Bad landlord practice hotline
The Wet goed verhuurderschap (Good Landlord Act) aims to curb inappropriate behaviour by landlords. Inappropriate behaviour includes landlords demanding excessive security deposits, charging service charges that are not specified in law, excessive rents, having unlawful rental agreements drawn up and signed, discriminating and threatening. The Act sets out rules that all landlords must follow. If landlords fail to follow these rules, the municipality can issue a warning or impose a sanction. Tenants can report inappropriate behaviour to the municipality and ask questions about this.
What you can report
These are the rules for good landlord practice, about which you can submit a report:
- Landlord may not discriminate against the applicant.
- Landlord may not threaten or frighten the tenant.
- Landlord may require a maximum of two months' basic rent as a security deposit (Civil Code Section 2671b, Book 7).
- Landlord must draw up a written rental agreement.
- Landlord must properly inform tenants. About the tenant’s rights and duties relating to the property (which are not in the rental agreement). About the amount of the security deposit and when it is repaid to tenants when the tenancy ends. About contact information where the tenant can reach the landlord. About information from the undesirable rental behaviour hotline. About the service charge, landlords must provide a complete breakdown of costs.
- Landlord only charges service charges that are specified in the law (Section 259 and 261 of Civil Code, Book 7, in Dutch).
- Letting agent may not charge agency fees to the tenant.
- The WWS(O) is mandatory for the ‘low and mid segment’. Regulated accommodation may therefore not be rented at a rent higher than that permitted by the WWS(O).
- No rent increase may be applied which exceeds the maximum rent increase percentage.
If the landlord rents to a foreign worker, the landlord must also:
- Record the rental agreement separately from the employment contract
- Inform tenants in writing in a language they understand
Maximum rent
The maximum rent for a property is determined on the basis of the number of points that a property has under the Woningwaarderingsstelsel (Property Valuation System) (WWS). This point score can be calculated using the Rent Checker from the Huurcommissie (Rental Commission). This is an online tool that provides insight into the Woningwaarderingsstelsel (WWS). The Rent Checker that is used depends on whether the property is self-contained or not self-contained.
If you wish to submit a report about the rent for your property, do not forget to attach this form to your report.
Who can report something
The hotline is there for anyone who rents a property from:
- Private landlords
- Letting agents (agencies that put tenants in touch with private landlords)
- Employers that arrange housing for foreign workers
Housing association tenants can only submit a report to the municipality in two specific cases: for maximum rents (rule 8) and rent increases (rule 9).
Housing association tenant
If you rent a property from a housing association, you can submit your report through the housing association’s internal complaints procedure. If you are not satisfied with how your complaint is dealt with, you can involve an independent complaints committee. You can find the address of this committee on your housing association’s website or ask your housing association about it.
What we do with your report
We offer help or refer you to another party that can help you.
More information
Information for landlords (Rijksoverheid.nl) (in Dutch)