Service costs: check what you really pay for

The yearly statement

Your landlord must send you a statement of the previous year's service costs before 1 July. If you paid more in advances than the real costs, you get the difference back.

No statement? Ask for it

Didn't get one? Ask your landlord for it in writing. If you still have nothing after 3 weeks, you can take it to the Huurcommissie. Without a statement, the landlord can't start a case about service costs himself.

What the Huurcommissie checks

The Huurcommissie applies fixed rules to what may be charged. A few examples from its policy book:

• an administration fee of at most 5% on most cost items;
• a caretaker (huismeester): tenants pay at most 70% of the cost;
• cleaning when tenants move in or out may not be charged to tenants.

Starting a case

First tell your landlord in writing what you disagree with. If that doesn't solve it, you can ask the Huurcommissie to assess the statement, within 2 years of when the statement should have reached you. A tenant pays €25 to start a case at the Huurcommissie and gets it back if they win.

Service costs are separate from your basic rent. If you also suspect your rent itself is too high, that's a second check.

Sources: huurcommissie.nl ("Jaarafrekening servicekosten beoordelen"; policy book Servicekosten, "Overige servicekosten" and "Procedureregels"; "Kosten").