In this post, we talk about all the housing terms which you might have come across while trying to find a rental place for yourself. But before reading more, we highly recommend you to watch our previous YouTube video or read our last post where we explore the various housing options. If you have already seen/read that then, by all means, keep going.
It is a brave decision to move to a different country and begin a new life for yourself. In the process to achieve your dreams, you have to take care of practical matters like finances, housing and so much more. We are here to help you with some of those matters. In this post, we will try to help you understand the meaning of different terms associated with finding a rental place.
Registration
When you are here in the Netherlands renting a property for more than four months, then you need to register with the town hall. It's a mandatory official procedure that you have to follow. Everyone living here, it doesn't matter if you are a European or non-European resident, has to register themselves with the local government authorities. We would recommend that you should register yourself within 5 days of landing here.
But if for some reason you were not able to find a permanent place for yourself, then you can speak to the authorities, explain your situation. In this case, they will, of course, allow you to stay in the country but will advise you to complete the registration formalities within a set period. Do not take this one casually if you do not want any trouble. Find a rental place with an authentic contract and be done with this process.
Remaining unregistered or registering at the wrong address is not permitted. If found guilty then you might have to pay a fine of up to 325 euros or you might also get deported. If you decide to share accommodation with a colleague as we do, make sure that both of your names appear on the lease contract. This is for your own protection because in case your roommate decides to leave, you will still have the right to stay in the apartment.
Sublet
This is the most common term out there. You must have come across posts where people are "subletting" their apartment for a short period but you would also have noticed this phrase in each of these posts which says "registration not possible".
So what does this mean? Sublet means that a person who is renting a place is sub-renting this place to another individual. For example, say Saurabh rents this apartment, and Harshil is a newbie in town. Saurabh decides to go away on a two month Euro trip in his summer break. What he will do is, he will sublet her this place. Harshil will pay him the rent that he asks for and will then live in his apartment.
Now here is the catch, subletting is legal only if your contract says so. Saurabh is only allowed to sublet his place only if his landlord has agreed to it in the contract. In this case, you will again have to register with the local government authorities.
Correspondence Address
This term is not the most common but it will surely help those in need. This is the one term that will allow you to safely live in the country until you find some stable ground. Say you did not find a rental place or a place that allows the tenant to sublet the place legally, then you are left with this option. You can register with the local authorities using a correspondence address. It is usually a temporary address where you are currently staying. The authorities will use this address to perform their administrative duties.
Make sure that the address is authentic and the local authorities can locate it and that the owner of this place knows that you are staying here.
Housing Allowance
So how much are rent are you paying again? 700euros? 800 euros? Do you know that if you satisfy some government conditions then you can get a subsidy as a housing allowance? The European government ensures that if you are a student here or someone with low earning then your housing needs are covered.
You can apply for a housing allowance if you are above 18 years of age and have a valid residence permit. Once you file for an allowance you will receive a letter from the authorities asking you for proof of rent and rent payments. Submit these proofs and in some time you will start receiving your allowance.
We cannot thank the authorities enough for this help that they provide. It is good to receive more than 300 euros back. It almost covers your grocery and transport expenses for a month. For this step, it is an absolute mandate that you are registered with the town hall. Thus, plan everything carefully while looking for a rental place.
Rental Contracts
There are two types of rental contracts that you can explore: short stay contract also sometimes known as student contract and regular contract.
Short Stay contract is something that you can go for if you will be staying at a place for 6 months or for a maximum of one year. This is what the student companies offer when they give you a place to stay. In this contract, you are allowed to stay at that place for a fixed period of time. This contract cannot be extended and will have a date of termination.
Regular Contracts do not have a termination date but it specifies the minimum period before which you or the tenant can terminate the contract. For example, if Saurabh is looking for a regular contract then it will have a clause which states that he is not allowed to terminate the contract before a period of 6 months or 12 months. Students are usually not offered these.
Every rental place comes with an advance payment of a deposit, this will again be mentioned in the contract documents. Usually, the deposit equals rent of one or two months.
If you sign a rental contract with your landlord, please beware that it will be in Dutch. Thus, non-Dutch people should translate it into their preferred language and look for some key points before signing it. We have made a checklist of these key points. You can find a printable pdf right at the end of this post. Make sure that you check every box before signing the contract. Also keep in mind that any rental contract, regular or short stay, can be terminated by the landlord if there are legal grounds for termination.
Furnished / Unfurnished
Now we recommend to every newcomer that they go for a furnished place if they can afford it. We agree that these places are pricy compared to the unfurnished place but it comes with daily utilities like a refrigerator, microwave, kitchen, and bedroom necessities. Think about it, if you go for an unfurnished place then you will have to spend extra money on these necessities which include things like a bed, a table, a chair and so much more to make it habitable. And if you are in a short stay contract which as we said before cannot be extended then you will have to move around with these heavy items. And what if the second apartment that you get is already furnished? Thus, it is always advisable to go for a furnished, also known as an upholstered, place. The pricy rent will always be less when compared to the other expenditures you will make in an unfurnished place.
Service Charges
We already described the utilities in the previous section. Service charges cover the cost of electricity, water usage, internet services, etc. Service and utility charges are usually a part of your rent. Thus, your rental breakdown will have at least three sections which will tell you the amount of basic rent, utilities, and service charges.
Scams
As a newcomer, you are very much prone to getting scammed. There are many individuals out there who build a fake listing profile on housing websites to extort money out of people. These scammers are not easy to identify, their rental pictures will look legit, their owner profile will look legit and the contract which they will send you will also look legit. Thus, check everything before you pay that advance deposit amount. Our previous post covers this topic in detail. Please check that out for more information.
Viewing
Whenever a landlord decides to rent out his/her place, they usually like to organize house viewings. They invite all the prospective tenants to the place which is up for rent and like to interact and get to know them. They then finalize a tenant and rent out their place. So how to be present for a viewing if you are not in a country? We answer this in our previous post. You can find people who are willing to help you. They can visit these viewings instead of you and then give you a video call so that the homeowners can get to know you better.
Government Taxes
As a tenant, you are obliged to pay various government taxes. These include garbage collection tax and sewage tax. The tax prices can be up to 100 euros per month. Usually, you have to pay for these charges once a year. But you can opt for a monthly payment option after speaking to the government authorities.
And that was the post guys. We tried to cover-up as many points as possible and in as many details as possible. Let us know if we missed something, any questions that you might have or future blog requests. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
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Printable Checklist
Make sure that you check every box before signing the contract.
