Rental advice for tenants

Are you renting a property from a private landlord? Rental advisors at the municipality can help you with questions about your rent, your rental contract, maintenance and energy-saving measures. Are you living in social housing? Contact your housing association.

High rent or complaints about maintenance

Do you think that your rent is too high? Or is there overdue maintenance on the rental property? The rental advisors at the municipality can help you. They will check the rental charges and take a look at your home if necessary. Do you need help? Make an Begin external link: appointment with the municipality(External link), end external link..

You can calculate whether you are paying a reasonable rent for your home on the Begin external link: website of the Huurcommissie(External link), end external link..

Rent Tribunal (Huurcommissie)

Are you having a problem with your landlord with your rent, service costs or maintenance? You can Begin external link: report this to the Rent Tribunal (Huurcommissie)(External link), end external link.. The Rent Tribunal is independent and helps tenants with rental issues. It gives advice and makes a ruling.

Did you already make use of the Rent Tribunal? But your landlord has not responded to the decision by the Rent Tribunal? Then you can take this to court. The legal costs will be compensated. The municipality can help you with this. See the conditions on the page Begin link: Vergoeding proceskosten aanvragen, end link. (in Dutch).

The Hague Housing Inspection Bureau

Landlords must abide by a number of rules. These rules can be found in the Begin link: Good Landlordship Act, end link. . Have you faced intimidation or discrimination when trying to rent a property? Is the landlord not taking proper care of the property? Or is there overdue maintenance?  You can report this to Begin link: The Hague Housing Inspection Bureau, end link. (Haagse Pandbrigade). Or file a complaint anonymously to the Begin link: municipal hotline, end link. .

Costs for maintenance

A property must be maintained. For example, any mould needs to be removed and the central heating system needs to be checked. What do tenants have to do? And what is the landlord responsible for? And who has to pay? Read about the obligations of tenants and landlords on the Begin external link: website of the Rijksoverheid(External link), end external link. (in Dutch).

Are you renting an apartment which is part of a homeowners association (Vereniging van Eigenaren, VvE)? Invest in a good relationship with the VvE. So that you can stay informed about important matters such as the maintenance plan and the energy-saving measures the VvE is taking. Read more about this on the page Begin link: Adviseurs voor vve’s, end link. (in Dutch).

Some buildings constructed before 1960 may still have lead drinking water pipes. The municipality is asking homeowners to replace these pipes. Read more on the page Begin link: Replacing lead water pipes, end link. .

Energy-saving measures and insulation

Would you like to make your rental property more energy-efficient? You can ask your landlord about this. This is called the right of initiative. Measures include insulating the floor, roof, exterior walls and/or windows. Other measures are also possible, such as a new central heating boiler. You should be able and willing to pay more rent if the landlord carries out the measures. Read how you can make use of the Begin external link: right of initiative for tenants(External link), end external link. (Duurzamestad.denhaag.nl).

Would you like to learn what you can do to save energy? Look at the page Begin external link: Uw woning verduurzamen(External link), end external link. (Duurzamestad.denhaag.nl).

Contact

Do you have a question for the rental advisors? Call the municipality on tel. 14070. Or use the Begin external link: contact form(External link), end external link. (in Dutch).

Also see

• Begin link: Good Landlordship Act, end link.
• Begin link: Ask for advice from the Fair Rent Team, end link.
• Begin link: Apply for affordable housing permit, end link.
• Begin link: Apply for compensation for legal costs, end link. (in Dutch)
• Begin external link: Right of initiative for tenants(External link), end external link. (Duurzamestad.denhaag.nl)