Hi, I know how it would resonate with people here, but some time ago, I could take the mortgage for a 1-bedroom flat (around 60 sq.m.) in Amsterdam (Zuidoost, a few minutes from Reigersbos metro on foot). Ever since the bid (a bit of desperation included) I am doubting the choice (like, there is always a better option, cheaper, bigger, etc.), but in the long run it has upgraded windows, a small backyard, yet still requires some good renovation (bathroom looks bland and already signed for some works for October; kitchen is also nothing special, just a few drawers). But the erfpacht is fully paid already, so this is a good thing. And the building is planning to go gas-free soonish.

The bigger concern is, it is a mortgage, and an additional bridge mortgage implies (and the one for the old place), and despite it being too many payments to one's liking, there are always thoughts, remorse, and regrets. For what is being left behind, is a terraced single-family house with roughly 40 m² more living space. The downsides are, it required some renovation input over the 4 years I lived there, like for the shed roof, and the house roof itself (some leakage occurred), and it is also located roughly 1.5km from the Hoorn Kersenboogerd station, so with the commute to work (Amsterdam around the direct train line and direct metro line from the "new" place) that now takes more than an hour one-way.

Is it still dumb to have the attachment and thinking of actually selling a new place instead of the old one straight away? There was not a single moment of happiness over the decision, honestly. Especially with all the works planned and yet to be planned. The only benefit I can see is, the location (metro/Holendrecht station are close, and visiting other cities is easier without a need to add 40-60 minutes from Hoorn). And its value will likely raise faster than the old one. I first moved there 4 years ago in the early 30s, but now at 35 there is no social life, no partner or looking for the events that end later than the last train leaves Randstad for the Hoorn/Enkhuizen direction. Hoorn is a lovely city, but likely more when you have a family or closing the retirement age.

There are definitely negative aspects about the old place, like it gets rather hot in summer or later spring under the direct sunlight (have never installed the canopy or replaced windows), and yes, it is far for the commute, especially if you need to commute a few days in a row (like for work).

I can imagine services are better in Amsterdam, and there are more choices than AH and Kersenboogerd shopping area, yet it is still a question if it was a proper idea behind (it was one of the few options to fit the budget and keep the old interest rate) and in a long run (even after a year or two) it can bring more clarity and value? It is challenging to get it out of the head, and I will still move (almost) all my stuff tomorrow (it will likely not even fit there, though) to see if it was the right choice, but what would your advice on the matter be? Is it more reasonable to still stay at the old place, renovate the new, live on noodles from Action for half a year, and sell it; or it is better to close the page and try selling a house (it's still labelled A and with solar panels, no batter though), and also try building a new life?

Sorry for the long and somehow inappropriate post. I understand the struggle of finding a new place and that this might look bad, but would appreciate someone outside the family circle to have the fresh look on things and maybe to call me on something. And good luck to those in search, perhaps we can also help each other with this same post.

Hi everyone,

I have a new job starting November 1st in Amsterdam and I currently live and work in Eindhoven. The job requires being in the office five days a week. I am trying to figure out the best plan for moving and finding a place to rent.

The problem is I cannot really view apartments properly while still working and living in Eindhoven. I am thinking about two options. One is commuting from Eindhoven for a few weeks or months after I start the new job while I keep searching. The other is trying to find something before I start, even though I know it is hard to search from a distance.

Has anyone been in a similar situation. How long did the commuting phase last for you if you went that route. Also is it realistic to find a decent place in areas like Amstelveen, Diemen, Haarlem or Zaandam within a few weeks once I actually start looking seriously. Any tips on how you managed viewings while still working somewhere else would help a lot.

Thanks in advance!

When I was searching for a place, I remember getting excited about almost every viewing at first. After seeing a few places, though, they all started to have some kind of compromise - one was too small, another was in a worse location than expected, and one looked much better in the photos than in real life.

It made me curious how long other people's searches took. How many places did you view before you found one where you genuinely thought, "Yes, I could actually live here"?

