Moving to NL

Guide

Renting a home: contract types, deposit, and huurtoeslag

Who this is for: Anyone renting a home in the Netherlands who wants to know what kind of contract to expect, what a landlord can legally ask as a deposit, and whether they can get huurtoeslag (rent allowance).

In 60 seconds

Since 1 July 2024, an indefinite rental contract is the norm again: landlords may only offer a temporary contract in specific situations (for example students renting temporarily in another municipality, people displaced by renovation, or a 'second chance' tenancy), and those temporary contracts always have an end date and last a maximum of 2 years. A landlord may ask a deposit (waarborgsom) of at most 2 months' base rent for contracts signed from 1 July 2023 onward (3 months for older contracts), and must repay it within 14 days after your tenancy ends. For huurtoeslag (rent allowance): your home must be self-contained (its own lockable front door, kitchen and toilet, and — since 1 March 2024 — washing facilities with a shower or bath), your rent for 2026 must generally not exceed €932.93 (or €498.20 if you're under 21) though from 2026 you can sometimes still get some allowance above that ceiling, and your assets on 1 January 2026 must not exceed €38,479 alone or €76,958 combined with a toeslagpartner.

Step by step

  1. 1 Know your contract type before you sign

    Since 1 July 2024, landlords may generally only offer an indefinite rental contract. A temporary contract is only allowed in specific situations, for example: you're a student renting temporarily in a different municipality for your studies, you're temporarily displaced because of renovation, you're moving on from social emergency housing, you're getting a 'second chance' tenancy after a previous contract ended, or you're a status holder awaiting permanent housing from a COA reception centre (among a few other listed situations). A temporary contract always has an end date and lasts a maximum of 2 years; your landlord must notify you 1 to 3 months before that end date. Contracts signed before 1 July 2024 are unaffected and simply run their course — but if such a contract is renewed now, it becomes an indefinite contract.

    Where
    Read carefully before signing, with your landlord or letting agent.
    How long
    Immediate — this is what to check before you sign, not a separate procedure.
    Cost
    Free.

    What to bring

    • The draft rental contract
    • Proof of your situation if you are offered a temporary contract (e.g. proof of study, proof of the renovation)

    • Since 1 July 2024, landlords may only offer a temporary rental contract in specific situations: for example a student temporarily renting in a different municipality for studies, someone temporarily displaced due to work or home renovations, someone moving on from social emergency housing, or someone getting a "second chance" after a previous rental contract ended. This applies to both housing corporations and private landlords.

      Source: Rijksoverheid.nl — Wanneer kan ik tijdelijk huren? · checked 2026-09-19

    • Tijdelijke huurcontracten hebben altijd een einddatum. Ze duren maximaal 2 jaar. (Temporary contracts always have an end date. They last a maximum of 2 years.) The landlord must notify the tenant within 1 to 3 months before the end date.

      Source: Rijksoverheid.nl — Wanneer kan ik tijdelijk huren? · checked 2026-09-19

    • Contracts signed before 1 July 2024 remain unchanged; if such a contract is renewed, it becomes an indefinite contract ("vast huurcontract voor onbepaalde tijd").

      Source: Rijksoverheid.nl — Wanneer kan ik tijdelijk huren? · checked 2026-09-19

  2. 2 Check the deposit (waarborgsom) is legal

    A deposit is not required by law, but if your landlord asks for one, it's capped: at most 2 months' base rent (kale huur, excluding service costs and energy) for contracts signed from 1 July 2023 onward, or 3 months' base rent for older contracts. Your landlord must repay the deposit — or the balance after any legitimate deductions — within 14 days of your tenancy ending.

    Where
    Agreed with your landlord as part of the rental contract; paid before or at the start of your tenancy.
    How long
    Paid at the start of the tenancy; must be returned within 14 days of the tenancy ending.
    Cost
    At most 2 months' base rent for contracts from 1 July 2023 onward (3 months for older contracts) — not a separate fee, this is the deposit itself.

    What to bring

    • The rental contract stating the base rent, so you can check the cap

  3. 3 Check whether your home qualifies for huurtoeslag

    To get huurtoeslag, your home must be a self-contained living space (zelfstandige woonruimte): it needs its own lockable entrance door, its own kitchen and its own toilet, and — since 1 March 2024 — its own washing facilities with a shower or bath. A room in a shared house without these does not qualify. For 2026, your calculated rent (rekenhuur) generally must not exceed €932.93 if you are 21 or older, or €498.20 if you are under 21; from 2026, if your actual rent is higher than that ceiling, you can sometimes still receive some huurtoeslag, but the Tax Administration calculates it as if your rent were exactly the ceiling amount rather than using your real, higher rent.

    Where
    A self-check based on your rental contract and home; no visit needed for this step.
    How long
    Immediate — this is a self-check before applying.
    Cost
    Free.

    What to bring

    • Your rental contract, so you can confirm the facilities and rent amount

  4. 4 Apply for huurtoeslag if your income and assets are within the limits

    How much income you may have depends on your rent, your age and your household composition — there is no longer one fixed income cutoff; the Tax Administration calculates it for your specific situation. Your assets on 1 January 2026 must not exceed €38,479 if you live alone, or a combined €76,958 if you have a toeslagpartner.

    Where
    Mijn toeslagen, on the Belastingdienst / Dienst Toeslagen website (see the DigiD guide for how to log in).
    How long
    You can request toeslagen for a given year up to and including 31 December of the following year (see the health insurance & zorgtoeslag guide for the sourced general deadline rule, which applies to huurtoeslag too).
    Cost
    Not stated by the official sources checked — no belastingdienst.nl page fetched mentions a fee for applying.

    What to bring

    • Your rental contract
    • An estimate of your (and your toeslagpartner's, if any) income and assets for the year

Common mistakes

  • Signing a temporary contract without checking whether your situation actually qualifies for one of the listed exceptions — since 1 July 2024, most tenants are entitled to an indefinite contract.
  • Paying a deposit larger than 2 months' base rent (for a contract from 1 July 2023 onward) without knowing that the extra amount is not legally allowed.
  • Applying for huurtoeslag for a room in a shared house without checking the "self-contained" requirement (own lockable door, kitchen, toilet, and washing facilities since 1 March 2024) first.
  • Assuming a rent above the 2026 ceiling automatically disqualifies you — since 2026 you can sometimes still get huurtoeslag, just calculated at the ceiling amount.

When this does not apply to you

  • You are renting a room in shared housing without your own lockable entrance, kitchen, toilet and washing facilities — you generally do not qualify for huurtoeslag, even if your rent and income otherwise fit.
  • Your rental contract was signed before 1 July 2024 — the "indefinite is the norm" rule does not retroactively change your existing temporary contract; it keeps running until its agreed end date.
  • Your assets on 1 January 2026 are above €38,479 (alone) or €76,958 (with a toeslagpartner) — you will not receive huurtoeslag regardless of your rent or income.

Not covered here

This guide deliberately says nothing about buying a house, mortgage, social housing waiting list, squatting. Those are separate procedures with their own rules; guessing about them would do more harm than staying silent.

This guide gives general information, not legal or tax advice. Rental law and huurtoeslag figures change over time — always confirm current rules directly at rijksoverheid.nl and belastingdienst.nl, or with Het Juridisch Loket, before relying on them.

Facts last checked against their sources on 2026-09-19.