---
title: "Landlord obligations in the Netherlands: what to arrange"
description: "Landlord obligations in the Netherlands for 2026: written information, deposit, rent caps, tenant selection, fixed-term leases, local rules, box 3 and fines."
url: "https://verhuurregels.pro/en/for-landlords/"
locale: "en"
author: "Redactie Verhuurregels.pro"
publishedDate: ""
updatedDate: "2026-10-29T00:00:00.000Z"
categories: ""
tags: ""
---

# Landlord obligations in the Netherlands: what to arrange

Landlord obligations in the Netherlands for 2026: written information, deposit, rent caps, tenant selection, fixed-term leases, local rules, box 3 and fines.

**Short version:** as a landlord in the Netherlands you work under three laws: the Good Landlordship Act (Wet goed verhuurderschap, since **1 July 2023**, with parts since **1 January 2024**), the Affordable Rent Act (Wet betaalbare huur) and the Fixed-Term Tenancy Act (Wet vaste huurcontracten), both since **1 July 2024**. Since **1 January 2026**, breaking the good-landlordship rules can cost up to **€27,500**, rising to **€110,000** for a repeat within four years.

According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), individuals owned **529,000** rental homes on 1 January 2025. A home you keep after moving out falls under the same duties as a flat you bought to let, and each section below lists what you arrange and from which date.

## What must you put in writing?

Since 1 July 2023 you confirm a verbal lease in writing. The [national rules of good landlordship](https://www.volkshuisvestingnederland.nl/onderwerpen/huren-en-wonen/wet-goed-verhuurderschap/landelijke-regels-van-goed-verhuurderschap) also require you to give the tenant written information on:

- the rights and duties of tenant and landlord;
- the deposit amount, the return deadline and how it is paid back;
- your contact details as landlord;
- the service costs;
- since 1 January 2024, the contact details of the municipal reporting point (meldpunt).

Existing leases had to be updated by 1 July 2024. Since 1 January 2025, every new lease also comes with the points calculation of the home, free-sector homes included.

## How much rent and service costs may you charge?

Since 1 July 2024 every home with up to 186 points has a maximum rent. From 1 January 2026 that is **€932.93** for social rent (up to 143 points) and **€1,228.07** for mid-rent at 186 points. The points total, and with it your [maximum rent price under the WWS](/en/rent-price/), depends on factors such as the energy label and the WOZ value (the municipal property valuation).

You raise the rent once a year. In 2026 the caps are **4.1%** for social rent (1 July 2026 to 1 July 2027), **6.1%** for mid-rent and **4.4%** for the free sector (from 1 January 2026). The [differences between social rent, mid-rent and the free sector](/en/compare/) shape your rental income for years after the start.

Service costs follow the actual costs, with no profit. You send a yearly itemised overview within 6 months after the calendar year (article 7:259(2) of the Dutch Civil Code), which means by 1 July. The tenant can take it to the Huurcommissie (the rent tribunal) for 24 months after that deadline. If you start a Huurcommissie case yourself, the fee is **€500**, refunded if you win.

## How much deposit may you ask?

For leases from 1 July 2023 the deposit is capped at **two months' bare rent** (kale huur, rent without service costs). Older leases have a three-month cap through case law.

When the lease ends, you return the deposit within **14 days**, or within **30 days** if you offset costs. You may only offset:

- rent arrears;
- service costs;
- damage the tenant caused;
- the energy performance fee (energieprestatievergoeding).

Administration costs are off limits, and you itemise every deduction in writing.

## How do you select a tenant within the rules?

Discrimination and intimidation are banned. Since 1 July 2023 you select transparently and tell rejected applicants why. Since 1 January 2024 you also need a written selection procedure that you publish.

If you hire a letting agent, you pay the agent, and the agent may not charge the tenant as well. If you let to a migrant worker, the lease stays separate from the employment contract and you give the information in a language the tenant understands.

## Can you still offer a fixed-term lease?

Since the Fixed-Term Tenancy Act took effect on 1 July 2024, an open-ended lease is the norm. The [Rijksoverheid rules on open-ended leases](https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/woning-verhuren/vraag-en-antwoord/moet-ik-een-huurcontract-voor-onbepaalde-tijd-aanbieden) allow a fixed-term lease of up to **2 years** only for these tenants:

- students moving to another municipality for their studies;
- tenants rehoused during a renovation;
- people leaving a shelter or in a social emergency;
- second-chance tenants;
- young people aged 16 to 27 taking over the lease of a deceased parent or carer;
- separated parents renting near their children;
- workers on the Wadden islands;
- status holders housed through the COA (the asylum reception agency).

You announce the end 1 to 3 months in advance. If the lease carries on past its end date, it becomes open-ended. Fixed-term leases signed before 1 July 2024 stay valid.

## What does your municipality regulate?

Since 1 January 2024 every municipality has a reporting point where tenants can raise complaints about landlords, and since 1 January 2025 municipalities also enforce the rent rules. In designated areas a municipality may require a landlord licence (verhuurvergunning) with extra conditions. If you were fined in the previous 8 years, the municipality can refuse that licence, and as a last resort it can take over management of the home.

If you buy a home to let, the buy-to-let protection (opkoopbescherming) also counts: it has existed since 2022 and about 70 municipalities use it.

## How does the tax office treat your rental home?

A rented-out home falls in box 3. According to the Belastingdienst (the Dutch tax office), 2026 brings:

- a tax-free allowance of **€59,357** (**€118,714** for tax partners);
- a deemed return of **6.00%** on other assets, rented homes included;
- a rate of **36%**, with the option to prove your actual return instead (tegenbewijs).

The home counts at its WOZ value times the vacancy ratio (leegwaarderatio). That ratio is **73%** when the annual rent is below 1% of the WOZ value and rises to **100%** at 5% or more (table for 2023 to 2026). If you buy a home you will not live in yourself, transfer tax has been **8%** since 1 January 2026, down from 10.4%.

## Which plans should you follow?

These proposals are not law and have no confirmed start date:

- **Energy label:** rental homes with label E, F or G would need at least label D by 1 January 2029 (draft decree sent to parliament on 10 July 2026).
- **Suitable Leases Act (Wet passende huurcontracten):** fixed-term leases for all students and labour migrants, and short stay capped at 30 days (consultation from 2 July to 28 August 2026).
- **Box 3 on actual returns:** passed by the Tweede Kamer on 12 February 2026; the Eerste Kamer vote has been postponed.
- **Transfer tax:** a cut to 7% has been proposed and is not final.

Until a proposal becomes law, you run your rental under the rules in force today.