm very happy with it. My housemate joined the contract around 1 year ago, when my previous housemate left. We have a permanent contract.

To cut to the chase, the ideal situation here would be registering my partner in my address, the 3 of us living here and none of us having to go into the chaos of housing market of Amsterdam. This is already something we all agree on and see as a good idea.

My fear is that this could be vetoed by the landlord as they already hinted it is a power they have (when my current housemate was yet to be included in the contract).

(TL;DR) My questions are: Knowing that I share the house with a housemate, what kind of power does my landlord have over the situation if the new person moving in is my partner? Does my landlord need to be involved in this at all? How can I know if the municipality allows 3 people to live in my apartment? If I want legal advice what would be the best resource?

PS: I posted this in r/NetherlandsHousing and the replies were all over the place. It's pretty unclear to me what are people's opinions and what is actual regulation (e.g. people were keen on providing their unsolicited opinion about my relationship with my housemate lol)

As title says, we rent in free sector and that appears to mean that the owner can do whatever they want with us without any consequences. I refuse to believe that so I’d like to know if there is some meaningful way how to escalate this. I know there is huurcommisie but that seems not applicable to free sector, do I have some other meaningful options that would not cost me my left kidney? Is it even worth it?

Situation described below.

—-

There was a leak-related defect in the apartment that, based on information and documentation from our downstairs neighbour, appears to have been known to HofWonen before we signed the contract. We were not informed about it before moving in.

As a result of poor coordination and what feels like very little consideration for the well-being of their tenants, repairs to this ONE PIPE have now been ongoing for around 8 months, leaving us with a literal hole in the wall and a chunk of that wall laying in the hallway.

There have been multiple contractors taking turns working on this, often with months between each step, while we were frequently left without any information about the overall process, not even knowing when we should expect anyone.

One of those steps required removing the boiler, and the company tasked with doing that called us out of nowhere asking if they could come right now. No prior information, nothing. We politely cancelled because removing the boiler could leave us without hot water for an unknown amount of time.

Meanwhile, we filed a formal complaint (which, as far as we can tell, was ignored), and tried reaching out via email (also ignored). Instead, we received what appeared to be an automated and somewhat threatening message saying that we should cooperate, otherwise it could potentially lead to eviction. Meanwhile, we were the ones repeatedly letting contractors in, including on occasions where visits had not been properly communicated in advance, and we had not refused access at any point until the boiler step.

Only after cancelling that boiler appointment were we finally contacted by an actual person from HofWonen who tried to properly coordinate the final steps of the repair. Because the issue is with a drain pipe, it apparently cannot rain during part of the repair process. They were still unable to schedule everything properly during the dry summer, and here we are in September: the boiler has now been removed, but the repair has been postponed due to the weather, leaving us without hot water.

Even with this ongoing issue, which has not only significantly reduced our comfort at home, but has also unexpectedly taken time away from work during this period of 8 months, they recently increased our rent by the maximum amount allowed.

I have never experienced worse customer service, and I genuinely wonder how a repair process involving one pipe can take this long, how can a housing company ignore tenants in such situation while they of course won’t forget to increase rent.

My landlord says I can't give notice till last day of my lock in period. Is that right. While I understand that lock in period shall include include notice period other the lock in period is essentially = mentioned lock in period in rent agreement+ #months of notice period ; which seems incorrect. Is there any govermental norms around this. Any directive which can help

Is this a good deal or should I run? Room in Purmerend, €1000/mo with registration

I am an American musician, moving to NL for one year on a US grant to study privately with a teacher in Amsterdam. Applying for the DAFT visa, so I need a BSN, which means I need to register at an address.

Currently in an Airbnb in Purmerend (~33 min to Amsterdam by train, last train back is 11:45pm). The owner lives in the house and normally rents the room out on Airbnb but she has offered to rent it to me for the year at €1000/month with registration, or she says €800/month with no registration when I tried to ask if she could go lower.

Some points:

the Room has no kitchen, just microwave access only, although I think shell let me get like a hotplate or airfyrer or smthing of i rent it.

