How to calculate a fair rent for your hospita room (2026)

Asking a fair rent seems straightforward, but in practice it is confusing. One website says €450, another €600, your neighbour charges €700, your colleague pays €380. Who is right? The answer lies in an underrated instrument: the points system.

In this article we walk step by step through the Dutch Housing Valuation System for non-self-contained living space (WWS). We show what counts, what doesn't, and how to combine the legal maximum with the room rental tax exemption. By the end you'll know how to choose a price that is legally defensible, fiscally smart and fair to your tenant.

A note on terminology: "hospita" is a Dutch term for a homeowner who rents out a room in their own home while continuing to live there. The points system discussed here applies to rooms with shared facilities, which is almost always the case with hospita rental.

How does the points system (WWS) work for non-self-contained rental?

The Housing Valuation System (in Dutch: Woningwaarderingsstelsel, or WWS) is the official Dutch instrument for determining the maximum permitted rent of a home. For self-contained homes (an entire home, with own kitchen, bathroom and toilet) and for non-self-contained living space (a room with shared facilities) there are two different systems. For hospita rental, the second is relevant.

The system works with points. Every characteristic of the room (and partly of the home) is assigned points, which you add up to a total score. Each score is linked to a maximum monthly base rent. The table of points and corresponding rents is updated annually.

A room always falls under these rules, whatever the number of points. The limits you may have read about (143 and 186 points) only apply to self-contained homes. If you ask a higher rent than the points maximum, your tenant can have the starting rent assessed by the Huurcommissie (the Dutch rent tribunal) within 6 months of the start date of the tenancy. The Huurcommissie can then bring the rent back to the points maximum, from the start of the contract.

Our English guide to the housing points system explains the system from the tenant's side, including how the points translate into a maximum rent.

What counts in the points calculation?

The points calculation for non-self-contained living space consists of a number of main components.

1. Surface area of the room

The biggest source of points. The square metres of the own room are measured as usable floor area (NEN 2580), so the floor you can actually walk on, not the gross area. A dormer with insufficient height or a nook you cannot use does not count.

2. Facilities in the room

Facilities in the room itself earn extra points, for example:

• A washbasin with hot water
• An own toilet (rare with hospita rental)
• An own shower or bath (rare with hospita rental)
• Own kitchen facilities (rare with hospita rental)

With ordinary hospita rental the tenant almost always shares kitchen and bathroom with the hospita. A washbasin in the room is fairly common.

3. Heating

Proper heating in the room counts. No heating at all costs you points, and your tenant is cold in winter.

4. Energy label of the home

The energy performance of the home also affects the points. A better label means more points; a poor label means few. Without a valid energy label you may end up with fewer points than your home deserves, so a valid label can pay off if your home is energy-efficient.

5. Common areas

With hospita rental you share kitchen, bathroom and often living room with your tenant. The points system distributes the value of those spaces across the people who share them. The more residents share the kitchen, the smaller each person's share of its points.

6. Outdoor space

A garden, balcony or roof terrace can also count, distributed across the residents who may use it.

7. Other items

A few smaller items related to the home can add points as well.

What does not count: the WOZ value

For self-contained homes, the WOZ value (the official property value set by the municipality) earns points. For a room, it plays no role. So an expensive house in a popular neighbourhood does not automatically mean a higher maximum rent for the room. If a calculator asks you for the WOZ value, you are probably using a tool for self-contained homes.

What does this mean in practice?

The points system looks at the room and the home, not at popularity or postcode. That leads to outcomes that surprise many hospitas:

• A small room in a popular Amsterdam neighbourhood can have a lower maximum rent than you would expect from the advertisements around you. Lots of interest from candidates does not change the maximum.
• A spacious room with good facilities in a city like Utrecht or Groningen can come out higher than a small room in Amsterdam, because surface area and quality weigh more heavily than location.
• An energy-efficient home with a valid label scores better than a comparable home with a poor label.

Because the amounts per point are adjusted every year, we don't give example rents here. Use the current table via the Huurcommissie's rent check, and see our step-by-step guide on counting points as a landlord.

