If you rent a property and disagree with the landlord, you can seek help from the Rent Commission. This will generally cost you only approx. €25 in fees and can prove to be incredibly annoying to the landlord. However, a landlord can also object to the Rent Commission if it disagrees with something against the tenant.
It is often unclear how to go about seeking help from the Rent Commission. Especially when people don’t speak Dutch. Hence, this article explains to you as simply as possible how it works. If you’re not in to doing this yourself, you can also let us take care of it completely. us .
What all can you object to?
These are the things you can all object to through the Rent Commission:
- Review of initial rent (‘Am I not paying too much rent according to the rental points my property has?’)
- Complaint about the landlord’s conduct (For example, “The landlord does not fix the defects I reported to him”)
- Energy performance fee (For example, if the fee you pay you on this is unreasonable)
- Maximizing rent increases liberalized leases (For example; ‘My rent has been increased by 5%, when in my opinion it should only have been a maximum of 3.3% by law’)
- Objection to annual rent increase after reminder
- Rent increase after home improvement (Tenant and landlord disagree on new higher rent after landlord has made a substantial investment/renovation)
- Rent reduction based on points (For example: ‘I calculated that I am paying too much rent based on the rent points my property has’)
- Rent reduction based on maintenance defects (For example, “There is no hot water, there is leakage, et cetera”)
- Rent reduction based on drop in income (In social renting)
- Service charge statement (For example: ‘I receive an additional charge of €1000 from the landlord about my energy consumption and I don’t agree with it’)
- Split all-in rent (Example: ‘I pay €1000 all in and the landlord thinks this is €800 for rent and €200 for energy/water’)
- Utility advance (For example, “I now pay an advance amount of €200 per month every month and I think that is way too high and very unrealistic.”)
What is the cost of the objection?
The cost is usually only €25 for the tenant.
If you are a landlord, you can also object. In that case, the cost is approx. €300,-.
Have these pieces/information ready if you are going to object
-The signed lease
-The details of the landlord
-The details of you as a tenant
-All relevant supporting documents. For example, emails from you to the landlord in which you request that –maintenance defects be fixed.
Be careful when objecting if there are (maintenance) defects
Are there maintenance defects and you want a reduction in rent based on them? Then it is important to know whether you have been renting for longer or shorter than 6 months. If you rent for more than 6 months, you must first give the landlord the opportunity to fix the maintenance defects. He must then fix this within 6 weeks after you have requested that the maintenance defects be fixed. Did he not do this? Then THEN PASTER you can file an objection with the rent commission. Be sure to include supporting documents (for example, emails to the landlord requesting that you fix maintenance deficiencies) with your objection.
If you are renting a house SHORTER than 6 months, you can start the procedure “Review of the initial rent” immediately. Someone from the Rent Commission will visit you, and you can indicate right away at that visit what unresolved maintenance defects there are. This is included in the same retention procedure.
The language must be Dutch
Please note that the language in which the objection is made should be Dutch. However, any attachments with correspondence and/or a lease may be in English. Therefore, if you complete all of the steps below, it may be helpful to authorize someone (a friend, girlfriend, or a company) in step 8. The latter can then take over the objection from you in Dutch after you have gone through all the steps. This is a service we can fully help you with as well.
This is how to file an objection with the Rent Commission:
- Go to https://www.huurcommissie.nl/
- Click on Procedure. See example here (opens in new window)
- Click Start Procedure. See example here (opens in new window)
- Click “Log in to My Rental Committee and choose the form you want. See example here (opens in new window)
- Log in with DigiD or Recognition(see example here). Don’t have DigiD or E Recognition, for example, because you are an expat? No worries: the next paragraph (scroll down slightly) tells you what to do then.
- Once logged in, click “Submit new procedure. See example here (opens in new window)
- In the next step, you indicate whether you are the Tenant or the Landlord and also which procedure you want to start. See example here (opens in new window)
- In the next step, enter the tenant’s information(see example here). If you are a tenant, you can also use this step to hire someone else or a company authorize someone else or a company to handle the rest of the objection process on your behalf. This can come in handy if you don’t speak Dutch or are all very hard up for this sort of thing. See example here (opens in new window)
- In the next step, enter the landlord’s information. See example here (opens in new window)
- In the next step, you can indicate whether the tenant is still living in the property. Sometimes a tenant has already moved out. You can still object up to 6 months after the end of a lease and it will apply retroactively (this can get you a lot of money back from the landlord). See example here (opens in new window)
- In the next step, fill in your lease details and upload your lease as well. See example here (opens in new window)
- In the next step, complete whether there were defects when the lease started and, if so, what was communicated about them and what was done about them. At the end of this step, you declare that everything agrees and send it. See example here (opens in new window)
- The last step will ask for an iDeal payment (€25 if you are a tenant and €300 if you are a landlord)
That’s it. The Rent Commission takes up the case and contacts both the tenant and the landlord.
Here’s how to file an objection with the Rent Commission if you don’t have DidiD or eRecognition
If you do not have DigiD or eRecognition (for example, because you are an expat), you can also make your objection by sending a letter to the Rent Commission. But note: that letter must be written in the Dutch language. Write in a very clear letter what you object to (for example, excessive rent and/or maintenance defects that are not being fixed)
If so, always send the following items with your application:
- Attach all possible relevant supporting documents (correspondence, photos of the defects, et cetera) (these may also be in English)
- The signed lease (may be in English)
- Landlord’s details
- The details of you as a tenant
Send that letter by mail to:
P.O. Box 16495
2500 BL
The Hague
Need help?
Would you rather someone else object for you? We can also help you with this on a no cure no pay basis (i.e. you only pay if you are found to be in the right by the Rent Commission). For more info, click here.