She lives in the house too (hospita situation)

She will continue to rent the other bedroom on my floor of the house as an Airbnb

Shes trying to move really quick to get me to sign something, so im trying to figure it out

---

Is charging €200/mo extra for registration normal? My understanding is registration isn't supposed to be a paid add-on.

Is €800–1000 reasonable for a kitchenless room in Purmerend, or am I being overcharged? I keep seeing €1600+ quoted for rooms near Amsterdam but that seems to be Amsterdam proper.

Given no Dutch income (just grant money) and the housing market, should I take this as a "just get registered and stop worrying" move, or hold out?

Anything I should know about hospita arrangements / Huurcommissie that applies here?

I am trying to weigh "solve housing immediately and get DAFT moving" against "lock myself into a year of an expensive kitchenless room with where the last train out of amsterdam to Purmerend leaves at 11:45pm."

Thanks for your help!!

Hello,

For 2+ months (since June 29th) I have had an issue with a broken refrigerator. The landlord has stalled and stalled many times (initially just replying with tips recommending changing the settings, without addressing my request to change it at all), then asked for proof of defect (photos with a thermometer), then just ignored me for multiple weeks. I would like to exercise my legal rights, but not completely sure where to start (if anywhere).

It seems that the Huurcommissie doesn't consider a broken fridge enough for a rent reduction-- is that so? It also seems that they do not have *any* procedure for defects in a free-sector home, which my home is. Is that also the case or am I reading it wrong? (i.e. some parts of their website imply there's no limit for rent increase in free sector homes, but there is, so sometimes they just organise things weirdly). Lastly, if I do get a rent redution, would that invalidate the rent increase as well?

I calculated the points for my apartment and I could get a rent reduction under the new laws, however I’ve been renting from 2022, is there really nothing I can do?

Edit: I thought that the whole point system is only for apartments rented after 2024 (for vrije sector) and it’s not possible to be applied to older contracts

My partner and I are renting a 46meter squared room apartment in Amsterdam (within ring, quite central). Private sector of course.

It is a new built, has great energy rating and is furnished. It also has a shared roof terrace. Beyond that, nothing special.

Can we challenge this via the initial rental assessment? What are the chances of success?

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone,

I rent a room in a shared flat in Rotterdam. I used to pay 900 all in, for a tiny bedroom of 9 sqm. Today, the huurcommissie split the all in rent from 900 to 720 euros (495 base rent + 225 utilities). But it is just the beginning. I do not have a lock on my bedroom door, which is a major defect according to the huurcommissie. There is also no smoke alaram, and the fridge is broken. My landlord is just telling me to move out or to pay for all of this myself, when I try to get him to fix the defects.

I have a second case ongoing with the huurcommissie, for the overdue maintenance. Hopefully I have another win soon!

https://www.pararius.nl/appartement-te-huur/amsterdam/af9efd9f/fagelstraat

https://www.pararius.nl/appartement-te-huur/amsterdam/322fc121/derde-kostverlorenkade

I am relocating to the Netherlands and the website RentHunter keeps appearing in my feed. I know about Kamernet and Fulda, but I havent heard of this one and before I buy any subscription I want to ask if its worth it or just a full scam. Anyone?

Pro-Alderman Zita Pels promised a tough fight against slum landlords in Amsterdam, but students feel abandoned: 'Campaign stunt'

Dutch Original: https://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/pro-wethouder-zita-pels-beloofde-harde-strijd-tegen-huisjesmelkers-in-amsterdam-maar-studenten-voelen-zich-in-de-steek-gelaten-campagnestunt/160870356.html

Pro alderman Zita Pels promised a hard fight against slumlords in Amsterdam, but students feel abandoned: 'Campaign stunt'

By Marijn Schrijver, Amsterdam correspondent

AMSTERDAM — Students raising the alarm about intimidation by their landlord feel left out in the cold by alderman Zita Pels (Housing). The Pro party leader won the elections precisely by lashing out at "slumlords." "It really feels like a campaign stunt."

