Hotline for unwanted rentals
Are you looking for or renting a home? And do you think that a rental agent discriminates when allocating a home? Or does your landlord not inform you well about your rights and obligations? Or does the landlord ask for too high a deposit? Then you can report this to the municipality. As of 1 January 2025, you can also report if you have to pay too high a rent.
What do you need to know?
The Good Landlord Act came into effect on 1 July 2023 and is intended to prevent undesirable behaviour by landlords and letting agents. The law contains rules that landlords and letting agents must adhere to. For example, there are rules on the maximum amount of a deposit, that one may not discriminate or intimidate, that one may not charge incorrect service costs and that one must properly inform tenants about their rights and obligations.
From 1 January 2025, there will also be rules for the maximum rent and the maximum rent increase. If a landlord does not comply with these rules, you can report this to the Municipality's Reporting Point for Undesirable Landlordship.
Who can make a report?
You can report unwanted behavior by a landlord or rental agent if:
- You are looking for private rental accommodation (not from a housing association).
- You rent a property from a private landlord or rental agent (a rental agent is an agency that puts tenants in touch with private landlords).
- You are a foreign employee with a work-rental contract. You work and live via an employment agency.
Do you rent from a housing association?
Are you renting from a housing corporation? If so, report your complaint to the housing corporation that rents out the property. They will handle your complaint themselves. Are you unable to resolve the matter together? If so, you can contact one of the following organisations:
- Complaints Committee Housing South Holland : for tenants with complaints about the housing association's role as landlord.
- Rent assessment committee : for tenants with complaints about a maintenance defect, the rent or the service costs.
- The Regional Complaints Committee for Housing Allocation in The Hague : for home seekers with complaints about the registration or response to a housing advertisement.
What can you report?
Discrimination
It is illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, political opinion, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, marital status, disability or chronic illness. For example, a landlord or rental agent must use a clear and impartial selection process when assigning a home. If someone does not get the housing, that person must be given an explanation as to why.
You can report directly to the Stichting iDb (Foundation for Inclusion & Combating Discrimination). They will treat your report confidentially and remain independent.
Want to report?
Intimidation
A rental intermediary or landlord must not use forms of physical or sexual threat or intimidation. For example, they must treat complaints from the (prospective) tenant with respect. A landlord may not pressure a tenant. For example, threatening not to renew a temporary lease or simply terminating a lease without good reason. Deliberately breaking things in or on the property is also not allowed.
Want to report?
Online
Reporting unwanted landlord status
To call
Call telephone number 14 079
Come by
Come to the counter at the city hall. You can fill out a form there and hand it in. We will contact you within 5 working days.
NB!
If you report anonymously, you will not receive any information about the assessment and handling of your report.
Excessive deposit (which is higher than 2 times the basic rent)
A security deposit is an additional amount that you pay in advance. You will get this back if you do not damage the property and have no rent arrears. The basic rent is the rent without additional costs such as gas and electricity. The landlord must record in writing how the security deposit will be refunded if the tenancy agreement ends.
Want to report?
Online
Reporting unwanted landlord status
To call
Call telephone number 14 079
Come by
Come to the counter at the city hall. You can fill out a form there and hand it in. We will contact you within 5 working days.
NB!
If you report anonymously, you will not receive any information about the assessment and handling of your report.
No written rental agreement
The rental agreement must be recorded in writing. It must also include the mandatory information such as the rights and obligations of the tenant, information about the deposit and a description of the service costs to be paid.
Are you renting a home from your employer? Then the rental agreement must always be separate from your employment contract. This rental agreement may be in Dutch, but the landlord must provide the additional information in a language that you understand.
Want to report?
Online
Reporting unwanted landlord status
To call
Call telephone number 14 079
Come by
Come to the counter at the city hall. You can fill out a form there and hand it in. We will contact you within 5 working days.
NB!
If you report anonymously, you will not receive any information about the assessment and handling of your report.
Mediation costs
A real estate agent working for a homeowner may not charge the tenant any money. This also applies if these costs are called something else, such as:
- mediation costs
- contract costs
- marketing costs
- rental costs
- administration costs
- commission costs
- consultancy costs
- brokerage fees
- brokerage
- key money
- registration fee,
- one-time costs tenant
Want to report?
Online
Reporting unwanted landlord status
To call
Call telephone number 14 079
Come by
Come to the counter at the city hall. You can fill out a form there and hand it in. We will contact you within 5 working days.
NB!
If you report anonymously, you will not receive any information about the assessment and handling of your report.
You will not receive any written information
You will not receive written information about the following matters:
- Your rights and obligations as a tenant of a home.
- Your rights and obligations as a tenant are usually stated in the rental contract or in the general terms and conditions. These include, for example, how you should use the property, how the rent can be increased each year and what happens if you pay the rent too late.
- Your rights and obligations as a tenant are usually stated in the rental contract or in the general terms and conditions. These include, for example, how you should use the property, how the rent can be increased each year and what happens if you pay the rent too late.
- The security deposit
- The rental agreement must state how much the deposit is, what costs will be offset against it if the rental ends, and when you will get the deposit back.
