Housing Rights

It is important to beware of scams and to know what your housing rights are. Do not make any payments to a landlord without seeing the property, signing a contract and having the keys in your possession, and checking they work. You can find out more tips on recognizing scammers here. If the house has any damages when you first move in, you should take a video of these damages and let the landlord know early on, so it is not taken out of your deposit. Be assured that landlords cannot evict you before the end of the contract. The Netherlands is generally a pro-tenant country, which means that if you have problems with housing scams or your landlord, the law will tend to be on your side.  

In the Netherlands, you are required to register in the municipality of the city you live in within 4 months of moving to the country. In order to do this, make sure that you are allowed to register yourself at the address you want to move into when signing the contract, as not all housing will offer this. You will need your municipality registration for acquiring a Dutch social security number (Burgerservicenummer), for working or for asking for governmental benefits.  

In some cases, you may be eligible to receive money back from the government to cover part of your rent expenses. You can ask for this rent allowance from the Dutch government through the Huurtoeslag website. You can also check whether your rent price is fair by requesting a rent price check from the Huurcommissie within the first six months of moving in. 

For further information on your housing rights and how to proceed if they are violated, please check the list of resources below:  

• Information compiled by The Hague Union of Students (THUS) here.  
• Housing Hotline from the Dutch Student Union