Service costs come on top of the base rent. You may charge a separate fee for utilities (gas, water, electricity, internet), provided it is reasonable, specified and without profit. Keep in mind that for the tax exemption, everything you receive from your tenant counts, including service costs.

What did the 2024 Affordable Rent Act change?

Rooms were already regulated before 1 July 2024: a tenant could have the rent assessed by the Huurcommissie. But in practice many landlords simply asked what the market would bear. Since the Affordable Rent Act the rules are taken more seriously.

The key changes for hospitas:

1. The points maximum is binding

If you charge more than the points maximum, the rent can be brought back to the maximum from the start date of the contract. That means you may have to repay a substantial amount of rent.

2. Municipalities can enforce

Municipalities can also act on rents that are too high, not only after a tenant complaint, and can impose fines. For a hospita with one tenant the main risk is having to repay rent and lowering it going forward, but it is a reason to check your rent in advance.

3. Put it in writing

It is sensible to record in the contract which points total you calculated and what the corresponding maximum rent is. It shows you checked the rent and prevents discussion later.

For most hospitas, little changes in practice, provided you stick to the rules.

How do you combine the points maximum with the room rental tax exemption?

Here comes the strategic puzzle piece. Two ceilings to keep in mind:

1. The points maximum, that is the legal upper bound of what you can ask.
2. The room rental tax exemption of €6,633 per year in 2026 (about €552 per month, including service costs), that is the fiscally smartest ceiling.

What if these two ceilings differ? Three scenarios:

Scenario A: points maximum lower than the exemption. Ask at most the points maximum. You sit comfortably below the fiscal threshold and all rent is tax-free.

Scenario B: points maximum close to the exemption. The fiscal optimum and the legal upper bound almost coincide. Ask at or just below the lower of the two.

Scenario C: points maximum higher than the exemption. Here a dilemma arises. If your total goes over €6,633 per year, the exemption falls away completely and your rental income becomes taxable in box 1. Staying just under the threshold often leaves you with more net than asking somewhat more. Read the room rental tax exemption explained for how this works.

The practical rule: the points maximum is a legal ceiling; the €6,633 is your fiscal optimum. If the points maximum sits above the exemption, the exemption threshold is often the smarter choice, unless the extra rent still pays off after tax in your situation.

How do you check your points in practice?

In the past you had to look everything up in tables yourself, and a mistake was easy. Today it is simpler:

1. Measure the usable floor area of the room.
2. List the facilities in the room (washbasin, own toilet, and so on).
3. Look up the energy label of your home.
4. Count how many residents share the kitchen, bathroom and other common areas.
5. Enter everything in the Huurcommissie's rent check for rooms.

The result gives you the points total and the corresponding maximum base rent for the current year. Save a copy with your contract. For everything else you need to arrange as a hospita, see our complete guide to renting out a room as a hospita.

Frequently asked questions

Can I round the points-based rent up?

No, the points maximum is a hard upper limit. Even a few euros above it is technically a violation and can be brought back via the Huurcommissie. In practice nobody will fight over €5, but legally you must stay at or below the maximum.

What if the points maximum is below what similar rooms are advertised for?

That can happen in cities like Amsterdam: a small room can have a points maximum well below the asking prices you see in listings. Legally you cannot ask more than the maximum. You can ask a reasonable fee for utilities, internet and services on top of the base rent, provided you can substantiate those costs.

Can I raise the rent annually up to the new points maximum?

Yes, observing the statutory maximum annual increase that the government publishes every year (verify on rijksoverheid.nl). Within that, you may raise the rent, but never above the points maximum. Send your tenant a written announcement at least two months in advance.

My tenant says the rent is too high, what do I do?

Ask for the points calculation, or make one yourself with the Huurcommissie's rent check. If it shows that the points maximum sits below your rent, talk with your tenant before they go to the Huurcommissie. A reduction by mutual agreement is always friendlier than a ruling that applies from the start date.

Do I have a points maximum with short stay too?

Yes. A room always falls under the rent rules, so the points maximum applies regardless of how long someone stays. Short stay without BRP registration also means the room rental tax exemption does not apply, and the rental income becomes taxable. For most hospitas, a longer tenancy with a registered tenant is therefore more attractive. Read the hospita regulation explained for the other rules.

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