From the previous post, we talked about how to find a rental accommadation in the Netherlands. Click to find out what we shared. After knowing how to find a place to rent, today we are going to talk about the things you might need to know when renting in the Netherlands.
At the below, we are going to mention:
- What is Woonboot?
- How to use Puntensysteem hurrwoning to calculate the suitable rent?
- What are the differences between Fixed term contract and Indefinite tenancy agreenments?
- What can we do when encounter rental disputes?
1. Property types in the Netherlands
After decided the neighbourhood that you want to live in, it is also necessary to pick the house type for your renting place:
a. Apartment
Apartment is always the first option and most common house type for everyone in the Netherlands.
b. House
House can be your good choice if you want to have larger living space.
c. Woonboot
Waterways in Netherlands are well developed. After WW2, the cities was destructed and they started to attract people from village coming for reconstruction. Those immigrants were not able to afford the house in city and forced to live in the idle boat along the riverside.
This phenomenon was too common until the government was forced to admit the legality of woonboot and started to provided them essential facilities like address, water and electric supply. Even though nowadays people in Netherlands no longer worry about the place to live because of well desgined housing policy and government stopped to give legality to woonboot, there are still a lot of legal woonboots around the city. People in Netherlands still can live or visit those existing woonboots.
Be aware that normally renting house in the Netherlands are unfurnished and only included essential services like heat, water and electric supply. So you'll have to prepare extra expenses to buy the furnitures or move the furnitures from your past living place. There are still options for furnished houses but they definitely cost more than unfurnished ones.
2. Puntensysteem huurwoning
There is a system called "Puntensusteem huurwoning" to evaluate suitable rental price for every house. By submitting the condition of the house( area, house age, room number, etc.), the website will provide a suitable rental price based on the condition. If you think you're renting a house with an unreasonable price, you can try to calculate the rental price in this website and discuss with your landlord based on the calculation.
3. Rental Contract
Rental Contract in Netherlands can be classified as 2 types:
a. Fixed-term contract:
A type of contract termed with 1 or 2 years, expires automatically after the deadline. It is suitable for the people who want for a short term rental.
*1 Example of a fixed term contract (Only for reference)
b. Indefinite tenancy agreement: There's no end date in this type of contract because people in the Netherlands tends to live in a same place for a long period, so this kind of contract is more suitable for people who want to stay in a place for a long time.
*2 Example of an indefinite tenancy agreement (Only for reference)
Regardless of the type of contract, you should always discuss it with your landlord and agent then make a lease that everyone is satisfied in black and white to avoid the future disputes.
4. Dispute resolution
There is a countrywide non-profit organization called "Huurcommissie" and it is committed to protect the rights of tenants. If anyone is facing disputes with landload, by seeking their help tenants can receive legal advice from them without any charge. They also have the discretionary power with legal affect that can arbitrate disputes between landlords and tenants.
All above are the information that you may need while trying to find a rental accommadation in the Netherlands. Hope the information that we provided can help you find your very own ideal house. Besides above, welcome to share your comments below and exchange the information with others!
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