Skip navigation

What is it you're looking for?

Tips and rules for problems with landlords

The Wet goed verhuurderschap (Law good landlordship) (since 1 July 2023) protects tenants against improper conduct with clear rules for landlords. The Law affordable rent (since 1 july 2024) ensures affordable rent.

Since 1 July 2023 the Law good landlordship came into existence. This law protects you against improper conduct of landlords. In the law there are clear rules that a landlord has to follow. Is the landlord not following these rules? Then the municipality can send a warning or a fine.

On 1 July 2024, the Law affordable rent came into existence. From 1 January 2025 you can send a report to the municipal government if a landlord is not following the Law affordable rent.

Rules for landlords

There are 7 rules that a landlord has to follow.

1. The landlord cannot discriminate the applicant

The landlord, when choosing tenants, and the allotment of the property to tenants and in their role as a landlord, discriminate on the grounds of religion, belief, political affiliation, race, gender, disability, sexual orientation or any other grounds. The landlord has clear and transparent procedures to prevent discrimination/unjust distinction.

2. The landlord cannot threaten or intimidate the tenant

The landlord will not use physical, verbal or written threats with the express goal of intimidating or influencing the behaviour of the tenant.

3. The landlord can ask a maximum 2 of months base rent for a deposit.

The landlord will not ask for a deposit that exceeds twice the base rent. The base rent is the rent of your property, without any additional expenses such as gas, water and electricity.

4. The landlord has to produce a written rent contract

The landlord has to have the rent agreement in writing.
Are you a foreign employee with a work-and-rental contract? Then the following also applies:

  • You have a separate rental agreement, separate of your rental agreement.
  • The landlord will inform you in writing in a language that you understand.

5. The landlord has to properly inform their tenants

The landlord has to provide the tenant with information in writing about:

  • The rights and obligations of the tenant if these have not been included in the rental agreement.
  • The amount of the deposit, how the tenant can recover the deposit at the end of the rental agreement and in what time period this will happen.
  • The contact details that the tenant can use for problems with the rented property.
  • The contact details of the municipality for filing a report.
  • Information about the payment obligations of the tenant with service costs. The landlord has to provide the tenant with an annual overview of all the expenses.

6. The landlord only adds service costs that are mentioned in the law

The landlord does not add any additional service costs outside of those mentioned in the articles of the civil code (art 259 and 261 of book 7).

7. No double mediation costs

If the landlord works with a letting agency, then the landlord will pay the mediation costs themselves. The letting agency cannot send these mediation costs to the tenant. These costs are also referred to as administration, contract or brokerage costs.

Paying too much rent

A report on the rental price does not fall under the Law Good Landlordship and the municipality cannot take up your case. Do you believe you are paying too much rent? If the rent remains under the deregulation limit, you can report your problem to the rental commission. The deregulation limit is the maximum rental costs for receiving rental subsidies.

If the rent is higher than the deregulation limit, then the normal contract law applies. You can then take your dispute on the rental price to the cantonal court. This is possible with or without any assistance from the legal counter, legal aid insurance or a lawyer. Read more information about a dispute about the rental price if your rent is above the deregulation limit.
 

Tips for problems with your landlord or tenant

  • Engage in dialogue/Speak with them
    Do you live in a draughty, poorly isolated property, is there overdue maintenance or are there other defects that make you feel unsatisfied about your rental situation? Talk about this with your landlord. Read more information about property defects and what you can do.
  • Ask for a solution in writing
    Ask your landlord via letter or email to solve your issues. Is the landlord not responding? Then you have evidence that you attempted to reach a solution. You can then contact various agencies for help.
  • Keep a logbook
    Cannot reach a solution with your landlord? Then make sure to prepare yourself as much as possible when you are about to talk with your landlord or an agency. Take note of all issues with rent and write down what is not going well. Do you have a landlord who swears, sends angry emails or threats, unexpectedly enters the property, or unexpectedly turns off the internet, TV or warm water? This is not allowed. There are laws in place for these things. Write down all improper conduct with a time and date. You can always use this log at a later date. For example, when you receive aid from organisations.
  • Take pictures
    Take pictures with a date of the property in the state of when you are moving in and when you are moving out. If you will be blamed for any damages or defects, then you can always refer back to your pictures. This way you can have a strong case as a tenant.
  • Save messages
    Make sure to save your WhatsApp messages, letters, emails or phone calls on your computer or phone.
  • Ask for an overview of the service costs
    Every year, before 1 July, the landlord has to check-out the service costs with the real consumption of the year before. Ask every year, in writing or digitally, for an overview of these service costs. This way, you will know what to expect.
  • Ask for help
    You can always ask for help, even for a simple question. Perhaps you can already solve your situation with a single phone call. You can reach the following organisations for any questions about your situation:
    • Rental commission
      The rental commission is an independent organisation that can help prevent a dispute between tenants and landlords, help reach a solution or make an official ruling. This could be about a dispute on property defects or the rental price.
    • Discrimination Flevoland
      Are you being discriminated against, or do you believe you are being discriminated against? Then file an (anonymous) report at Discrimination Flevoland. You can also ask them for advice about your particular situation and which steps you should take next.
    • Police
      Are you being discriminated against or is the landlord intimidating you? Are you facing physical violence? Then file a report to the police.
    • Legal aid
      Are you paying legal aid insurance? If so, then you can ask your insurance company for legal aid. When you’re not insured and you fall below a certain income threshold, then you may have the right to legal aid with rent issues. You can find more information about this at the Legal Counter.
    • File a report at Almere municipality
      In some cases you can also file a report at the Almere municipality.