Until When Can a Tenant Object to High Rent?
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Until When Can a Tenant in the Netherlands Object to High Rent?

ByFloris van Kuijeren

Objecting to High Rent Before July 1, 2024

Until July 1, 2024, tenants could have their rent reviewed by the rental commission within 6 months of the start of their lease. If the rent was found to be too high based on the points system from the beginning of the lease, the commission would retroactively adjust the rent from the start date, requiring landlords to refund the overpaid amount.

Objecting to High Rent After July 1, 2024

From July 1, 2024, tenants with deregulated rental contracts can request a rent review even after 6 months. If the rent is found to exceed the WWS maximum, tenants will not be able to recover overpaid rent retroactively. However, they will start paying the new, lower rent from the date the commission’s decision is made. For example, if a tenant pays €1500 per month for a property in the free sector and the commission determines on August 1, 2025, that the rent should have been €1000, the tenant will pay the new rent of €1000 starting August 1, 2025. The tenant will continue paying this amount for as long as they live there. Landlords can still increase the rent each year by the legally allowed percentage, but this increase is usually quite small. Landlords will be lucky if this legal increase covers rising maintenance and VvE costs.

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