Tenant letters in the Netherlands: notice, deposit, repairs

Quick answer

To leave a rented home in the Netherlands, give notice (huuropzegging) to a rent-payment day: the notice period is one payment period, at least one month and at most three (art. 7:271 lid 6 onder a BW). The law prescribes a bailiff’s writ or registered letter (aangetekende brief); a notice in another form still counts but is hard to prove. Your deposit (waarborgsom) may not exceed twice the bare rent and must come back within 14 days, or 30 days for the balance after deductions (art. 7:261b BW). The landlord must repair defects on request; in social and mid-rent housing, the Huurcommissie can reduce the rent after six weeks.

This guide covers ordinary residential tenancies in the Netherlands. A room in the landlord’s own home, short-stay lets, temporary sublets while the owner is away (tussenhuur or diplomatenclausule) and vacancy-law contracts follow different rules. It is general information, not legal advice. For an unpaid sum after the tenancy, see payment demands in the Netherlands; for internet, energy and other contracts when you move, see cancelling a contract in the Netherlands.

Check your contract type

A lease for an indefinite term can be ended by notice at any time, to an agreed rent-payment day (art. 7:271 lid 3 BW). Since the Wet vaste huurcontracten took effect on 1 July 2024, indefinite leases are the norm, and a temporary lease of two years or less may be given only to groups listed by decree; you may end such a lease before its end date by notice (lid 2). A fixed-term lease otherwise allows notice only for a payment day that is not before the end of the term (lid 1); for a fixed term of more than two years, the government says you cannot leave before the end date. Leases concluded before 1 July 2024 keep the old rules, under which a tenant may end a temporary lease of up to two years (or five years for a room) early by notice.

One case is unsettled: a fixed term of two years or less concluded after 1 July 2024 with a tenant outside the listed groups. The text of lid 1 bars notice before the end of the term, while the government’s simplified guidance does not make this distinction. Ask Het Juridisch Loket, the free Dutch legal advice service. You and the landlord can always end the lease by agreement (lid 10).

Give notice on your lease

Your notice period equals the time between two rent-payment days, at least one month and at most three; a clause setting a longer period is void (art. 7:271 lid 6 onder a and lid 8 BW). You need not give a reason. The landlord must receive the notice before the payment day it runs to (art. 3:37 lid 3 BW): with rent due on the 1st, it must arrive before the 1st. Treat that deadline as fixed and send early. A notice that arrives late or names the wrong date is not void: it takes effect on the next valid date (art. 7:271 lid 7).

The law says notice is given by bailiff’s writ (exploot) or by registered letter (art. 7:271 lid 4 BW), and that applies to tenants too. A notice in another form still counts (lid 7): the government says an e-mail or ordinary letter is valid if the landlord confirms receipt. The risk is proving that the landlord received it. A MaisonMail standard or tracked letter is not an aangetekende brief. Send your notice by registered post through PostNL from within the Netherlands, or through a bailiff (deurwaarder); you can also e-mail the same letter and ask the landlord to confirm receipt in writing. Every tenant named in the lease should sign.

Onderwerp: Opzegging huurovereenkomst — [adres van de woning]

Geachte [heer/mevrouw] [achternaam verhuurder],

Hierbij zeg ik de huurovereenkomst op voor de woning aan [adres van de woning], die ik huur op grond van de huurovereenkomst van [datum van de huurovereenkomst].

Ik zeg op tegen [datum: een betaaldag van de huur], met inachtneming van de wettelijke opzegtermijn (artikel 7:271 lid 6 onder a BW), of, als die datum niet juist is, tegen de eerstvolgende datum waartegen de opzegging volgens de wet mogelijk is.

Ik verzoek u mij binnen veertien dagen schriftelijk te bevestigen dat u deze opzegging hebt ontvangen en op welke datum de huurovereenkomst eindigt. Graag maak ik met u een afspraak voor de voorinspectie en de eindinspectie van de woning.

De waarborgsom kunt u na het einde van de huurovereenkomst terugbetalen op rekeningnummer [IBAN] ten name van [naam rekeninghouder]. Mijn nieuwe adres is [nieuw adres] en mijn e-mailadres is [e-mailadres].

Met vriendelijke groet, [Voornaam en achternaam van iedere huurder] [Handtekening van iedere huurder]

Reclaim your deposit (waarborgsom)

The deposit may not exceed twice the bare rent (kale huur), without service or utility costs (art. 7:261b lid 1–2 BW). The landlord must return it within 14 days after the lease ends. Only if it deducts repair costs for damage, limited to costs actually incurred, or unpaid rent, service charges or an energy-performance fee, may it pay the balance within 30 days (lid 3), and it must explain any deduction in writing with a full breakdown of costs (lid 4). These rules, in force since 1 July 2023, also apply to free-sector homes (art. 7:247 BW). The government adds that no interest is owed, and that normal wear and administration fees may not be deducted. For a lease concluded before 1 July 2023, the government gives a cap of three months’ bare rent; no official source says whether the 14 and 30-day deadlines apply to those deposits.

