Is your rent too high?

Most rentals have a maximum rent

Every home gets points for its size, energy label, kitchen, bathroom, outdoor space, WOZ value and more. The points set the highest basic rent a landlord may ask. Homes with up to 143 points always have a legal maximum. Homes with 144 to 186 points have one if the contract was signed on or after 1 July 2024. Above 186 points the rent is free: there is no maximum.

Renting a room and sharing the kitchen, bathroom or toilet? Rooms have their own points system, and every room has a legal maximum rent.

Source: Besluit huurprijzen woonruimte, Bijlage I (valid from 1 January 2026), and huurcommissie.nl. The amounts change every 1 January.

Compare your basic rent, not what you pay in total

The maximum is about the basic rent (kale huur). Service costs (servicekosten) and advances for energy, water or internet are separate. Your contract lists them separately, usually in the article about the rent.

Example: you pay €1,050 a month, made up of €990 basic rent and €60 service costs. Compare the €990 with your maximum, not the €1,050.

If your contract only shows one all-in amount, the Huurcommissie can split it into basic rent and costs.

How many points does your home have?

Part of the score comes from public registers: the floor area and build year (BAG), the energy label (EP-Online) and the WOZ value. The rest you can see at home: the kitchen, bathroom, toilet, outdoor space and heating. How the points system works.

Our free check reads the registers for you and asks the rest in a few taps.

Paying too much? There are two routes

• You moved in less than 6 months ago. Ask the Huurcommissie to assess your starting rent (toetsing aanvangshuurprijs). If it is too high, the lower rent counts from the day your contract started, and you can claim the overpaid months back from your landlord. This works for student and temporary contracts too.
• You moved in longer ago. You can still ask for a lower rent based on points (huurverlaging). First you send your landlord a written proposal. If they don't agree, the Huurcommissie decides. The lower rent applies from the date you proposed, not backwards.

Both run through the Huurcommissie, the official Rent Tribunal. How the Huurcommissie works, in English.

Sources: Dutch Civil Code art. 7:249 and 7:254, huurcommissie.nl.

Will my landlord hold it against me?

Asking the Huurcommissie is your legal right, and it is not a legal reason for a landlord to end your contract. Rent increases are capped by law too. Your landlord will know the case is about your home: a rent case can't be anonymous.