Renting out a room as a hospita: complete guide 2026

Hospita rental is one of the oldest and most practical forms of housing in the Netherlands. You have a spare room, you share your kitchen and bathroom with a tenant, and both of you benefit: you earn extra income and gain some life around the house, your tenant finds an affordable roof over their head. In a country with a housing crisis, that is not a small thing.

But the rules are not always clear. How much can you charge in rent? What about taxes? Do you need a contract and what should it contain? And perhaps the most important question: what do you do if the match doesn't work out?

In this guide we walk through everything you need to know before you welcome your first hospita tenant. From the legal foundation to the 5-step checklist you can run through today. We write this for homeowners as well as for primary tenants who have permission from their landlord, because hospita rental is open to both groups.

What exactly is hospita rental?

Hospita rental is the renting out of a non-self-contained living space (a room) in the property where the landlord lives and has their main residence. The crucial words are lives there yourself: you remain the primary occupant, and your tenant gets a room plus shared use of the common areas (kitchen, bathroom, living room).

That distinguishes hospita rental from regular room rental. With ordinary room rental, several tenants live on equal terms in a house that the landlord does not occupy. With hospita rental there is always a hospita (or hospes, the masculine equivalent, though "hospita" is now used in a gender-neutral way) who lives in the house themselves.

Legally this is set out in Article 7:232 paragraph 3 of the Dutch Civil Code. That provision gives hospita rental a special status: during the first 9 months there is no rent protection. After that there is, at which point the relationship tips over into an ordinary tenancy. That trial period is the heart of the hospita arrangement and we dive deeper into it below.

Who can offer hospita rental? Three groups:

• Homeowners with their own home where they live themselves.
• Primary tenants with explicit written permission from their landlord or homeowner (without that permission you are committing illegal subletting and risk losing your own contract).
• Owners' association (VvE) members as long as the deed of division allows it, for apartments, always check.

Can a hospita simply terminate during the trial period?

Yes, that's precisely why hospita rental exists. During the first 9 months of the contract your tenant has no rent protection. That means you, as the hospita, can terminate without a statutory ground for termination, observing a notice period of one month. The tenant can also give one month's notice, that balance applies both ways.

Why is it set up this way? The legislator understood that living together with a stranger is an experiment. If the match doesn't work, you shouldn't be stuck. A landlord of an apartment can sometimes be unable to remove a tenant for ten years; with hospita rental that can be unwound in nine months. That lowers the barrier to renting out at all, and that is good for the housing market.

But beware: after those 9 months your hospita contract automatically becomes an ordinary tenancy with full rent protection. You can then no longer simply terminate. For many hospitas that is a useful incentive to pay close attention during the early months as to whether the match works. Having doubts in month seven? Talk about it. Really not working? Give notice before month nine.

Important to know: the trial period applies only if the hospita continues to live in the property. If you move out during the term, the hospita status lapses and the contract immediately tips over into a regular tenancy. The 9 months are not negotiable or extendable.

How much can you earn without paying tax?

In 2026 the room rental tax exemption is €6,633 per year. If you stay below that amount, you do not have to pay income tax on your hospita income, and you keep your full right to mortgage interest deduction on your own home. That is a unique tax benefit that makes hospita rental attractive to homeowners.

The conditions are strict:

• The room must be in your own home, where you live yourself.
• You and the tenant must both be registered at the address in the Dutch Personal Records Database (BRP).
• The total rent (including any contribution towards gas, water, electricity and internet) stays below the annual threshold.
• It must not be short-term rental, short stay does not fall under the scheme.

Let's do the math. If you rent out for €450 per month including utilities, you arrive at €5,400 per year. Comfortably below the threshold, so tax-free. If you rent out for €600 per month, you sit at €7,200, above the threshold. Then everything is taxed, not just the part above €6,633. That is the painful kink in the scheme: one euro too many means full tax liability.