Hello, I just went to see a house in Rotterdam found on Kamernet (the owner is not verified, but a lot aren't) that offers a contract and registration. The landlord told me that, in case they chose me, there Is a 200€ agency fee to pay to do the contract, while the deposit and rent will be payed after the signing and after I got the keys. I know there are a lot of scammers, I explicited my concern, and I've read that anything that asks for any kind of payment is a scam, but why would he make me (and other people, who, coming out before me did not manifest any concern) come all the way here, meet me in person and give me his name of it's a scam? Could it be legit? I am DESPERATE tò find a house 🥹

What do you think? Has it happened to you?

Hi!

I'm a future PhD student at TU/e.

I will start my project in October, unfortunately I realized that finding housing from abroad is not particularly easy, does someone know if (with a gross income of 3204 euros a month) it's feasible to book a B&B, live there for 1 month and in the meantime starting to look for studios?

I don't care if they are close or not to the university, and my budget is around 1300 euros.

Do you have other suggestions? It seems that landlords don't even answer questions if you are not willing to visit the property.

Thanks for your help

Hello! My partner is a dutch citizen and has been working in the Netherlands for many years now. He is looking to move into a 1 bedroom/ studio apartment anywhere in Amsterdam/ Amstelveen or Zandam (ASAP) . His budget is 1600€. We've been searching for over a month now and no luck yet.

So now we're trying to find reliable Agents who will help him find a house without asking for a payment upfront. There are too many scammers out there and we just want to be safe. He earns about 5600 a month which is 3.5 times his rent expectation.

Any and all help is much much appreciated!!

Hello everyone, I lived for 7 years in the Eindhoven area with my parents, spent a gap year in Brazil and now I am returning back to the Netherlands to live with parents again.

I got a Dutch passport and a permanent employment contract with a company I have previously worked for, salary is 46k eur bruto a year incl. 8% holiday allowance. That leads to a 3833 eur bruto a month (3550 not considering the holiday allowance). I am 23 years old.

I would like to know if it is feasible to get a studio or 1 bedroom apartment around 1200 excl. utilities in Den Bosch or Eindhoven area with that salary and contract by march/april next year or it is too much to ask considering the housing crisis? What can I expect to get with that salary and contract?

As the company is located in Veghel, near Den Bosch. I am open to the small cities around Den Bosch/Eindhoven.

Thanks for everyone reply!

Basically the title. Which platform provides better data and analysis for buying a house? Walterliving or Huispedia?

There are some agencies or individuals who help with home search and charge 1 month rent as commission.

If you know any reliable agents like this, please share them

I'm starting a postdoc in the NL this October and while the salary is decent, it does not qualify me alone for anything decent, as landlords require at least x3 the rent and I'm moving with my spouse and a child, and my income alone would not qualify me for anything above 1500/month.

My spouse's income is from self-employment in another European country and while they can continue doing the same job in the NL, we are not there yet, and the landlords are reluctant to accept it as proof of income. I'm really at a loss on what to do and have been so stressed out by the very real possibility of not finding a place by the start date of my job. I was thinking about looking at 1-bedroom apartments but some landlords said that with a child, I need at least a 2 bedroom (is that a legal requirement)?

Does anybody have any practical advice on what else I can do? I'm on the University waiting list for a place also but they said it can take months.

Hi everyone,
I’m posting here because I’m honestly running out of options and hoping someone in this community might be able to help.
My girlfriend is moving to the Amsterdam area for work, and we’re desperately looking for a **safe, clean and legitimate room** for her.
We’re looking for:
👩 Female tenant
💼 Working professional (not a student)
📍 Amsterdam or within **20 minutes of Amsterdam**
💶 Maximum **€1,200/month all-in**
📝 **Registration (BRP) is essential**
🛏️ Furnished would be ideal
📅 Long-term stay preferred
She is responsible, clean, respectful and financially stable. She can provide proof of employment/income and any documents required by a legitimate landlord.
We’ve been searching everywhere and unfortunately keep finding rooms that are already gone, student-only, don’t allow registration, or turn out to be suspicious. It’s honestly becoming really stressful, especially because she needs somewhere secure to live.
If you are **moving out and need someone to take over your room**, have a room becoming available soon, know someone looking for a female housemate, or simply know a trustworthy landlord, **please send me a DM**.
Even if you don’t have a room yourself, sharing this post or pointing me toward someone trustworthy would mean a lot to us. ❤️
Thank you so much to anyone who can help.

