Rental Accommodation in the private sector
Most expats will have to find their own accommodation while a lucky few will have their companies arrange this for them. For those that are on their own, there are several options available and our advice would be to make use of ALL of these options, while arming oneself with the knowledge of rental laws here.
Here are the best options to help you find your home in The Netherlands:
Use a Makelaar (real estate agent) or Housing Agency
Getting in touch with an agent to help you can be challenge in itself and once you have signed a contract with one of them that you are obliged to pay their fees, even if you have found yourself a property to rent through some other channel. Just make sure of the terms of your agreement and ask whether they offer a “no cure, no pay” condition. Once you have an agent, do leave everything to them – you are definitely NOT their only client and they will be busy searching, doing viewings and drawing up contracts for several clients at the same time. This is why you need to be pro-active in your own search for your dream home here. You can do this by searching listings daily of the main property websites online as well as social media – however, this latter option has some pitfalls which we will go into later. Our advice: keep in touch with your makelaar and let them know of any listings you are interested in so they can book your viewings and negotiate your contract. Of course you can negotiate your own contract with your landlord, just be sure to know the rental contract laws.
Also note: a makelaar or housing agency cannot charge you AND the landlord a commission. There is only one party a makelaar or housing agency can take their commission from. You pay them their commission (usually equivalent to one month’s rent) once they have successfully secured your property and rental contract.
Use popular & verified Property Websites
The best known property websites in The Netherlands for both renting and buying are:
And for renting a self contained property or just a room in a shared accommodation:
Use Social Media
Another way to search for accommodation in The Netherlands, for an apartment to rent or just a room in shared accommodation you can also try social media platforms such as Facebook. However, before doing so, please beware that there are many scammers posing as legitimate property owners or agents here. It’s really unfortunate, but due to the tight housing market especially in the bigger cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam etc, scammers make use of people’s desperation to find themselves a home. Sadly, this also impacts legitimate and bonafide landlords who use social media and Facebook groups to advertise their properties.
There are however certain things you can do to protect yourself against rental scammers. Check these tips to avoid being scammed