Our article on the Dutch room rental tax exemption 2026 contains three full worked examples, including the impact on your mortgage interest deduction. Read it before you set your rent, the choice between €550 and €600 per month can save or cost you hundreds of euros per year.

How do you set a fair rent for a hospita room?

For non-self-contained living space (and a hospita room falls under that category) there is a points system: the Housing Valuation System for non-self-contained living space (in Dutch: WWS-onzelfstandig). That points system determines the maximum permitted rent for your room based on objective characteristics.

What counts?

• Surface area of the room (in m²)
• Facilities in the room (own washbasin, own toilet, etc.)
• Heating (central heating or not)
• Energy label of the home
• WOZ value (the municipal property valuation) of the property
• Common areas (kitchen, bathroom, living room)

Since the Affordable Rent Act of 1 July 2024, the points system has become mandatory for non-self-contained rental up to a certain points total. If you charge more than the maximum points-based rent, your tenant can have the price reduced via the Rent Tribunal (Huurcommissie), with retroactive effect. That is not a theoretical risk; the Rent Tribunal takes these cases seriously.

Want to know what your room comes out at? Our free rent calculator does the calculation for you. You enter a few characteristics and you immediately see the maximum price under the WWS, no account needed. We also have an extensive article on fair rent calculation for a hospita room with three concrete examples for Amsterdam, Utrecht and Groningen.

A few rules of thumb for 2026:

• A 12 m² room in a terraced house with central heating and label C often comes out around €380–€480.
• Facilities in the room (washbasin, own toilet) add up significantly.
• The WOZ value of the property pushes the price up in cities with expensive houses.

Which 5 steps do you go through before welcoming your first tenant?

Hospita rental looks simple, spare room, someone moves in, but every skipped step comes back to bite you later. This is the minimum path.

Step 1: Prepare the room

A hospita room doesn't have to be luxurious, but it does have to be rental-ready. Cleaning, small repairs, making sure the lock works, a clean mattress or bed frame (furnished rental is common in the Netherlands for hospita rooms). Read our article on the difference between furnished and semi-furnished rental, it has tax implications.

Document the condition of the room. Take photos of every wall, the ceiling, the floor. In a dispute over damage at the end of the rental, that is your evidence. Add the date.

Step 2: Set your price and house rules

Calculate the maximum rent via the points system (see above). Decide whether you rent out inclusive or exclusive of utilities, both are possible, but be consistent. Also consider whether you charge service costs (cleaning of common areas, internet, insurance).

Write down your house rules. Not as a legal document, but as clear agreements: use of the kitchen, shower times, visitors, noise, cleaning, energy-conscious behaviour. Our guide on drafting hospita house rules has a template you can use immediately.

Step 3: Advertise the room

You have several channels:

• Huismaatje, free listing, you see all replies on your dashboard, no subscriptions.
• Kamernet or Kamer.nl, paid platforms with high volume, but a reaction lottery.
• Local Facebook groups, free, but plenty of scammers and ghost replies.
• Word of mouth, sometimes the best route, especially for quiet student rooms.

Write an honest advertisement. Photos of the room (not just the bed, also the view and the details), a text about who you are, what kind of housemate you're looking for and what the household looks like. Be specific: "I work from home on Mondays and Fridays, the house is quiet then" says more than "calm tenant wanted".

Step 4: Screen the candidates

Replies will pour in, and not all of them serious. Filter on:

• Complete profile with photo and short bio.
• Motivated message (not "Hi, can I come and view?").
• Work or study nearby, prevents logistical issues.

Schedule a brief phone or video call with your shortlist (3 to 5 people). Ten minutes is enough to feel whether there is a click. Only after that do you invite them physically.

At Huismaatje you schedule a hospita conversation directly through the platform with time slots, you don't get ten people on the doorstep at once, and candidates can immediately see when slots are still available.

