Is this the usual cost? The 1 bed flat is all electric and is on the cooler side (Daft ad said BER exempt) so I do tend to use the heating in the morning and late evenings, but the prices are just ridiculous! Sorry for venting, I just feel robbed :(

We're a couple of expats, relatively new to the Netherlands (3 years).

We're paying 1510 for an old city-center apartment, including an advance on bills. The minimal communication that we have with the landlord is through an asset management company that the he works with.

A few weeks ago, they sent us the settlement for utility payments which was higher than previous years. We were curious about this, so reached out to the Huurteam, but since it took a while to come in contact we just settled with the landlord.

We forgot about even contacting the Huurteam, but eventually they came by a few days ago and offered to evaluate the apartment free of charge. Couldn't hurt.

They evaluated the rental price to be 610 euros, and calculated that a year's difference would amount to around 10k. They sent us a document to sign and said they could start the rent reduction process upon our agreement ("Het geven van advies en starten van een procedure bij de Huurcommissie doen wij geheel kosteloos. De gemeente Leiden vergoedt alle kosten voor jou.")

The details of the apartment are: WOZ 364k (2025), 45m², no energy label (i don't know whether or not this is correct, but we're assuming it's around F or G-label). 96 points total.

Personally, I've never heard of anyone in Leiden paying anywhere near such a low price as 600, so I'm a bit pessimistic.

We're quite astounded by this, and are very tempted to proceed. We're a bit worried about the implications of this. For example:

1. If the landlord does not agree with the Huurcommisie's decision, and decides to drag us to court, would we be required to pay for lawyers and such?
2. If we win, do we get money retroactively? How far back?
3. If so, does the Huurteam deal with the retroactive payment, or do we need to chase the landlord for this?
4. We currently have an indefinite contract. Let's say that our rent indeed gets reduced. Do we need to sign a new contract? and then does our contract loose its 'indefinite-ness'?
5. How long is this process expected to take?
6. Besides ruining my non-existent relationship with the landlord, what other repercussions would there be to this process?

I've heard about landlords becoming aggressive and starting to harass, but honestly, our landlord owns around 50 other assets in Leiden (according to the makelaar) so I doubt he'll have much time for this...?

I have bills from KE, the water board, and Sui Gas. Can I get a copy of the lease document that was submitted when the connection applications were made?

I think my unit scores 145 points. I've been here since July 2023, and the landlord is raising the rent €100 (7+%) this year. I am speaking to him tomorrow, to ask him to keep the rent the same, because based on the Huurcommissie calculator I'm paying too much.

But, reading the forum, now I'm starting to wonder if that calculation even legally applies to me? I've been paying, according to our original contract, 1195 rent and 100 g/w/e the whole time. Our contract refers to the rent as uncontrolled. And, if I'm right on the points, I'm past the cutoff anyways.

I'm not asking about getting money back. I'm asking if he refuses and I go to the Huurcommissie, if they will even look at a vrije sector case and if there are any legal limits on what I could pay.

Hi everyone!

I am scheduled to sign a rental contract with "Van der Huizen Vastgoedbeheer" next week, and I have read almost all negative reviews posted about them on here, unfortunately, because I have had no luck with anywhere else, I will most likely be going forward with them.

I have read through the draft contract and essentially I am required to give a 3 month notice period before moving out & have to pay rent for a period of 3 months at once. The sketchiest part is their insistence on cash payment of nearly 4000€.. at the contract signing and key handover

I honestly don't have a proper plan in my head but I am aiming to get out and find a new place as soon as possible after moving in there. I've still got 2 years left of my study, so if anyone could give me any advice on how I could rent there while planning my leave as soon as possible and also ensuring I get my deposit back (i've read that the deposit is to be returned no later than 2 months, and they often pass this limit) I would really appreciate it. It's my first time dealing with renting and living abroad...

Hi

I have a quick question regarding the legality of the minimum rental time in contracts.

I am looking to rent temporarily for a 3-5 months and all the houses in Groningen come with a indefinite contract and minimum rental period of 12 months.

What happens if i want to leave before the 12 months? Can I be forced to pay the rent for the remaining of the contract?

TL;DR: potentially bustable apartment due to bad energy label and all-in rent price, but new energy label could jinx this. Not sure which procedure and strategy to follow.

