Tenant rights in the Netherlands - rent limits, repairs and the Rent Tribunal

The legal maximum rent for social and mid-rent homes follows the points system (woningwaarderingsstelsel, WWS), which scores size, facilities, energy label, outdoor space and property value.

• Up to 143 points: social rent, with a starting basic rent of at most €932.93 a month for contracts starting in 2026.
• 144 to 186 points: mid-rent, up to €1,228.07 in 2026. The cap applies to mid-rent contracts signed on or after 1 July 2024.
• 187 points or more: free sector, with no maximum starting rent.

Use the Rent Tribunal's free Huurprijscheck to estimate your home's points. If your basic rent is above the maximum, you have two routes:

• Within six months of the start of your contract, ask the Rent Tribunal to assess the initial rent (toetsing aanvangshuurprijs). An investigator usually visits the home. Since 1 July 2024 this six-month window runs from the start of the contract.
• Later, first send your landlord a written proposal to lower the rent. If they refuse, ask the Rent Tribunal to decide. You do not get back rent you overpaid before the date of your proposal, so act as soon as you notice the problem.

Since 1 January 2025 municipalities can also enforce the maximum rents themselves.

Your landlord may raise the rent once a year and must tell you in writing at least two months before the increase takes effect. The maximums for 2026 are:

• Social rent: 4.1% from 1 July 2026, or at most €25 if the basic rent is below €350. Some households with a higher income can receive a higher, income-dependent increase.
• Mid-rent: 6.1% in 2026, and only if your contract allows an increase.
• Free sector: 4.4% from 1 January 2026. This national cap applies until 1 May 2029, and a landlord may not end your tenancy because you refuse a higher increase.

For a social home, object to the landlord in writing before the increase takes effect. If the landlord disagrees, they must take it to the Rent Tribunal. For a mid-rent home, you can submit the increase to the Rent Tribunal within four months of its start date. If you lose, you usually pay the increase retroactively and the €25 fee.

The landlord is responsible for maintenance and larger repairs, such as the boiler, roof, window frames and technical installations. You handle small, everyday upkeep listed in the Small Repairs Decree (Besluit kleine herstellingen), such as replacing a tap washer or a toilet seat and painting the inside walls.

1. Report the defect in writing (email or letter), list each problem, ask for repair within six weeks, and keep a copy and photos.
2. If nothing happens, tenants of social and mid-rent homes can ask the Rent Tribunal for a temporary rent reduction until the defect is fixed. Use the Tribunal's Gebrekencheck to see whether a defect qualifies.
3. Report serious problems such as damp, unsafe gas or wiring to the municipality's building inspection (Bouw- en Woningtoezicht), which can order the landlord to act.
4. To force a repair, you need a ruling from the subdistrict court (kantonrechter).

Do not stop paying rent on your own initiative; that can give the landlord a ground to end your tenancy.

Service costs must be based on actual costs, with no profit for the landlord. You should receive an itemised annual statement by 1 July of the following year. If you disagree with the amounts, ask the landlord for the underlying invoices and, if needed, ask the Rent Tribunal to assess them. Since 1 July 2024 free-sector tenants with newer contracts can also bring service cost disputes to the Tribunal.

Most tenants have rent protection (huurbescherming) automatically. A landlord can only end an indefinite contract on legal grounds, for example serious rent arrears, nuisance, urgent personal use, or a refused reasonable offer of a new contract. The landlord's notice must be in writing, with a notice period of three to six months depending on how long you have lived there. You may respond within six weeks; if you do not agree to leave, only the subdistrict court can end the tenancy, and you may stay until it decides.

Exceptions: in a lodger rental (hospitahuur) the landlord can end the tenancy more easily during the first nine months; temporary contracts end on their end date if the landlord sends the required reminder one to three months in advance.

You can end your own tenancy at any time, in writing and usually with one month's notice.

Under the Good Landlordship Act, every landlord and letting agent must, among other things:

• put the tenancy in writing and give you written information on your rights, the deposit, service costs, a contact person and the municipality's reporting point;
• ask a deposit of at most two months' basic rent and return it within 14 days (30 days if costs are deducted);
• not discriminate against or intimidate tenants or applicants;
• not charge you an agency fee if the agent works for the landlord.

Since 1 January 2024 every municipality has a reporting point (meldpunt) for undesirable landlord behaviour, and you may report anonymously. Municipalities can take action, including fines.

• !WOON (Amsterdam): free advice for tenants, phone 020 5230 130 (Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:30) and walk-in offices in the city districts. Outside Amsterdam, the national tenants' union Woonbond runs an advice line.
• Rent Tribunal (Huurcommissie): start a case through MijnHuurcommissie with your DigiD. A case costs a tenant €25 in 2026 (landlords pay €500); you get it back if you win completely, and people on a minimum income can ask for an exemption. Cases usually take four to six months and most decisions are binding unless taken to court.
• Juridisch Loket: free initial legal advice, especially for people on lower incomes.
• Rent benefit (huurtoeslag): if your income is low and you rent an independent home, you may qualify; check with the Benefits Service (Dienst Toeslagen).