- The rental agreement must state how much the deposit is, what costs will be offset against it if the rental ends, and when you will get the deposit back.
- Information on how to contact the landlord.
- Where you can go with complaints or questions about the maintenance of the home or rent payment.
- Where you can go with complaints or questions about the maintenance of the home or rent payment.
- Contact details of the municipality (reporting point for unwanted landlords).
- The service costs.
- The precise description of these costs
- The precise description of these costs
- The points system for determining the rental price.
- From 1 January 2025, the landlord must show how many points the property has and what the maximum rent is for a new rental agreement.
Want to report?
Online
Reporting unwanted landlord status
To call
Call telephone number 14 079
Come by
Come to the counter at the city hall. You can fill out a form there and hand it in. We will contact you within 5 working days.
NB!
If you report anonymously, you will not receive any information about the assessment and handling of your report.
Incorrect service charges
The law describes which costs may be charged as service costs. These are, for example, costs for electricity, gas, water or cleaning services. Costs for, for example, municipal taxes or additional services (such as sports facilities or meals) may not be charged as service costs. The landlord and tenant must conclude a separate contract for this.
More information can be found on the website of the Rent Assessment Committee | overview of service costs .
Want to report?
Online
Reporting unwanted landlord status
To call
Call telephone number 14 079
Come by
Come to the counter at the city hall. You can fill out a form there and hand it in. We will contact you within 5 working days.
NB!
If you report anonymously, you will not receive any information about the assessment and handling of your report.
Rent too high
The number of points for your home determines the maximum rent. This always applies to social housing (up to 144 points). For mid-range housing (144 to 186 points), this only applies to rental agreements concluded after 1 July 2024. For homes in the private sector (187 points or more), there is no maximum rent and the landlord may determine the rent themselves.
More information about this can be found on the website Volkshuisvesting Nederland | Is my rent too expensive?
How do I know if my rent is too high?
You can calculate the number of points for your home yourself using the official calculation tool of the rent assessment committee: the Rent Price Check . Based on this number of points, the maximum rent that the landlord may charge for the property is also determined. Please note that filling in the Rent Check takes some time and that you need the dimensions of the rooms in your property.
What should I do if my rent is too high?
Do you disagree with the rent or the annual rent increase? Or do you have problems with the maintenance or service costs? Then we recommend that you contact the Rent Assessment Committee. On the Rent Assessment Committee website you can find more information about this here.
You can also object to an excessive rent increase with your landlord. For this, see the website of the Central Government | Can I object to my rent increase? .
Are you renting from a private landlord and does the landlord not adjust the price, not even after advice from the rent assessment committee? Then you can report this to the municipality via the reporting point for unwanted landlords.
Want to report?
Online
Reporting unwanted landlord status
To call
Call telephone number 14 079
Come by
Come to the counter at the city hall. You can fill out a form there and hand it in. We will contact you within 5 working days.
NB!
If you report anonymously, you will not receive any information about the assessment and handling of your report.
Rent increase too high
There is a statutory maximum for the annual rent increase. This applies to social housing and mid-range rental housing. A statutory percentage for the rent increase also applies to rental housing in the private sector until 1 May 2029.
More information about this can be found on the Rijksoverheid website | What is the maximum rent increase in 2025?
Want to report?
Online
Reporting unwanted landlord status
To call
Call telephone number 14 079
Come by
Come to the counter at the city hall. You can fill out a form there and hand it in. We will contact you within 5 working days.
NB!
If you report anonymously, you will not receive any information about the assessment and handling of your report.
What can I do myself as a tenant?
- Always discuss your complaint with your landlord first.
- Keep track of problems with the tenancy and record what you think is wrong. Think about taking photos with dates, keeping a log of inappropriate behavior, date and time, and save messages (letters, emails, and phone calls) on your computer or phone.
- Request an overview of the service costs. The landlord must settle the service costs each year before 1 July based on the actual consumption of the previous year. Request an overview of these service costs each year, in writing or digitally. That way you know where you stand.
- Ask for a solution in writing. Ask your landlord by letter or email to solve the problems. Does the landlord not respond? Then you have black and white that you have tried to solve it.
Report
If a landlord does not comply with the rules, you can report this in the following ways:
Online
Reporting unwanted landlord status
To call
Call telephone number 14 079
Come by
Come to the counter at the city hall. You can fill out a form there and hand it in. We will contact you within 5 working days.
NB!
If you report anonymously, you will not receive any information about the assessment and handling of your report.
Report discrimination
You can report directly to the Stichting iDb (Foundation for Inclusion & Combating Discrimination). They will treat your report confidentially and remain independent.
What happens after you have filed a report?
We will review and assess your report and then contact you about the next steps. This is not possible if you report anonymously. In consultation with you, we can talk to the landlord, for example about how the landlord can follow the rules of the Good Landlord Act. We can also warn the landlord or give him a fine.
How long will it take?
We will process your report within 5 working days.
How does the municipality handle my data?
We process personal data of reporters and landlords. Read what this means for you and your data in our Privacy Statement .