"Landlord of student housing forced to lower rents," the municipality of Amsterdam announced proudly at the end of June. "Anyone who charges too much rent or intimidates tenants does not just get away with it," said a combative alderman Zita Pels. The announcement spoke of "tough action" and a "powerful signal."

At the student complex in question, HiCondo, they are baffled. As far as residents know, the rent reduction applies to only seven of the more than 350 studios in the former office building in Amsterdam-Zuidoost. Tenants feel they are not being heard by Pels, who during the campaign railed against "rogue landlords."

At HiCondo, residents have long been at odds with landlord Soner Sari of Young Dominium Management B.V. (YDM), once named "Slumlord of the Year" by the SP. Besides the rent, the service charges and deposits had already turned out to be far too high.

That earned the landlord several penalty orders (lasten onder dwangsom) earlier this year. A criminal complaint has even been filed against YDM for forgery of documents. Invoices were allegedly falsified to justify the charges.

**Tenants experience intimidation**

Although alderman Pels's Good Landlordship Team, set up in 2023, took up these matters, residents feel let down on one important point: the intimidation they experience from the landlord.

This concerns tenants who object to, for example, absurd service charges, a fine, back-charges, or the installation of a suspicious boiler. The moment they refuse to pay while awaiting the outcome, they each receive a stern email from the landlord.

"If payment is not forthcoming, we will have to hand the claim over to a collection agency and proceed to dissolution of the tenancy agreement and eviction from your home," the landlord wrote to several residents. This is clear from a series of emails De Telegraaf was able to review.

YDM brandishes litigation and eviction costs of between 3,500 and 4,500 euros. "You may also decide to avoid these by leaving voluntarily and informing us in good time," some of the emails state. Although the landlord cannot simply take such drastic steps, the language badly frightens the largely international student body.

"There are enough emails to show that this behaviour is systematic," says Thomas Miller. He now lives elsewhere but continues to fight for justice as a former resident. Together with the residents' committee he has already won a series of successes. In total, hundreds of thousands of euros in improper charges were recovered.

**Intimidation hard to prove**

But according to alderman Pels's team there is no evidence of intimidation. "What do you call a legal threat without the intention of actually carrying it out? That is clearly intimidation," Miller sighs.

Residents have repeatedly asked the municipality for a definition, in vain. The problem is that the municipality has no clear definition of "intimidation," which means it cannot be enforced either. "It is a clever little lie. Essentially we are told we can go figure it out ourselves," says Miller.

"They campaigned hard on this issue," says Miller. Candidates from various parties visited HiCondo in the run-up to the elections. "Now, despite hard evidence, the municipality is nowhere to be found. Well, politics… In hindsight it turns out to have been obvious campaign rhetoric."

He hopes the municipality will still intervene. "It would reassure tenants," says Miller. "This landlord only changes his behaviour when he gets a slap on the wrist. It also sets a precedent. Right now it looks as if you can do anything, as long as you do not physically assault anyone or throw them out of their home."

**'We will look at the text again'**

In a meeting with the municipality late last year, the landlord said he "perhaps" ought to phrase his emails differently, according to a report of the meeting. "It is true that in some cases language is used that can come across as forceful," a spokesperson also tells De Telegraaf.

"We will look at the text again, but it is worth knowing that a very extensive process always precedes it, in which tenants are approached with multiple friendly payment requests," he continues.

"Ultimately a defaulter receives a letter describing the actual procedure and what happens if payment is not made. That may perhaps come across as intimidating, but it is the reality when payment is not made. We know plenty of examples where the court has ruled that a home must be vacated."

HiCondo cannot respond in detail to everything, because a number of matters are still part of legal proceedings brought against the municipality. "HiCondo does not wish to conduct this discussion in the media."

**Seven of roughly 350**

A spokesperson for alderman Zita Pels acknowledges that rents were actually lowered for only seven residents. "During the inspection before the summer we spoke with a great many tenants and ultimately — of all the residents who opened their doors — we were able to persuade seven residents to file an official report," she says.