At the handover, you return the home in the state described in the check-in report (opnamestaat), apart from normal wear; if no report was made, you are presumed to have received it in the state you leave it in (art. 7:224 lid 2 BW). Do not sign a final inspection report you disagree with. A deposit above the cap can be reported to the municipality’s reporting point for landlord conduct, but that does not guarantee a refund. The Huurcommissie does not handle deposits; the kantonrechter (sub-district court) does, whatever the amount, without a lawyer. With a firm deadline, the letter below is an ingebrekestelling (formal notice of default).

Onderwerp: Terugbetaling waarborgsom — [adres van de woning]

Geachte [heer/mevrouw] [achternaam verhuurder],

De huurovereenkomst voor de woning aan [adres van de woning] is geëindigd op [einddatum]. Op [datum van oplevering] heb ik de woning met de sleutels aan u opgeleverd, zoals blijkt uit [opleverrapport of ander bewijs]. Bij aanvang van de huur heb ik een waarborgsom van [bedrag] euro betaald.

Volgens artikel 7:261b lid 3 BW moet u de waarborgsom binnen veertien dagen na het einde van de huurovereenkomst terugbetalen. Alleen als u schade, nog openstaande huur, servicekosten of een energieprestatievergoeding verrekent, moet u het restant binnen dertig dagen betalen; voor schade mag u alleen aantoonbaar gemaakte kosten verrekenen. Een verrekening moet u mij schriftelijk meedelen met een volledige kostenspecificatie (artikel 7:261b lid 4 BW).

Tot op heden heb ik [geen enkel bedrag / slechts [bedrag] euro] terugontvangen [en geen kostenspecificatie ontvangen]. Ik stel u hierbij in gebreke en verzoek u [bedrag] euro uiterlijk op [datum] over te maken op rekeningnummer [IBAN] ten name van [naam rekeninghouder].

Betaalt u niet binnen deze termijn, dan behoud ik mij het recht voor de zaak voor te leggen aan de kantonrechter en daarbij ook de wettelijke rente en de kosten te vorderen.

Met vriendelijke groet, [Voornaam en achternaam]

Report a defect (gebrek)

A defect is anything that stops the home giving the enjoyment you may expect of a well-maintained home of that kind (art. 7:204 lid 2 BW). The landlord must repair it at your request, except small repairs that are the tenant’s job and damage you are liable for (art. 7:206 lid 1–2). Report defects without delay, or you pay for damage caused by the delay (art. 7:222). You can claim a proportionate rent reduction from the day you reported the defect until it is fixed (art. 7:207). Keep paying the full rent: withholding it without a decision from the Huurcommissie or a court risks termination for arrears. If the landlord is in default, you may have the repair done and recover reasonable costs (art. 7:206 lid 3), but get advice first.

The Huurcommissie, the Dutch rent tribunal, can order a temporary rent reduction for serious defects if the landlord has not fixed them within six weeks of the day after your report; file within six months of the report so that the reduction runs from the first day of the month after your report (art. 7:257 BW). Its ruling is binding for social housing and for mid-rent homes let from 1 July 2024; for free-sector homes it gives only advice, and only if both of you agreed in writing. The tenant’s fee is €25, refunded if you win. It investigates only the defects named in your report, filing is online with DigiD or eHerkenning, and you choose the Huurcommissie or the kantonrechter for the same defects, not both. A new law (Stb. 2026, 311), not yet in force, will require the report to be in writing; send it in writing now.

Onderwerp: Melding van gebreken — [adres van de woning]

Geachte [heer/mevrouw] [achternaam verhuurder],

Als huurder van de woning aan [adres van de woning] meld ik u de volgende gebreken: [omschrijving van elk gebrek, de ruimte waar het zich voordoet en sinds wanneer het bestaat]. Foto’s van de gebreken stuur ik mee.

Ik verzoek u deze gebreken op grond van artikel 7:206 BW binnen zes weken na de datum van deze brief te verhelpen en mij te laten weten wanneer de reparatie wordt uitgevoerd. Voor een afspraak kunt u mij bereiken op [telefoonnummer] of [e-mailadres].

Worden de gebreken niet binnen deze termijn verholpen, dan kan ik de Huurcommissie of de kantonrechter vragen om een tijdelijke verlaging van de huurprijs (artikelen 7:207 en 7:257 BW).

Met vriendelijke groet, [Voornaam en achternaam]

Post your letters and keep evidence

For the deposit and defect letters, upload your final PDF or write the letter in MaisonMail, and add photos or the handover report as PDFs in the send flow. The recipient address determines the destination; available services, estimated delivery and the final price appear before payment. A letter takes effect when it reaches the landlord (art. 3:37 lid 3 BW), so allow time for printing and delivery, and also send it by e-mail. Keep a copy of every letter and attachment: tracking shows that an item arrived, not what it contained. For your notice, use a registered letter or a bailiff as the law prescribes: a MaisonMail tracked letter is not an aangetekende brief.