Step 5: Draft the contract and handle the handover

For a hospita room a written contract is essential for the protection of both of you. What it must contain: contact details, rent, start date, notice period (one month), deposit, an explicit hospita clause (Article 7:232 paragraph 3 of the Civil Code) and house rules as an annex.

Do not use a random template from the internet. The model contract from the Woonbond (the Dutch Tenants' Union) is free, legally up-to-date and specifically written for hospita rental. Our page on the hospita contract links you directly and explains every article. Also read our in-depth article on hospita rental contract essentials.

At the handover: signing, handing over keys, completing an intake form (photos, opening readings of the meter cupboard), receiving the deposit by bank transfer (never cash). Register the tenant on the BRP address the same day or the next working day, that is mandatory for the room rental tax exemption.

What are the upsides and pitfalls of hospita rental?

We don't pretend hospita rental is all sunshine. Here is the honest balance.

Upsides:

• Tax-free income up to €6,633 per year (subject to conditions).
• Flexibility thanks to the 9-month trial period, you are not stuck with a mismatch.
• Social benefit, especially for those living alone or working from home all day, a housemate around the house is a welcome presence.
• Contribution to the housing shortage, every rented-out room is someone who doesn't have to sit in an attic in Diemen.

Pitfalls:

• Privacy, you share kitchen and bathroom with someone. It's not a self-contained home.
• Mismatch, sometimes it just doesn't click, and nine months of awkward coffee mornings together is no fun.
• Damage, furniture, floor, door frames, something always breaks. That's why you need a deposit and a good home contents insurance.
• Tax kink, one euro above €6,633 means full tax on the entire rent. Calculate carefully.
• Mortgage conditions, some banks have a clause in their mortgage deed about room rental. Check your deed before you start, not after.

When is hospita rental not for you?

Honestly: hospita rental is not for everyone. Skip it if:

• You are extremely attached to your privacy and daily interaction with someone in your kitchen would stress you.
• Your mortgage or rental contract doesn't allow it (and you can't get permission).
• You live in an apartment where the deed of division forbids room rental.
• You have a temporary moving situation, short stay does not fall under the hospita arrangement.

For some people renting via Airbnb or a temporary subletting structure is more suitable. But for the vast majority of homeowners in the Netherlands, hospita rental is the simplest, most tax-friendly and legally best-protected route.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to rent out as a hospita?

In most municipalities you don't, as long as you continue to live in the property and have no more than two tenants. A few large cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam) have additional rules around room rental, but hospita rental in your own home almost always falls outside the permit obligation. Always check your municipality's website under "kamerverhuur" or "hospitaverhuur".

What if my tenant doesn't want to leave after 9 months and I want to terminate?

From month nine onwards your tenant has full rent protection. You can then only terminate on a statutory ground (such as urgent personal use) and always through the courts. That is why it is crucial to make an honest evaluation before month nine: is it working or not? If you have doubts, give proper notice in month eight observing the one-month notice period.

Can I forbid my hospita tenant to receive friends?

You can set reasonable house rules around visitors (no parties after 23:00, no overnight visits without consultation, max one guest at a time), but a complete ban on visitors is unreasonable and legally hard to enforce. Discuss visitors in advance and record agreements in the house rules annex of the contract.

Can I refuse to register my tenant at the BRP address?

No, you may not. Everyone has the right to register at the address where they actually live. Moreover: without BRP registration of the tenant, the room rental tax exemption does not apply, and you miss out on your tax benefit. Help your tenant register within five working days of the move-in date.

What if I live in a rental and want to sublet as a hospita?

That is possible, but only with written permission from your landlord. Without that permission you are committing illegal subletting and you risk termination of your own contract. With social housing, permission is often hard to obtain; with private-sector rental sometimes possible. Ask politely by email and keep the answer.

List your hospita room calmly on Huismaatje

Looking to rent out your room as a hospita without Kamernet pricing or aggressive invitations? On Huismaatje you list your room for free, plan a viewing night with time slots and pick your housemate at your own pace. List your room →