Good Landlordship Act
The Good Landlordship Act came into force on 1 July 2023. This law is intended to prevent abuses by landlords. Such as excessively high deposits, unreasonable service charges, discrimination and harassment.
The Good Landlordship Act states the rules for landlords. Is a landlord not obeying the rules? Then the municipality can give him a warning or fine. Tenants can also report abuses by landlords.
Who it is for
This law protects people who are searching for a rental property as well as tenants from abuses by:
- private landlords
- rental agencies which bring tenants in contact with private landlords
- employers who provide housing to foreign employees (migrant workers)
- housing associations
These are the 7 rules for good landlordship:
- The landlord may not discriminate against people who are searching for a rental property.
- The landlord may not threaten or scare the tenant.
- The landlord is allowed to request a deposit which is no more than 2 times the basic rent.
- The landlord must provide the rental agreement in writing.
- The landlord must provide tenants with good information about:
- the rights and duties of the tenant, if they have not been included in the rental agreement
- the amount of the deposit and the date when the tenant will get the deposit back after termination of the rental agreement
- the contact details where the tenant can reach the landlord
- information about the municipal hotline for complaints about landlords
- the service costs: landlords must provide a full breakdown of the costs
- The landlord only charges service costs which comply with the legal rules (Begin external link: Burgerlijk Wetboek artikel 259 en 261 van boek 7(External link)(External link), end external link.).
- The rental agency may not charge mediation fees to the tenant.
Are you renting to a foreign employee (migrant worker)?
Then you must also:
- provide a rental agreement separately from the employment contract
- provide information to the tenants in writing in a language they understand
Under the new law every municipality must have a hotline for complaints about landlords. Tenants as well as people who are searching for a rental property can file a complaint if the landlord is not abiding by the 7 rules of good landlordship. Read more on the page Begin link: Report abuses by landlords, end link. .
Tenants who rent from a housing association can submit a complaint to the association renting out the property. The association will deal with the complaint itself.
As of 1 March 2024 it is illegal to rent out a property in certain neighbourhoods of The Hague without a permit. Landlords have to apply for a landlord permit for these neighbourhoods. Read more under the heading Begin link: Information for landlords, end link. .
- For questions about rental properties consult the Begin link: rental advisors at the municipality, end link. .
- Do you think your rent is too high? Is your landlord asking a high deposit or unreasonable service charges? Contact the Begin link: rental advisors at the municipality, end link. .
You can work out the maximum rent for your home using the points system (in Dutch). Read more on the page Begin external link: Rented housing(External link), end external link. (website of the Government of the Netherlands).
Is your landlord not abiding by the 7 rules of good landlordship? Then you can submit a complaint through the page Begin link: Report abuses by landlords, end link. .
Are you a private landlord? And are you renting out a property in Transvaalkwartier Midden en Zuid or Laakkwartier Oost en West? Then you are required to have a landlord permit from 1 March 2024. Read more about how to Begin link: apply for a landlord permit, end link. .
No, the landlord permit does not apply to housing associations.
The law applies to all rental contracts. So also to pre-existing rental contracts. There is a transitional scheme for a number of the rules under the law. Such as the rule about the information in writing which the landlord must provide to the tenant. And the rule about separating the rental contract from the employment contract. More information can be found under Begin external link: Artikel 23 on www.overheid.nl(External link), end external link. (in Dutch).
Yes. If your old contracts do not comply with the new rules, you need to update them. You do not need to submit the updated contracts to the municipality. There is a transitional scheme for a number of the rules under the law. Such as the rule about the information in writing which the landlord must provide to the tenant. And the rule about separating the rental contract from the employment contract. More information can be found under Begin external link: Artikel 23 on www.overheid.nl(External link), end external link. (in Dutch).
You can make your property energy efficient. Examples include insulation, switching to an induction hob and installing solar panels. Read more about saving energy and energy subsidies on Begin external link: Subsidies voor een duurzaam huis of gebouw(External link), end external link. (in Dutch).
Read more about subsidies to make properties more energy efficient at Begin external link: SVVE: subsidie voor energieadvies(External link), end external link. (rvo.nl).
From 1 July 2023 The Hague Housing Inspection Bureau (Haagse Pandbrigade) will carry out inspections to check whether you are abiding by the 7 rules of good landlordship everywhere in The Hague.
From 1 March 2024 it will be checking whether you have a rental permit in Transvaalkwartier Midden en Zuid and Laakkwartier Oost en West. And whether you are sticking to the rules of the permit.
Are you a landlord who is not abiding by the rules? Then the municipality can give you a warning or a fine of up to € 22,500. For repeat violations, the fine can go up to € 90,000. If this does not work, the municipality can take over the management of the property. That means that you will no longer be allowed to rent out the property yourself.
Under the law, the municipality must publish the names of these landlords. Tenants and people looking for a rental property will then be able to see whether a landlord is sticking to the rules.
The municipality processes personal data for people reporting abuses and lordlords. Read what this means for you and your personal data in the Begin link: Privacy declaration for Good Landlordship Act, end link. (in Dutch).