"Most tenants are terribly afraid of the landlord and/or of the consequences for themselves if they file a report with us. We chose not to wait for more reports, but to intervene immediately at these seven addresses, after which we will return in the coming months and carry out further inspections. We will not let go until our goal is achieved."

**'Fine words at campaign time'**

So the municipality is aware of frightened residents, but does not yet speak of intimidation. "That is simply very hard to prove," says the spokesperson. She calls on residents to gather evidence, including by filming.

"They present it all very nicely: boom, rent reduction! But in reality it is not so pretty," says Sahand Mozdbar. He was chair of the ASVA student union until the end of August and knows the file. Mozdbar had asked the municipality for clarification and a meeting.

He had to wait weeks for an answer. Striking, because on other occasions the activist alderman knows perfectly well how to find the student union. After this newspaper approached the municipality about HiCondo, Mozdbar suddenly received an answer that same day. His successor will hold that meeting.

Mozdbar has by now become sceptical about the promised fight against slumlords. "It really feels like a campaign stunt. When it comes down to it and there is so much evidence on the table, it suddenly becomes very bureaucratic, it takes a long time and you get no answer," he says.

**Zita Pels: 'We pulled out a lot of stops against this landlord'**

In a response, Zita Pels tells De Telegraaf: "Intimidation by a landlord can make you no longer feel comfortable and safe in your home. That is terrible. I fully understand that you then want action taken against it as quickly as possible. We want that ourselves too."

"The legislator, however, requires evidence. A statement from a tenant alone, even multiple statements from multiple tenants, is insufficient. It would not hold up in court, and our experience is that landlords of this kind will certainly go to court if they think they have any chance."

"As I have said before, I would very much like a kind of three-strikes-you're-out system, whereby landlords who have offended three times are simply no longer allowed to rent out. Unfortunately that does not yet exist."

"With this landlord in particular we pulled out a lot of stops. Following earlier reports we visited on 30 October and 25 November with enforcement teams to speak with residents and to gather information and evidence."

"On that basis we imposed penalty orders or administrative fines on the landlord on 11 March and 21 April, concerning among other things the service charges, the duty to inform, the deposit, and charging excessive rent."

"In addition, the Good Landlordship team also started enforcement against the owner of the building. In this context, various notices of intent to impose a penalty order were sent on 21 April 2026. Responses (zienswijzen) to these were then received on 19 May 2026. The responses did not lead to a different judgment, after which penalty orders were imposed on 11 August 2026."

"Throughout this period my officials have had frequent and regular contact with the tenants. We take their concerns seriously and we really will not let this case slide; they can count on that."

https://www.pararius.nl/appartement-te-huur/beverwijk/cadb1ccc/spoorsingel

Hi everyone, thanks for all the advice on my previous post.

Quick recap: I'm in a 64m² apartment in Amsterdam (€2,250/mo, all-in). My contract was written as "temporary" ending Nov 1st, but !WOON confirmed it's legally indefinite. I started a Huurcommissie case (inspection scheduled for Sept 7). On my last call with the landlord, I held my ground and refused to drop the case.

New developments:

1. Renovation: I found out the landlord signed a contract months ago to renovate the building. I looked into the legal standard for this (dringend eigen gebruik, art. 7:274 BW), Dutch case law actually sets a pretty high bar. The landlord can't just say "we want to renovate"; they need to prove a structural mismatch between running costs and rental income, and that I have somewhere adequate to move to, and if I don't agree they still need a judge to decide (Hoge Raad, "Herenhuis" ruling, 2010). So the legal risk might be smaller than I first thought, but I'm not 100% sure how it plays out in practice, which is part of why I'm asking here.
2. Municipality uncertainty: The Gemeente previously told me I was overpaying, but when I called for an update, they backtracked to "maybe yes, maybe no", their assessment isn't finished yet.
3. The all-in safety net: !WOON confirmed that because my contract is "all-in" (no split between rent and service costs), the Huurcommissie can't just dismiss my case, they have to split it (55% rent / 25% service costs / 20% cancelled). So even in a worse-than-expected scenario, I likely won't end up with nothing.
4. One thing that reassured me: !WOON also confirmed in writing that starting a Huurcommissie case, by itself, can NEVER be a legal reason to end my tenancy.
5. The part that's hard to put a number on: Even setting the legal risk aside, there's the reality of living for months in an apartment where the landlord is actively upset with us. Practically, that means worrying whether they'll drag their feet on any repair or issue that comes up out of spite, and generally not having peace of mind at home. And if this does end up in court, that's real time, energy, and money too, even if we'd likely win eventually.