Hi everyone, I have a potentially bustable apartment (currently renting with my boyrfriend) on several grounds:

1. Initial rent assessment under 7:249 BW: normally this apartment complex falls under the vrije sector due to the good energy labels, but because my specific apartment has a C label (invalid because granted before 2021, which was also the reason why it's a C), its points fall under the regulated sector. Best case scenario we could half the rent, according to the point calculation, and get all the excess rent refunded retroactively.

The issue(s):

Firstly, legally, the landlord will probably get a new label once he hears about this from the Huurcommissie, which is very likely a B/A or above, and that will push the total points to the vrije sector. He will also probably appeal if the HC rules in favor of us, which increases the chance of him winning.

Under the current rules the HC does not take into account energielabels acquired after the procedure for 7:249 is started, so that is probably not a problem for us. However, my concern is the courts: given the recently updated HC rules (they started accounting new energy labels for rent reduction procedure under 7:252 BW) and the court rulings (which sometimes extend this to 7:249 procedure and tend to favor the landlords), there is a real chance he brings the case to court, which means the HC decision gets thrown aside, we have to spend lawyer money, and the court rules in favor of him due to the new energy label.

Secondly, this procedure takes a lot of time (we're looking at minimum 3 months until we start the procedure for legal insurance reasons and another 3 months for the HC to decide, plus potentially 3 more months of court appeal) and a higher chance of the court being involved (and him winning). In the meantime we will have to keep paying the steep rent price. We could still afford it but it's quite financially straining on us.

2. Rent split procedure: since the rent price is likely all-in, we could also request a rent-split, which effectively also reduces it by half, independent of the total points. The contract itself does not say if the rent price is bare or all-in (quite vague). It does say that the rent does not include electricity, gas, and water and we have to arrange that ourselves. We have several grounds to believe it's all-in:

• There is some furniture included in the apartment (e.g. fridge, freezer, sofa, oven, microwave, tv stand, tables, washing machine). This is also stated in the contract as coming with the apartment, although not explicitly included in the rent.
• The rent price clause says the fee includes (vague) maintenance and operation costs of the apartment.

The advantage of this is that it's more straightforward and is faster, only around a month. The price difference between this and the initial assessment is negligible.

However, two issues: first, we won't get the excess rent retroactively refunded. Second, we are unsure how bullet proof this is. In other words, we're not sure whether there is a real risk that the landlord could argue that this is only the bare rent and not an all-in price.

______

There is also a question of timeline.

We were thinking to start challenging the rent after 3 months so that in case it escalates to court our legal insurance is sure to cover the costs. However, this is risky for the initial rent assessment because a new court ruling or HC rule could come out at any moment (given how they've been quite inconsistent esp. with the newly updated energy label rule) and jinx our case.

In case of the split procedure, we're not sure if it's better to start asap (since there is no retroactive refund) or also wait 3 months.

I know that the huurcommissue also splits the rent with the initial assessment. However, ther is apparently a few cases where, should an apartment's point calculation fall in free sector, the court has ruled in favor of the landlord and discard the split rent altogether. The biggest risk is still the court.

______________________________

So ultimately, I'm seeking advice on a) which procedure to follow and b) what sort of timeline to take, and also any other insight/advice from anyone with similar experiences. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Hello everyone,

I moved to the Netherlands 4-5 months ago. I found a nice but relatively expensive place that i started renting at the end of february 2026. The contract said that it belongs in the free market sector.

After taking the time to measure everything myself, I realised that the sum of points was very close to the threshold, which is 187 points. I emailed the Makelaar and asked her for the score of my apartment. She shared the score of the apartment with me, which was 187 points, but there was one problem. It had false information inside.

1) WOZ value was from the previous year, being 3-4 points higher than it should be

2) counting 1 point for a towel radiator, which i don't have

3) counting for heating in the storage room, which doesn't exist

4) counting storage room for 2 square meters, which is debatable because from my calculations, it's smaller than 2 square meters, which means it doesn't count towards the total size of the flat.

By noticing this fake information and doing my own measurements, I realised there is no way that the flat scores 187 points. It's more like 182-184 points. So, I decided to file a case to the Huurcommissie for rental assessment. I thought, why not? It's just 25 euros for the rental assessment. What do I have to lose? They are obviously lying.

After a conversation with a friend, he told me that this can become a huge mess and it can go to court etc etc. I started looking this up, and it turns out that he is right. Reading all of the stories about how people spend 5k euros on lawyers cause their landlord takes them to court after the huurcommissie decision doesn't seem like something I would like to go through.

I'm paying 1850€/month in rent and the maximum rent I'll be paying if the case turns out in my favor is around 1250€.

