Rent price check Netherlands: self-test in 6 steps (2026)

Do you feel you pay too much for your room or apartment in the Netherlands? You are not alone. Roughly one in five Dutch tenants pays above the legal maximum rent. With this step-by-step plan you check it yourself in half a day, no lawyer and no hassle.

When is a rent price check useful?

A rent price check applies to housing that falls under the Dutch points system (WWS). In concrete terms:

All non-self-contained rooms in the Netherlands (almost without exception under WWS)
Self-contained homes with fewer than 187 points (social rent until 1 July 2024)
Self-contained homes with fewer than 186 points in mid-rent (since the Affordable Rent Act from 1 July 2024)

If your landlord asks a rent that sits below the liberalisation threshold, the points maximum applies. Above that line you are in the free sector and a check is mainly useful for rent-increase disputes, not for rent reduction.

Step 1: measure your surface area

The points system uses "usable floor area", not the advertised surface. Follow NEN 2580: from inner wall to inner wall, excluding sloped walls below 1.5 m height. For non-self-contained rooms, only your own room plus any private utility area counts. For self-contained, all living and bedrooms count, plus separate categories for kitchen and sanitary facilities.

Use a laser measure or measuring tape. A 30 cm error on a wall easily costs 0.5 sqm, and that is one point in the WWS table, worth about 7 to 10 euros of maximum rent per month.

Step 2: request the energy label

You can look up the energy label for free via EP-online by house number and postcode. Without a label, the Huurcommissie defaults to the worst label (G) or an estimate based on construction year. For older buildings this almost always disadvantages the tenant, but for pre-war buildings later renovated, it can argue for an actual energetic assessment.

A difference between label F and label B is easily 25 to 30 points for a self-contained home, worth 160 to 200 euros maximum rent per month.

Step 3: look up the WOZ value (self-contained only)

For self-contained homes the WOZ value counts in the points calculation, since 2015. Request the WOZ value via the WOZ-waardeloket or via your municipality. Note: the WOZ component has a cap introduced in 2024 to limit the Amsterdam free sector. For most homes the cap kicks in only above roughly 360,000 euros WOZ value.

For non-self-contained rooms in a home, the WOZ value is not relevant to your points count directly. It can still help indirectly to argue that the building as a whole is not luxurious.

Step 4: count the facilities

The facilities category is where many tenants miss points. Run through this checklist:

Central heating: private or shared?
Kitchen: private or shared? Length of the counter? Induction or gas?
Sanitary: private or shared shower? Separate toilet?
Outdoor space: balcony, garden or roof terrace (surface in sqm)?
Storage: private storage of at least 2 sqm?
Washing machine connection: self-contained only
Double glazing or better: in all living rooms?
Ventilation: mechanical extraction?

Each category has a specific point value. The official table is in Annex IV of the Decree on Housing Rents and is republished annually by the Huurcommissie.

Step 5: use the official rent price check

With your surface area, energy label, WOZ value and facilities, go to the Huurcommissie rent price check. Fill all fields. The tool calculates:

The total points
The legal maximum base rent per month
Whether your home is above or below the liberalisation threshold

Print or save the outcome, you need it as evidence in any potential procedure.

For shared rooms (lodger or classic) you use a separate tool. Our fair rent tool for lodger rooms does the same calculation for lodger rentals and shows the recommended price directly.

Step 6: compare with your base rent

Compare the outcome with your base rent, so excluding service costs and additional charges. The base rent is listed in your rental contract.

Three possible outcomes:

You pay less than the maximum: you are fine, no action needed.
You pay up to 5 percent above the maximum: marginal deviation, often the result of rounding. Acceptable, but a reason not to accept a rent increase.
You pay more than 5 percent above the maximum: structurally too much. Start the procedure.

Do not forget to check your service costs. What a landlord may charge for service costs is legally capped and assessed in a separate procedure by the Huurcommissie.

What do you do if you overpay?

Step A: letter to the landlord. Write a neat, factual letter with your points calculation, the outcome and the difference. Request a rent reduction effective the first of the month after receipt. Send registered.

Step B: notice of default. If your landlord does not respond within four weeks, send a notice of default. Give them two weeks for a final answer.

Step C: Huurcommissie procedure. Submit your rent reduction request. Fee: 25 euros. If you win, you get it back and the rent is reduced from the application date.

Special: first six months of the contract. Retroactive reduction is possible within the first six months of the contract. Outside that window, the application date applies.

Frequently asked questions

My landlord threatens termination if I do a rent price check. Is that allowed?

No. A landlord may not unilaterally terminate a rental contract because a tenant exercises their legal rights. That is intimidating behaviour that works against the landlord in a procedure. Document in writing what was said.

Does the rent price check also apply to anti-squat?

Anti-squat (use agreement) does not fall under the Rent Act and therefore not under the points system. A judge can still assess whether an anti-squat arrangement is actually a rental agreement, in which case the points system applies after all.

How long does a Huurcommissie procedure take?

On average 12 to 16 weeks from submission to ruling. In complex cases (with an on-site inspector) up to 20 weeks. During the procedure you continue paying the current rent.

Can my landlord raise the rent later?

An annual rent increase is always possible within legal maxima, including after a rent reduction. A rent increase above the points maximum is not possible while you stay in the same home.

What if the Huurcommissie rules in my favour but the landlord refuses to reduce?

A Huurcommissie ruling is binding unless one of the parties appeals to court within eight weeks. If the landlord does not, they must pay. If they refuse, you can directly offset the overpayment against future rent.

Do I need a lawyer for a rent price check?

No. The Huurcommissie procedure is deliberately accessible for consumers. You do not need a lawyer and communication is mostly written. A local tenants' team or Het Juridisch Loket can review your wording for free.