Tenants have a very high degree of protection under the law. It doesn’t matter if you signed away your rights or not: you are protected against yourself!
Price
Whether you rent a whole house or an apartment or a studio, you are protected against high prices. Go ahead and sign a lease fora n outrageous amount of money: you are protected against greedy landlords and yourself, as long as you act within six months after the beginning of your lease, or in case you signed a temporary lease of two years or less, within six months after the lease has renewed.
Maximum reasonable rent
The law provides a system to calculate the maximum rent a landlord may ask. Everyone can calculate the maximum rent a landlord may ask by doing the check with the Rent Tribunal (only in Dutch). Before you go ahead with a Dutch speaking person, find the Real Estate Value here. Also make sure you know the measurements of all the rooms etc. The outcome of the check is a maximum amount of rent per month (exclusive of all other services). If it is under the rent control limit, then your rent is controlled. Is your rent higher than the outcome, then you can demand that it be adjusted to the outcome. If the outcome is higher, then your rent is not controlled: only modest housing is rent controlled.
Is your rent an all-in price (i.e. does it include services like power or heating)? All-in prices for rent are not allowed under Dutch law. Your contract must specify the amount you pay for the use of the real estate and what you pay for other things like power, heating, water, cleaning, etc. A tenant with an all-in price can benefit from the penalty provided in the law.
Do you need more information or assistance with your rental contract? We are lawyers in Amsterdam who are specialized in rent law. Call us on + 31 20 6630339 or send us an email.