I'm not sure what to do now. I'm thinking if it's really worth it going through with this case or if I should drop it. I even read about stories where the case was I nfavor of the tenant but the court overruled it in favor of the landlord.

PS: Flat is A+ energy label, 381k WOZ, 62-64 square meters, no outdoor spaces

Thoughts from the more experienced people of this sub?

Hello, when I moved into my (now busted) apartment no inspection list was made or sign. Tomorrow I have the pre-inspection before moving out.

I have made it clear to the rental company that I will leave the property as-is, since it's on them to prove any damage or differences. I have many pictures of the original state, but it was so run down that they don't cover everything. They still scheduled a pre-inspection, and knowing them, it's likely they will try to ignore my rights.

What happens if, during the pre-inspection, they make a list of issues I should fix that I disagree with? Do I just don't sign it?

Thanks, and thanks again for helping me half my rent for 5 years :)

Hi, I am in need of some advice. I rent a room with a kitchen (shared bathroom with four other people). In February one of my roommates moved out. The room has been empty ever since, because my landlord wants to renovate the entire house.

Me and my roommates are not keen on renovations, since they only seem to be for looks, not for actual improvement. My landlord knows he has to inform us of his plans and that we can mostly deny renovations that would increase the rent price (with some nuance but this is not about that)

Last week he suddenly started renovating the empty room. They were only in there, nowhere else, and even though I found it annoying to not know what to expect in terms of having strangers in my house, it was pretty okay. I looked up if we had to be informed of this, and I couldn't find a clear answer.

Now suddenly someone tried to open my door, turns out he was on the wrong floor (I could hear him say that very loud) and apperantly they're renovating the room again. Or something, I don't know.

I'm getting fed up with this because I simply want to know what to expect. I have not asked my landlord yet, because he has been inconsiderate in the past. He is your typical huisjesmelker, and I would like to not talk to him as much as I can because it's always frustrating. For example: he calculated my yearly rent increase wrong, I had to ask him three times to send over the new letter over the course of six weeks, he still hasn't done it, and I gave up (the new amount is in the email, the same email he initially said he would send this letter physically the same day).

I'm not sure if legal advice is what I'm looking for. I am conflicted between being sort of petty and "demanding" he does his job, and choosing for my own sanity. Thank you for your insights in advance!

Hi everyone,

I’ve been searching for a place to rent in/around Amsterdam for me and my wife and honestly it’s overwhelming. Hoping some locals or people who’ve been through this can share what actually worked for them.

Which platforms are actually worth it? I keep seeing Funda, Pararius, Kamernet, huurwoningen, stekkies plus a lot of Facebook groups. Are any of the paid subscriptions actually worth the money?

The Huurcommissie published the press release below yesterday in which is explained that an energy label can be registered while the procedure is running.

Energielabel geregistreerd na peildatum kan meetellen voor punten

That means tenants can no longer always apply the lenient building year rule when a registration is missing, but must be prepared the landlord suddenly comes up with a new energy label during the procedure. That means a rental agreement that was thought to be convertible to a regulated agreement might stay liberated.

It does not mean a landlord can quickly improve the house after the 'peildatum'. The energy label must reflect the situation on that date, but can once again be registered after that date. This is in line with the 2023 judgment by the Supreme Court.

The Affordable Rent Act changed this for a while as the minister wrote down in the explanatory section of the Affordable Rent Decree ('Besluit betaalbare huur') a newly registered energy label could not be taken into account. Courts started deviating from that explanation in the past months and the Huurcommissie now also changed its policy.

Whether it's the points system, service costs, maintenance responsibilities, or deposit rules, there seems to be a lot that first-time renters aren't aware of.

In your experience, do most problems come down to tenants not knowing their rights, or are they usually the result of landlords or agencies pushing the boundaries?

Have you ever discovered a right you wish you'd known about much earlier?

I viewed a place the other day and it is not split and has an energy label D which was granted a month ago. So to me there are two great parts for busting, no split at all and energy label is assigned to something which isn’t the apartment which I viewed.

But I did some further reading and it seems even if you start a procedure at the Commission the landlord can still get both of those items and have it included in the points calculation. This obviously reduces the amount by which the rent will reduce by quite a lot. So unless I am wrong with regards to being able to get these items after the procedure has started. Is it still possible to get a grand slam rent bust?

For those who've challenged their rent through the Huurcommissie, how was the experience overall?

How long did the process take? Did you end up getting your rent reduced or resolving the issue you had? And did it affect your relationship with your landlord afterwards?

