First step is to gain permission from all relevant parties before renting out your property. This usually means: Your bank or mortgage lender. VvE, Co-owners, Insurance. We don’t check if you obtain the correct permissions. We only require you to confirm you have permission. We do help with meeting any required conditions such as adding articles to lease contract and sharing VvE rules with the tenant. Learn more»

If you are going to sell or rent out your house, the energy label is mandatory. An energy label shows how energy efficient your home is. The energy label can be beneficial for your final sale or rental price. Read more»

Yes, you can adjust the basic rent every 12 months. The amount is usually based on inflation and recent governmental regulations. We can always assist with determining the right amount. Additionally, with free sector properties, you can increase whenever you make major improvements to property.

You can trust us to take care of this for you. For your info:

• Tenant must be informed in writing about the increase
• Notice should be provided at least 2 months before the increase takes effect
• The old and new basic rent must be mentioned
• The percentage by which the rent is increased must be stated
• The date of which the increase takes effect must be mentioned
• The tenant must be aware they can object to the increase

Reasonable increase will usually cause no problem if the rules are followed.

In almost all cases, a tenant wants to register in the house where they will be living. It is also mandatory to register with the municipality in the place where you actually live, or you risk receiving a fine.
We do see, however, that with short-term rentals, with rental periods shorter than 3 months, there is sometimes no registration.

The landlord would always need to provide the tenant with written consent to sublet. The rental agreement clearly states this to avoid any confusion. Subletting via Airbnb is strictly prohibited. If a tenant does not comply with the agreement, then there is illegal subletting and therefore non-performance (wanprestatie). Non-performance will lead to dissolution of the rental agreement and claim of compensation for the damage suffered.

We work on a no cure, no pay basis. For single property owners: Brokerage fee is 8% of the monthly rent. This is limited to the first 12 months of rental with no extra costs beyond this period. For multiple property owners: Brokerage fee is negotiable and depends on the number of properties. All fees exclude BTW / VAT. We charge no extra costs for contracts, marketing or initial valuation. Also, good to know we charge no agency fee to the tenant. We solely represent the landlord.

We specialize in providing expat tenants for rental properties located in and around Amsterdam. Common employment sectors include:

> Finance, banking and accountancy > IT and information services > Advertising, marketing and PR > Science and pharma > Energy and utilities > Business, consulting and management > Environment and agriculture > Engineering and manufacturing > Media and publishing > Law > Retail and sales > Recruitment and HR

More about renting to expats»

Candidate tenants cannot simply qualify for a rental property. In order to have a pleasant rental period for both tenant and landlord, Zen Home Rentals carries out an extensive screening. This minimizes the chance of problems with rent payments.

The screening consists of:

• Requesting a recently signed employment contract or employer’s statement
• Requesting three recent payslips, and proof of receipt of the relevant salary payments
• Checking the financial, legal background, Wwft and creditworthiness of the candidate tenant at the BKR and EDR
• Checking the validity and authenticity of the proof of identity, via Keesing.
• Calling the candidate’s employer

In addition to these “hard” checks, we look at how the candidate comes across in communication from the first contact. If it doesn’t feel right, you can choose to look further.

We usually go with 2 months’ rent as deposit. This will be transferred directly to your account and stay in your possession until the time of refund after check out is processed. Monthly rent will also be transferred directly to your account.

No, that is not always the case, this depends on a number of factors. For example, with mid-term rentals, with rental periods around 1 year, we often see that the rental is furnished. With longer rental periods, 2 years or longer, renters prefer to rents a house or apartment in an unfurnished condition. We see a ratio in which approximately 30% of the living spaces rented out by us are unfurnished and the remaining 70% are furnished.

The property should be handed over in a (deep) clean condition and free of defects. The importance of a well-maintained property is of major importance when renting to an expat. They pay a good rent and should expect a good service in return. We also recommend freeing the property of any personal items along with anything that might be considered of sentimental value.

Our advice to the tenant is to always deliver the property in the same condition as at the check-in. The tenant is obliged to do so as per the rental agreement. Our inspection report will also be able to identify any differences from check-in and checkout condition.

This will be determined to be from wear and tear or through negligence. Generally, wear and tear would be considered a cost for the landlord. Defects due to the tenant’s negligence would then be their responsibility. Any costs relating to negligence will be deducted from the deposit.

We use an asking price excluding gas, water, electricity, tv, internet and local taxes (AFV & Waterschapsbelasting apply to the tenant). All other amounts including VVE, service costs, furniture rental, OZV, Rioolheffing etc is included within the asking price.

We aim for all utilities such as gas, water, electricity, tv and internet to be in the tenant’s name. However, sometimes this is not possible if a company is renting for employees, for example.

When such bills need to be included, the utilities are separated from basic rent in the rental agreement. Each amount is then specified and recalculated based on the actual usage.

The landlord receives taxes as property owner such as OZB and Rioolheffing. This will continue to be your responsibility.

The tenant should receive AFV and Waterschapsbelasting directly from the Gemeente and Waternet. This will be their responsibility. If the landlord pays these amounts, the rental agreement will have an article referring to this and the appropriate action to take afterwards.

You can find more info on the 2022 rates for taxes here.

Since 1 July 2024, all new tenants will in principle immediately receive a permanent contract. Only in a number of specific situations may you offer someone a fixed-term rental contract.

With temporary contracts notice periods for tenants differ from the period set for the landlord.
A notice period of at least one month and a maximum of three months applies to tenants. This depends on the payment term of the rent.

This means that if the rent is paid per month, a notice period of one month applies, equal to the payment term. The above-mentioned notice period applies to independent living spaces, but also to non-independent living spaces (onzelfstandige woonruimtes). It is important that when there is a minimum rental period in the rental contract, tenants receive rent protection. In this case, the landlord cannot simply cancel.

The landlord must still provide from 1 to 3 months notice of termination even if a definite end date is mentioned in the rental agreement. Otherwise, the rental agreement will automatically extend and become indefinite rental agreement.

As landlord, you must abide by the rules if you seek to achieve termination:

• Notice must be given 3 months in advance. Another month is added for each year the tenant rents the property up to a maximum of 6 months
• Notice should be given by registered letter. Co-tenants must each receive a letter
• Letter needs to provide a reason permitted by law
• Letter must ask the tenant and co-tenant to confirm if they agree to the termination in writing. The lease can only be termination if written confirmation is provided

Generally, the landlord’s needs must outweigh the tenant’s needs to achieve termination and the tenant must be provided with adequate alternative housing. If the lease is terminated due to renovation or demolition, the landlord must cover any possible relocation fees.

In this case the landlord can go to court after 6 weeks. The court will rule on the legality of the termination and give a date for vacating the property when ruled in the landlord’s favour.

The rental agreement can be terminated without a notice period if a tenant’s behaviour justifies termination. This would usually require the tenant to either be in default of the agreement, a number of months behind in payments, a serious nuisance or inadequate in meeting their obligations. With this situation, the landlord can bring their situation before the court to determine if termination is justified.

The rental agreement will always continue even if the property is sold to a new owner. The new owner must also respect the legal rules for termination.