The rules that decide what you may rent, and for how much

Registration and the municipality

• Why do most landlords allow only two registrations per home?

  Registration in the Basisregistratie Personen (BRP) is tied to the address. Municipalities — Amsterdam in particular — apply housing rules that treat a home shared by more than two adults from different households as room rental (kamerverhuur), which requires a separate omzettingsvergunning. Rather than apply for that permit, most landlords cap the address at two registrations. It is a permit and policy limit, not an arbitrary landlord preference.

• Do I have to register at my address?

  Yes. If you live in the Netherlands for more than four months you must register with the municipality within five days of moving in. Registration produces your BSN, which you need for a bank account, salary payment, health insurance and DigiD. Never sign a lease that does not permit registration unless you already have a registered address elsewhere.

• Can a landlord refuse registration?

  A landlord may not simply forbid registration for a normal residential lease — you have a right to register where you actually live. In practice, however, addresses exist where registration is not possible (short-stay permits, holiday-let designations, over-occupied homes). Those homes create real problems for expats, so we exclude them from our searches.

The 142/187 points system (woningwaarderingsstelsel)

• What is the points system and the 187-point threshold?

  Every Dutch home is scored under the woningwaarderingsstelsel (WWS): surface area, energy label, kitchen and bathroom quality, outdoor space, WOZ value and more. The score determines the maximum legal rent. Since the Affordable Rent Act (Wet betaalbare huur, 1 July 2024) there are three bands: social housing up to roughly 143 points, a regulated mid-market band up to roughly 186 points, and the free sector from roughly 187 points upward. The exact point boundaries and the euro amounts per point are indexed every year on 1 January.

• What does that mean for my rent in practice?

  If your home scores below the free-sector threshold, the rent is capped by law regardless of what the market would pay — and you can have an excessive rent lowered, retroactively in many cases. If it scores above the threshold, the rent is whatever you agreed. A liveable studio with a poor energy label often falls into the regulated band, which is why the score is worth checking before signing.

• How do I check my points score?

  The Huurcommissie publishes a free rent check (huurprijscheck) where you enter the surface areas, energy label and facilities of the home to get the score and the maximum legal rent. We run this check for every property we advise on, and we tell you when a landlord is asking above the legal maximum.

• The rent I was asked seems above the legal maximum. What can I do?

  You can file a case with the Huurcommissie. For regulated homes there is no time limit on challenging the rent under the 2024 law, and municipalities now also enforce it directly. In the first six months of a new lease, tenants of regulated homes can request a reduction to the legal maximum. We advise on this before you sign rather than after.

Contracts, notice and rent increases

• Are temporary contracts still allowed?

  Since 1 July 2024, the Wet vaste huurcontracten made the indefinite (permanent) contract the norm again. Fixed-term contracts are only permitted in specifically listed situations — for example the landlord returning to the home, student housing, or a defined temporary category. As a tenant, an indefinite contract is the stronger position: you may cancel with one month's notice, while the landlord needs a legal ground to end the lease.

• How much can my rent be increased each year?

  There is an annual cap set by the government, differing for regulated and free-sector homes and published each year. In the free sector the increase is linked to wage or price development plus a small percentage; in the regulated sector the maximum is set by ministerial decision. A contract clause allowing bigger increases does not override the statutory cap.

• What notice period applies to me?

  For an indefinite lease, tenants normally give one month's notice (matching one rent payment period), in writing. Landlords must observe three to six months and must have a legal ground such as urgent personal use. Always send notice in a traceable way and keep the confirmation.

Deposits, fees and service charges

• How large can a deposit be?

  A deposit of one month's rent is standard and two months is the practical legal ceiling. The landlord must return it within 14 days of the lease ending — 30 days if there are deductions — and must justify any deduction. A signed move-in inspection report with photographs is the best protection you have.

• Is it legal for an agency to charge me a finder's fee?

  The ban on double brokerage (dubbele courtage) means an agency working for the landlord cannot also charge the tenant for finding the home. An agency that works exclusively for you, the tenant, may charge an agreed fee for its own service. That is our model: we act for you, and every fee is stated in the service agreement before you commit.

• What should service charges cover?

  Service charges (servicekosten) are an advance payment for defined items such as cleaning of shared areas, caretaker, furniture or utilities. The landlord must provide an annual settlement showing actual costs. Charges for items that are not permitted, or an advance without any settlement, can be challenged at the Huurcommissie.

Income, guarantors and discrimination

• What income do landlords require?

  Most free-sector landlords ask for a gross monthly income of three to four times the rent, or a combined household income. Some accept a guarantor, a larger deposit alternative, or prepayment arrangements — although prepaying more than one period is not something the law requires you to accept.

• Can a landlord reject me for being an expat, or for my nationality?

  No. Selection on nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation or family status is prohibited, and since the Wet goed verhuurderschap municipalities can enforce good-landlord rules and run a reporting point (meldpunt) for tenants. Selection on demonstrable income or documentation is allowed; selection on who you are is not.

• What is the Wet goed verhuurderschap?

  The Good Landlordship Act sets basic standards for landlords and letting agents: a transparent selection procedure, no discrimination, no intimidation, a written lease, a capped deposit and clear information in a language you understand. Municipalities can fine landlords who breach it, and each municipality must run a reporting point where tenants can raise issues.