Wonen: renting, moving and running a home

Know how renting works, who to contact about problems, and what to arrange when you move.

A2 and B110 minLesson 4 of 9

After this lesson you can

Explain social housing, the huurcontract and the borg
Know when to use huurtoeslag and the Huurcommissie
Register a move at the gemeente on time
Arrange energy and separate waste correctly

Finding a home

Housing in the Netherlands is scarce and expensive, especially in the cities. There are roughly three options:

Type	Who	Notes
Sociale huurwoning	People with a lower income	Rented from a woningcorporatie (housing association). You register (inschrijven) and often wait years
Vrije sector / middenhuur	Middle and higher incomes	Rented from private landlords; higher rents. Since 2024 more mid-range homes have a rent limit
Koopwoning	Buyers	Usually with a mortgage (hypotheek) from a bank

Status holders often get a home through the gemeente, which has to house a set number of them.

The rental contract

Your huurcontract describes the rent, the start date, the length (temporary or indefinite) and rules. Often you pay a borg (deposit). You get it back when you leave, minus the cost of any damage you caused.

Division of tasks:

Landlord (verhuurder): big repairs and maintenance, e.g. the central heating boiler, a leaking roof, damp problems.
Tenant (huurder): pays rent on time, small repairs (a tap washer, a light bulb), keeps the home clean, and asks permission before big changes.

Help with rent and disputes

Huurtoeslag (rent allowance): a monthly contribution if your income is low and your rent is not too high. You apply at the Belastingdienst (Toeslagen), online with DigiD. Report changes in income or household quickly, otherwise you may have to pay money back.
Problems with the landlord: first contact the landlord yourself, in writing if needed. If you cannot agree about rent, service costs or serious maintenance problems, you can go to the Huurcommissie, an independent organisation that settles rent disputes. The Juridisch Loket or a huurteam can give free advice.

Moving (verhuizen)

You must register your new address with the gemeente where you are going to live. You can do this from about four weeks before until five days after the move, usually online with DigiD.
When you first arrive in the Netherlands, you also register at the gemeente; you get a BSN (citizen service number).
Your address is then recorded in the BRP (Basisregistratie Personen). Many organisations (Belastingdienst, DUO, SVB) get your new address from there, but you still update your bank, insurer and energy supplier yourself.

Energy and water

The energy market is free: you choose an energy supplier (energieleverancier) for gas and electricity yourself and sign a contract. Water comes from the regional drinking-water company. Compare prices; saving energy (insulation, turning the heating down) lowers your bill. If you cannot pay, contact the supplier early or ask the gemeente for help with debts (schuldhulpverlening).

Waste (afval)

The gemeente collects household waste. You pay for this through a municipal tax (afvalstoffenheffing). Separation is expected:

gft (fruit, vegetable and garden waste)
papier en karton
glas (in the glass container)
plastic, metaal en drinkpakken (PMD)
restafval (the rest)

Large items (grofvuil) such as an old sofa: make an appointment with the gemeente or bring them to the waste centre (milieustraat). Do not leave them on the street. The rules differ per gemeente, so check the local waste app or calendar.

Exam logic

Big repair → landlord. Rent too high or dispute → Huurcommissie (after talking). Rent allowance → Belastingdienst. Address → gemeente. Waste → gemeente rules.

Useful Dutch

huren / de huurder / de verhuurderto rent / the tenant / the landlord
het huurcontractthe rental contract
de borgthe deposit
de woningcorporatiethe housing association
de sociale huurwoningthe social rental home
de huurtoeslagrent allowance
de Huurcommissierent tribunal for disputes
verhuizento move house
zich inschrijven bij de gemeenteto register at the municipality
de energieleverancierthe energy supplier
afval scheidento separate waste
het grofvuilbulky waste

Worked example

The heating is broken

*Hamid huurt een huis van een woningcorporatie. Het is januari en de cv-ketel is kapot. Het huis is koud.* **Wat doet Hamid?** A. Hij koopt zelf een nieuwe cv-ketel. B. Hij betaalt geen huur meer. C. Hij meldt het probleem bij de woningcorporatie.

Who? Hamid is a tenant. What? A big repair: the central heating boiler. Who is responsible? Big repairs and maintenance are the landlord's job, here the woningcorporatie. So C is correct. A is wrong: the boiler belongs to the landlord, and a tenant should not replace it himself. B is wrong: simply stopping rent payments is not allowed and can get you into serious trouble. If the landlord does nothing for a long time, Hamid can go to the Huurcommissie.

Common mistakes

Thinking the tenant must pay for big repairs like a broken boiler or a leaking roof.
Applying for huurtoeslag at the gemeente; it is the Belastingdienst (Toeslagen).
Forgetting to register a move at the gemeente within a few days.
Putting bulky waste on the street without an appointment with the gemeente.

Check yourself

Answer all three to mark this lesson as done.

1. Piet en Sara verhuizen naar een andere gemeente. Wat moeten ze doen?

2. Ali heeft een laag inkomen. Hij huurt een huis en de huur is hoog voor hem. Wat kan Ali misschien krijgen?

3. Nina denkt dat haar huur te hoog is voor haar huis. Ze heeft al met de verhuurder gepraat, maar die wil niets veranderen. Waar kan Nina terecht?