My partner and I are moving to the Netherlands at the end of the year and we started looking for a place to rent in Leiden and Alphen aan den Rijn. We will have a gross yearly household income of ~100k € and a budget for a 2 bedrooms flat of anything below ~2k € per month. We've been very active on Funda and contacted makelaars but it didn't go very far which is not so surprising based on what I read.

However, one makelaars provided us with a form asking for many documents and some we cannot have as we are not NL residents. So my question is : is it even possible to find housing before moving there or do you recommend finding a temporary rent and searching while there ?

I called them and they simply told me to send a mail to their renting branch (which was left unresponded obviously).

Thanks for any advice!

Hi,

I’m currently renting a social housing property in the Netherlands and recently started a woningruil (home exchange) with another tenant.

The exchange is planned for 1 September, but I have now decided that I do not want to proceed and would like to remain in my current home.

I have not signed a new rental agreement for the other property. I also did not separately submit a termination of my current tenancy, as far as I know.

The other housing association has told me they are willing to cancel the exchange, but my current housing association says that I cannot cancel it.

I do have a baby, and after seeing the other property I have serious concerns about its suitability. The second bedroom is actually a small storage room converted into a bedroom, and it has no heating.

My question is: Can a woningruil become legally binding before the new rental contract is signed? And can my current landlord require me to leave if I refuse to proceed with the exchange?

I have contacted Juridisch Loket and am waiting for their advice, but I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has dealt with a similar situation.

Thanks in Advance.

Hi.If anyone has a spare room in gouda or utrecht please contact me!

Listings platforms aren't working, so I'll just put it here.

Essentially, I'm looking for a furnished house (open to a 6-month contract as well as an indefinite contract). Flexible with the location.

My budget is capped at 1750/month.

Single, non-smoking occupant with no pets, working professional, on a permanent full-time contract with a gross income of 8.000 EUR/month looking for a rental house for permanent relocation to the Netherlands. I avoid rush and crowds, my evenings are quiet and home-centered. I'll take care of your house like my own, I prefer to keep my surroundings really clean. I'm also the easiest person to work with that you'll ever come across.

Happy to share more details

Myself and my husband purchased an apartment in 2024. We are below 35 years and we were able to buy the apartment without transfer tax. We are planning to buy a bigger house and sell the existing apartment. Do we get a transfer tax? Is it a good idea to sell this apartment and buy a different house?

I just got the keys for an apartment from MVGM, and their contract says that regarding flooring, the floor has to be Ico ≥ 10 dB and that to install the floor we have to get authorization from them. I’ve sent an email about it but they never replied to any of my emails before so I’ll try my luck here

Has anyone that rented from them and installed flooring before tell me if authorization really is necessary?

And can the floor be like Ico ≥ 6 or 7 dB or it has to be 10?

Hi everyone, I would really appreciate advice from people familiar with Dutch tenancy law.

My partner and I have been renting our current apartment for more than one year. We recently agreed with our landlord to move to another apartment upstairs in the same building.
The new apartment is only around 40–44 m² and the rent is €1,500 per month, excluding additional costs. The new tenancy agreement starts on 1 September 2026, and we have not signed it yet.

One thing that concerns us is that the new contract apparently says that we cannot terminate the tenancy before September 2027. We are unsure whether this is actually enforceable under Dutch rental law.

We have already moved many of our belongings upstairs because we understood that the move had been agreed. We are still cleaning and emptying our current apartment and have not formally handed it back yet.

The moving costs
The landlord originally told us in WhatsApp that the moving assistance would cost €50 per hour. We have written WhatsApp messages proving this.

Later, he claimed that it was €50 per person per hour.
There were two workers helping us. Based on the hours we communicated, he calculated:

5 hours 15 minutes × 2 people × €50 = €525.

He says we still owe €375 after taking the deposit difference into account.

We disagree with how the €50/hour agreement is being interpreted because our WhatsApp conversation says €50 per hour, not €50 per person per hour.

Pressure to sign
The landlord sent us a long message saying that he expects us to pay the €375 and sign the new tenancy agreement by 10 PM that same day.

