Tenant rights in the Netherlands: deposit, rent and increases

Short version: as a tenant in the Netherlands you can test your rent, deposit and rent increase against the law yourself. For leases from 1 July 2023 the deposit is capped at two months’ bare rent, since 1 January 2025 your landlord must hand you the points calculation with a new lease, and in 2026 your rent may rise by at most 4.1%, 6.1% or 4.4%. If something is off, a case at the Huurcommissie (the Dutch rent tribunal) costs you €25.

Verhuurregels.pro writes mainly for landlords, and the same rules give you as a tenant something solid to stand on. Each answer below names the date the rule took effect.

How much deposit can your landlord ask?

Two months’ bare rent (kale huur, rent without service costs) at most, for a lease that started on or after 1 July 2023. That cap comes from the national rules of good landlordship. Older leases have a three-month cap through case law. Your landlord must also tell you in writing how high the deposit is and when and how you get it back.

When do you get your deposit back?

Within 14 days after the lease ends, or within 30 days if your landlord offsets costs. The landlord may only offset rent arrears, service costs, damage you caused and the energy performance fee (energieprestatievergoeding). Administration costs are off limits, and every deduction must be itemised in writing.

Do you pay the landlord’s letting agent?

No. Since 1 July 2023 the landlord pays the agent they hire, and that agent may not charge you as well.

How do you know if your rent is too high?

You compare the rent with the points calculation your landlord has had to give you with every new lease since 1 January 2025, free-sector homes included. The points decide the maximum rent price under the WWS, and since 1 January 2026 these limits apply:

• up to 143 points: maximum €932.93;
• 144 to 186 points: maximum €1,228.07 at 186 points;
• 187 points or more: no cap.

Within 6 months of the start of your lease you can ask the Huurcommissie to assess the starting rent. The Huurcommissie procedure costs are €25 for a tenant, and you get that back if you win.

If you signed your lease before 1 July 2024, a mid-rent or free-sector rent stays uncapped. If you rent a room, the cap always applies.

How much can your rent go up in 2026?

That depends on the sector your home falls in:

• Social rent: at most 4.1% from 1 July 2026 to 1 July 2027. If your rent is below €350, the increase is at most €25. For higher earners the increase can be €50 or €100.
• Mid-rent: at most 6.1% in 2026, and never above the maximum that belongs to your points.
• Free sector: at most 4.4% from 1 January 2026.

Your rent goes up once a year. If your lease names a higher percentage, the legal maximum still applies. The rent increases per sector for 2026 are built from inflation and collective wage growth.

A worked example with a mid-rent of €1,000: 6.1% of €1,000 is €61. Your new rent is at most €1,061, and lower if the points maximum of your home sits below that. An increase after home improvements falls outside these percentages.

Can your landlord give you a fixed-term lease?

Only in a handful of situations. Since 1 July 2024 an open-ended lease is the norm. A fixed-term lease of up to 2 years is allowed for groups such as students moving to another municipality for their studies, tenants rehoused during a renovation, young people aged 16 to 27 taking over the lease of a deceased parent, and status holders housed through the COA (the asylum reception agency).

Your landlord must announce the end 1 to 3 months in advance. If the lease carries on past its end date, it becomes open-ended. A fixed-term lease signed before 1 July 2024 stays valid.

What can you do about the service-cost statement?

Your landlord may only charge the actual costs, with no profit. You receive an itemised overview every year, within 6 months after the calendar year, which means by 1 July. If the overview is wrong, you can go to the Huurcommissie for up to 24 months after that deadline.

Where do you report discrimination or intimidation?

At your municipality’s reporting point (meldpunt). Every municipality has had one since 1 January 2024, and your landlord must give you its contact details in writing. Discrimination and intimidation have been banned since 1 July 2023. If you are turned down for a home, you have the right to hear why. If you are a migrant worker, your lease stays separate from your employment contract and you receive the information in a language you understand.

Since 1 January 2025 municipalities also enforce the rent rules of the Affordable Rent Act (Wet betaalbare huur).

What does the Huurcommissie handle?

The Huurcommissie rules on rent levels, starting rents (within 6 months), defects, rent increases, home improvements and service costs. As a tenant you pay €25; a landlord pays €500. Whoever wins gets the fee back.

A new law for the tribunal, the Wet toekomstbestendige huurcommissie, is not in force and has no fixed start date. Until then, the procedures and fees above apply.