Setting up electricity, gas, water and internet in the Netherlands

Before you start

• Your new address and the date you get the keys
• A Dutch or SEPA bank account for direct debits

Documents you need

• Rental or purchase contract with the move-in date

  required

• Passport or ID card

  Some providers check identity or credit

  optional

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Check what is already included

   Read your rental contract and listing. Inclusief g/w/l means gas, water and electricity (gas, water en licht) are included as service costs; exclusief means you arrange and pay them yourself. Ask the landlord or previous occupant:

   • whether the home has gas, all-electric heating or district heating;
   • which energy supplier is currently connected, and whether there is a smart meter (slimme meter);
   • which internet connections exist (fibre, cable or copper).

   If energy is included as service costs, the landlord must settle it with you each year based on actual costs; see Dutch rental terms explained.

2. 2

   Step 2: Record the meter readings on move-in day

   Photograph the electricity, gas, water and (if present) heat meters on the day you get the keys, with the date visible. Add the readings to the check-in report (opnamestaat). Your supplier needs them for the first bill, and they protect you if the previous occupant's use is billed to you.

3. 3

   Step 3: Choose an energy supplier and contract

   Compare suppliers by the total yearly cost for your expected use, not only the price per unit. The main contract types are:

   • Fixed (vast): price fixed for one or more years. Leaving early can cost a termination fee, calculated on your remaining expected use and the difference between your price and the supplier's current price for a comparable contract.
   • Variable (variabel): the supplier can change prices periodically. No termination fee.
   • Dynamic (dynamisch): price follows the wholesale market hour by hour, usually needs a smart meter, and has no termination fee.

   According to the consumer authority ACM, the notice period for any energy contract is at most one month. Sign up online or by phone, give the move-in date and meter readings, and set up a monthly direct debit. Do not assume the previous occupant's contract simply continues for you; arrange your own from the key handover date.

4. 4

   Step 4: Understand the energy bill

   Your bill combines:

   • supply costs for the electricity and gas you use, plus a fixed standing charge from the supplier;
   • network costs (netbeheerkosten) from the grid operator, a fixed amount regardless of use;
   • energy tax (energiebelasting). For 2026 the Tax Administration sets it at €0.09161 per kWh for the first 10,000 kWh of electricity and €0.60066 per m³ for the first 170,000 m³ of gas;
   • a tax reduction (vermindering energiebelasting) of €519.80 per year in 2026 per home electricity connection;
   • VAT (btw) of 21%.

   You pay a monthly advance (termijnbedrag). Once a year you receive an annual statement (jaarafrekening) and either pay extra or get money back. After moving or switching, the final bill arrives within six weeks. Adjust the advance if your use is clearly higher or lower than expected.

5. 5

   Step 5: If your home has district heating

   With district heating, heat and often hot water come from a heat network. You cannot pick another heat supplier for that home. The ACM sets maximum tariffs; for 2026 they are €40.97 per GJ of heat, a fixed charge of at most €615.66 per year for heating plus hot water (€307.84 for only one of the two) and meter rent of at most €33.73 per year, all including VAT. You will usually still need an electricity contract.

6. 6

   Step 6: Register for tap water

   Drinking water comes from the regional water company. In Amsterdam this is Waternet, where you register your new address online in a few minutes, including when you take over the previous occupant's account. Water is billed in monthly instalments and settled annually. Elsewhere, find the company for your area on your municipality's website.

7. 7

   Step 7: Order home internet

   Check which connections reach your address by entering your postcode on the websites of several providers; options include fibre (glasvezel), cable (kabel) and, increasingly less often, copper DSL. Order early, because installation or activation can take one to several weeks. Under ACM rules a telecom subscription may tie you in for at most two years; after the fixed term you can cancel at any time with at most one month's notice. If you signed up online, you must be able to cancel online. A mobile data plan or hotspot can bridge the gap until your line works; see mobile phones in the Netherlands.

8. 8

   Step 8: Expect local tax assessments

   The municipality and the regional water authority send yearly assessments (aanslag) to occupants and owners:

   • Waste collection charge (afvalstoffenheffing): paid by the occupant. In Amsterdam it was €469 a year for multi-person households and €352 for single-person households in 2025, according to the City-funded tenant advice service !WOON; check the City's current rates.
   • Water authority tax (waterschapsbelasting): in Amsterdam collected by Waternet for the Amstel, Gooi and Vecht water authority (AGV).
   • Sewerage and property taxes (rioolheffing, onroerendezaakbelasting): mainly paid by owners.

   Both the City and AGV let you pay in instalments, and people on a low income can apply for a waiver (kwijtschelding).

Watch out

Common mistakes

• Forgetting to record meter readings on move-in day, and paying for the previous occupant's use.
• Choosing a contract on the price per kWh alone and ignoring fixed charges and the length of the contract.
• Leaving a fixed-price contract early without checking the termination fee.
• Ignoring the waste tax assessment because you assumed it was included in the rent.

Tips

• If you expect to move again within a year, a variable or dynamic energy contract avoids termination fees.
• Ask your supplier for the yearly overview in an app or online account, so you can track use and adjust your advance.
• Keep all contract confirmations and the final bill from your previous address in one folder.

Frequently asked questions

Editorial answers written by our team, based on the sources below.

Official links

In your plan

• Set up energy, water and home internetAdd to plan
• Report your move when you change addressAdd to plan

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 5 Apr 2027.