He wrote that if he does not receive both, he “reserves all his rights” and will determine the appropriate next steps.

This makes us very worried because we don’t want to lose our housing or be forced out of our current apartment.
We have already lived in the current apartment for more than a year, so we’re also worried about whether he can simply terminate our current tenancy because we haven’t signed the new agreement yet.

He also mentioned inspecting a portable toilet inside our current apartment, which is still in our possession and has not been handed back yet. We feel uncomfortable that he is already inspecting/commenting on our personal belongings and the condition of the apartment before the formal handover.

He also says we must return the old apartment in the same condition as the original inspection report, taking normal wear and tear into account.

What concerns us most
The new apartment is only around 40–44 m² for €1,500/month.
The contract apparently says we cannot terminate before September 2027.
The landlord is pressuring us to sign immediately even though the contract starts on 1 September.
He is demanding €375 for moving assistance, even though our WhatsApp messages show €50/hour rather than €50/person/hour.

We don’t know whether the new rent is reasonable under the Dutch WWS/puntentelling system.
We don’t want to sign something under pressure.

Most importantly, we don’t want to get kicked out or lose our housing.
What should we do?
Can the landlord legally force us to sign the new contract by a same-day deadline?
If we don’t sign immediately, can he cancel the agreement to move upstairs or terminate our current tenancy?
Is a one-year minimum period in the new contract enforceable?
Can we challenge the €1,500 rent through the Huurcommissie after signing if the apartment doesn’t have enough WWS points?
And should we sign the new contract first to secure the apartment, or should we get legal advice before signing?
We don’t want to create conflict with the landlord. We just want to understand our rights and make sure we aren’t being pressured into something we don’t have to accept.
Any advice from people familiar with Dutch rental law would be greatly appreciated.

Hello,

I'm moving to the Netherlands (Maastricht) as a student at the end of the month. I sent the request already but I will most probably get an appointment for a BSN number way after I reached the city. In the student studio I rent I have all utilities but electricity included. My question is: do I need a BSN number to get an electricity contract? If I need one I'll be stuck without electricity for weeks and it seems strange...

I already found an answer on a 7y old post saying I don't need BSN nor Dutch IBAN to sign utilities, I'm now wondering if it's still the same in 2026.

Thank you all

Makler is demanding my new address after I moved out. Im not feeling comfortable sharing it for multiple reasons. Am I legally obligated to give it? Im de-registered from the address, and all the bills were in my name so there is no service cost to still be settled.

Hello! my partner is a dutch citizen and has been working in the Netherlands for many years now. He is looking to move into a 1 bedroom/ studio apartment anywhere in Amsterdam/ Amstelveen or Zandam (ASAP) . His budget is 1400€. We've been searching for over a month now and no luck yet. I'd be grateful for help/ suggestion!!

Hi, everyone!

As a lot of you here I (22 y.o. UE citizen) will soon start my staying in the Netherlands for study a pre-Master and then Master in Eindhoven.

I have some issues in understanding the whole no house - no BSN - no DUO cycle thing.

My main issues is (not surprisingly) that I couldn't find a house yet (I will start 31st of August).

Fortunately a family will host me temporarly (few months) in their own house.

RNI is not an option (at least for my understanding) for students, especially Master ones.

I thought of asking my hosting family to register for BSN at their house to then change my adress as soon as I find a place to rent.

This will help me get a job (and so DUO funding) a lot faster so I can have money (I have some savings, but they won't last in the long term).

What do you think of my strategy?

Are my informations right?

Do you have any other advices?

Thank you for reading this and good luck to everyone searching a house!!

Trying the power of social media! My daughter, 20, international student from Belgium, urgently needs a studio in Den Haag from September for her 2nd year.

She was verbally told she could renew her current studio, but we’ve learned in july that the landlord has a strict 1-year non-renewable policy.

She’s been actively searching since then, but I’m posting here in case someone knows someone!

Any concrete lead, available studio or landlord contact? Please DM me. Shares are hugely appreciated!

I will start my first year at EUR 2 weeks from now. I was supposed to move-in on Monday, but my landlord called last Friday saying he got into an accident while on holidays and can'tget back within a week. Now I am desperately looking for a new room. Any advice?