Why checking your rental contract is so important

Updated: October 2026

After months of searching you finally get a yes on a home. The landlord sends the contract and you want to sign right away. That is exactly when you are most likely to sign something you would rather not have accepted.

A rental contract is a collection of agreements, and not every agreement holds up. Dutch residential rent law contains many mandatory rules: provisions that deviate from the law to the tenant's disadvantage are often invalid, even if you signed them. It pays to know what to look at before you sign.

1. Time pressure is no reason to rush

On a tight housing market you sometimes hear that the contract must be returned signed "today". An ordinary contract takes ten minutes to read. A few passages are always worth reading calmly: the rent and how it is increased, the term and termination, the deposit, the service charges and maintenance.

2. The Affordable Rent Act: look at the rent

The Affordable Rent Act (Wet betaalbare huur) has been in force since 1 July 2024. As a result, the housing valuation system (WWS), the points system, is mandatory up to and including 186 points. Above that limit the home is deregulated. For homes below the limit, the number of points determines a maximum rent.

3. Provisions that often raise questions

• An absolute pet banA ban with no room for exceptions is vulnerable. A ban on pets that cause nuisance or damage is more likely to hold.
• A long notice period for youIn an indefinite-term contract the tenant's notice period may not exceed three months. A longer period is void.
• Major maintenance at your costYou only pay for minor repairs. Other defects are for the landlord.
• Agency fees charged to the tenantA clause that puts agency fees on the tenant is void (art. 7:264 Dutch Civil Code).

4. Service charges and deposit

You pay service charges as an advance. The landlord must provide an itemised annual statement, at the latest six months after the end of the calendar year. A fixed amount without a statement is a red flag. The deposit may not exceed twice the basic rent (art. 7:261b Dutch Civil Code).

5. What a tool can do

Dutch legal language is a craft of its own, and the difference between a fixed-term and an indefinite contract can matter a lot. HuurCheckie and our assistant Lea are a tool: they read your contract and show which passages need attention, with a reference to the source. It remains a tool and not legal advice, and for a serious dispute you should involve a lawyer.

Want to know more about tenant rights? See huurcommissie.nl or rijksoverheid.nl.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and your situation may differ. In doubt? Ask a lawyer, the Juridisch Loket or the Huurcommissie (Dutch Rent Tribunal).