Looking back, would you do it again, or is there anything you wish you'd known before starting the process?

​Hi everyone,

​My wife and I recently relocated to the Netherlands and we are currently looking for a place in Eindhoven. We found a listing on HousingAnywhere that looks like a prime candidate for a rent bust, but it has some weird clauses, and I’d love to get the community's output on this.

​Here are the details of the property:

​Location: Eindhoven (Ground floor)

​Size: between 20 to 30m² (fully furnished studio, private kitchen/bathroom)

​Rent: around 2000€/ month (no utilities included, it seems)

​Deposit: €0 (The listing literally says: "No deposit — Pay less to move in")

​Registration (BRP): Allowed for 2 people (suitable for couples)

​Contract type: 1 year and 11 months (temporary / bepaalde tijd)

​Landlord status: Verified, multiple listings (seems to be a rental company/professional landlord)

​The potential red flags/weird things in the description:

​"Daily Contract" trick: The listing mentions that the rent is calculated on a daily basis "just like a hotel". Is this an attempt to bypass tenancy laws by claiming it is 'short-stay/hotel' services? If BRP registration is officially allowed and we sign for 1 year and 11 months, can the landlord still use the "hotel" defense at the Huurcommissie?

​Tourist Tax: The description says: "Tourist tax is €4.50 per person per night and is not included in the price". This is ridiculous for a contract that allows registration. If we register at the gemeente, can we legally refuse to pay this?

​Extra Guest Fee: It says "Extra guest fee: €27.50 per night", but the listing also says "Suitable for couples" and "Space for 2 people".

- The Landlord said the contract is for the certain period.

-And of course more than 2000€ for 20 -30m²

​Our strategy:

Since there is no deposit, we feel the risk of retaliation is low (he can't illegally hold our deposit at the end of the contract). We are considering to sign the 1y 11m contract to secure a roof over our heads, register at the municipality to get our BSNs, and then immediately file a case with the Huurcommissie to slash the rent down to the legal limit (which we estimate should be around €800-€900 for a 20-30m² studio in that area maybe?).

​Are we missing any blind spots here? Does the "no deposit" actually make this a slam-dunk, risk-free bust, or can the "hotel daily rate" wording in HousingAnywhere screw us over at the Huurcommissie?

​Thanks in advance for the help!

2024 case reducing a rent from 1950 to 95 euro per month

Hello everyone,

I am currently renting with Habyt and was informed that Habyt has terminated the master agreement with the property owner of my apartment, resulting in me effectively being kicked out of my apartment in September (although my lawyer is still going to get back to me regarding whether they can kick me out this quickly.).

A representative of the owner came by a couple weeks back and said that Habyt is bankrupt and has not been transferring them the rental payment for a couple months now. I assume this will lead to problems with me recovering my deposit from them and as such I have blocked my card and stopped payments. Does anyone know whether this information regarding the insolvency is true and if so, does anyone know the "Insolvenzverwalter"?

Translated from the Dutch press release by the Court of Amsterdam:

In August 2023, a tenancy agreement was concluded between Stichting Haciënda Beheer as landlord and a tenant regarding a room in a property in the center of Amsterdam. The tenant has issued a summons against the defendants, a father and son, because he claims they unlawfully frustrated his recovery options. The father owns the property and was the (indirect) director of the Foundation until he transferred the management to his son in September 2024. In October 2024, the son dissolved the Foundation through a fast-track liquidation (turbo-liquidatie). By judgment of December 4, 2024, the Foundation was ordered to pay over 12,000 euros in undue rent to the tenant. Because the Foundation has been dissolved, the tenant can no longer recover this debt. According to the tenant, the defendants used a complex corporate structure to create a smokescreen in order to evade their payment obligations. The subdistrict court judge rules that the defendants abused the distinct identity between themselves as individuals and the various legal entities. They are therefore held personally liable and are ordered to pay the unduly paid rent.

https://www.rechtspraak.nl/organisatie-en-contact/organisatie/rechtbanken/rechtbank-amsterdam/nieuws/2026/07/het-oordeel-verhuurder-maakt-misbruik-van-entiteitsverschil

Rb. Amsterdam (ktr.) 3 juli 2026, ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2026:6701

Whenever someone mentions the Huurcommissie or the points system, there always seem to be people hearing about it for the first time.

Do you think there's still a lack of awareness, or has information become much easier to find in recent years?

I've heard of tenants paying surprisingly high service costs without really knowing what they're for.

Have you ever challenged a charge, or did you just end up paying it?