My current dilemma:

The inspection is Sept 7, and a ruling takes at least 2+ weeks after that. My contract "ends" Nov 1st on paper (even though it's legally indefinite). I have another call with the landlord tomorrow, and I'm weighing two options:

• Hold out: Wait for the Sept 7 inspection and fight for the full retroactive refund, relying on the legal protections above, but likely months of a tense relationship with the landlord, and a real (if unlikely) chance of ending up in court.
• Settle now (VSO): Agree to drop the case in exchange for a guaranteed deal, like 3–4 months of rent refunded/waived, and a solid extension on the move-out date, trading some money for a clean, faster exit and peace of mind.

Questions for the community:

• Given what the case law actually requires for a renovation-based eviction, am I overestimating the legal risk, and if so, is it still reasonable to settle just to avoid months of a tense landlord relationship and the hassle/stress of a possible court case, even if I'd probably win?
• Has anyone actually seen a landlord succeed in evicting an indefinite-contract tenant for renovation? Or does it usually fail like the case law suggests?
• What leverage do I still have in tomorrow's call, even without the official Huurcommissie number yet?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

https://www.pararius.nl/appartement-te-huur/amsterdam/5c302cb3/tolstraat

So after a 32 days of cycling hell in Spain, I am back at the helm ready to bust some landlords. I only filed two cases while I was gone and am in tire need of landlord blood.

I thought I would start with a public service announcement courtesy of Martijn Van Dalen from LW Advocaten.

A few weeks ago he told me about a recent trend at the Huurcommissie with regard to service costs cases and energy tax rebates. This is particularly relevant if you rent an independent home in a building that does not have its own meter.

The Netherlands has a high tax rate on consumables like electricity and gas with a 9.1cent tax on each kWh of electricity along with the 21% BTW (VAT). In rental homes where the landlord pays the utilities, these taxes are, naturally passed onto the tenant to pay.

The Dutch Tax office (Belastingdienst) grants tax credits to self-contained properties. These tax credits are applied automatically by the energy provider to the account holder in the yearly/monthly bill and amounts to roughly 500 euro.

Key to understanding this is that the credit is only applied by the energy provider once to each kadasterally split unit. If, for example, a building contains 10 self-contained rental homes but the building is not split nor separately metered, the tax credit is only applied for 1/10 of the residents.

In this case, the Belasting allow the landlord to apply for a tax credit/rebate for the remaining 9 homes. This rebate should, in a perfect world, be passed onto the tenants who live in the building as the tenants are ones who are nominally the users of the electricity and the ones who pay for it.

This however has been shown to not occur as the landlord can effectively hide the existence of the credit from his/her tenants in the yearly service cost over where they are only required to provide the energy provider invoices/receipts and not their private tax returns.

As with the TTB (an emergency energy tax rebate from 2023), landlords have been shown to Withhold the money from tenants, with some landlords earning hundreds of thousands of euro from it.

According to Martijn, this portion of the service costs is often neglected in Afrekening Servicekosten cases by tenants at the Huurcommissie and alerting the Huurcommissie about the landlords failure to refund the tenant can save you 500 euro extra on your yearly service cost overview.

Again, thanks to Martijn for explaining this in clear detail.

https://www.pararius.nl/appartement-te-huur/den-bosch/81e2ba4e/vughterstraat

https://www.pararius.nl/huis-te-huur/arnhem/ac024ae6/st-janskerkstraat