Bad landlord hotline
You can report bad rental behavior by a landlord (or a rental intermediary) to municipality. Think, for example, of discrimination or an unreasonable rental contract.
Does your landlord not abide by the rules? Then you can file a report.
Approach
You can report bad behavior by a landlord (or a rental agent) online or by phone. Bad behavior can include:
- discrimination
- threat
- you did not receive a written lease
- you did not receive written information about:
- rights and duties of tenant and landlord
- landlord contact information
- An annual explanation of service charges (if there are service charges)
- excessive security deposit (more than 2 times the monthly rent)
- excessive service charges
Are you from another EU country, and working temporarily in the Netherlands? Report it to municipality if:
- the rental agreement and the employment contract are 1 document. This applies to contracts entered into after July 1, 2023.
- all written information that accompanies the lease is written in a language that you as a migrant worker do not understand.
Description
You can also make a report by phone: 043-388 50 00 from Monday to Friday between 9:00-17:00. It is also possible to report anonymously. Please note that the municipality cannot contact you. For example, the municipality cannot ask you any questions about the abuse. Nor can the municipality then put you in touch with organizations that can help you better, such as the rent assessment commission.
If your report does not reveal that it is over standard, the hotline will tell you which agency or organization can help you further.
What does the Good Landlord Act mean?
The law is a basic national standard for good landlordism in the form of general rules. This standard regulates the conduct of good landlords and rental intermediaries with housing seekers and tenants. The general rules apply to the entire rental process and to both the rental of housing and the rental of accommodation to migrant workers.
Terms
Discrimination
Discrimination is not permitted. No discrimination may be made on the basis of race, creed, political opinion, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, marital status, disability or chronic illness.
Harassment
Harassment (someone who is forced by physical or psychological force, threat of force, or a matter of fact to do or not do something) of housing seekers and tenants comes in many forms and is not permitted.
Written requirement
A landlord or the rental agent is required to put the rental agreement in writing. Even if the rental agreement is oral. In the case of migrant workers, the labor agreement and rental agreement must be agreed upon separately.
Disclosure obligation
The tenant must be aware of his or her rights and obligations. The landlord or rental agent has a duty to provide information to the tenant in writing and in a clear and understandable manner. This includes the tenant's legal rights and obligations regarding the property, to the extent that these rights and obligations are not included in the lease.
Ban on charging double mediation fees
Specifically for rental intermediaries, this bill states that it is not allowed to charge double mediation fees. Mediation fees are also sometimes called contract or administration fees in practice, in which case this is also not allowed.
Security deposit
The security deposit the tenant must pay cannot be more than twice the bare rent. That is the rent without service charges, costs for utilities, furniture and other amenities. In addition, the security deposit must be returned to the tenant no later than 14 days after termination of the lease, unless there is damage.
Service charges
The landlord must provide an annual written breakdown of service charges incurred and share it with the tenant. The calculation, justification and increase of the advance payment amount must also comply with legal rules.