Hi guys,

I am about to buy a house in the Netherlands built in the 2000s with an energy rating of A. The house has three floors and is about 120 m2. It has a central gas boiler that was installed when the house was built, so it is about time to replace it.

My hope was to use this as an opportunity to make the house fully electric with a heat pump and an induction hob. But then I learned that this house has a 1x25A connection, which I can upgrade to a 1x35A connection, but anything above that is going to put me on a waiting list.

So... has anyone gone fully electric with a 1x35A connection? What heat pump and induction hob do you have? My guess is that the induction hob is not really a problem since I most likely won't be using its full capacity, but my main concern is the heat pump.

Should I give up on this goal, or is it still manageable with some precautions? In case it helps, I also plan to install underfloor heating once I have the house.

Hi everyone,
I’m currently dealing with a huge headache trying to get a briefadres (postal address) and I really need advice from anyone who has dealt with this recently.
I found a friend who agreed to be my postal address provider, which I thought was the hardest part. However, the municipality just put my application on hold and sent me an email saying they cannot process it unless I provide the exact addresses of where I will be staying for the next 3 months, the average number of days per week/month at each place (or proof of payment for hotels/hostels).

The problem is: I genuinely DO NOT KNOW where I’ll be sleeping for the next 3 months.

Right now, I'm crashing on a friend's couch until the end of October. After that, my situation is completely unpredictable. Maybe I’ll stay on this couch a bit longer, maybe another friend will let me crash at their place for a while. I literally live week to week depending on who has space and is willing to let me stay while I look for a permanent room.

I’ve searched this sub and read multiple posts from a few months ago where people said "just tell them you’re housing insecure and staying with various friends." Well, that clearly doesn't work anymore. They explicitly wrote that without specific addresses and average days per week/month, they simply won't assess my application.

I'm also terrified of shooting myself in the foot: if I write that I'm staying most of the time at one friend's place, they'll reject the briefadres and tell me I have to register there as a normal resident (which I obviously can't do, otherwise I wouldn't be applying for a postal address in the first place).

How the hell are you supposed to give a 3-month schedule of couches when you're literally couchsurfing and don't know where you'll be in two weeks? Has anyone received this exact follow-up email from the Gemeente recently? How did you answer without getting rejected or getting your friends in trouble?

Hello everyone! I'm Stefan Mulder, one of the founders and moderators of the community called WoningHulpNederland.

This is our new home for everything related to finding a rental property in the Netherlands. We're happy to have you here!

Finding a rental home in the Netherlands is anything but easy these days. Long waiting lists, high rental prices, and intense competition make it incredibly challenging for many people.

That's exactly why WoningHulpNederland was created: a community where people help each other find a place to call home!

💬 Ask questions and share your experiences.

🏠 Discover useful tips and advice to improve your chances of finding a rental home.

📢 Stay up to date with the latest news and developments in the Dutch rental market.

🤝 Help others by sharing your knowledge, experiences, and valuable insights.

Whether you're urgently looking for a home, have been on a waiting list for years, or simply want to help others, everyone is welcome!

Together, we can share knowledge, support each other, and make the search for a home a little easier.

What You Can Post

Feel free to share anything you think the community might find interesting, helpful, or inspiring. Whether it's advice, personal experiences, photos, questions, housing opportunities, or news about renting in the Netherlands, we'd love to hear from you!

Our Community Atmosphere

We believe in creating a friendly, supportive, and inclusive environment. Let's build a community where everyone feels comfortable asking questions, sharing experiences, and connecting with others.

Let's Get Started!

1. Introduce yourself in the comments below! Tell us a little about yourself and where you're looking for a home.
2. Make your first post! Even a simple question can spark a great conversation.
3. Invite others! Know someone who's looking for a rental home or might have useful advice to share? Invite them to join!
4. Want to help out? We're always looking for new moderators! Feel free to reach out if you're interested in joining the team.

Thank you for being one of our very first members.

I seriously wonder how people are even managing to find a home these days. Social housing often comes with years of waiting, private rentals are ridiculously expensive, and buying a house seems almost impossible for most first-time buyers.

I'm genuinely curious how everyone else is dealing with this. Are you currently renting, buying, or still looking? And how long have you been searching?

I'd especially love to hear from people who have actually managed to find a place recently. How did you do it?

I just got hit with the ice bucket of realization how bad the housing/rental situation is in this country.

Today, I met all my neighbors because we all gathered due to a security issue in our building. 6 units, 3 up and 3 down. Fully furnished and rent is all inclusive (utilities). I'm the recent tenant (moved in 3 months ago) and the others have lived in the building average 3yrs. We got into sharing how much we're paying for rent. The tenants above (90 sqm) are currently paying average around 1400€ per month meanwhile here I am paying 1750€ for one of the 50 sqm down below. The other 2 50sqm tenants pays are around 1200€.

It made me sad how tough the housing market is right now. But I do realize how lucky I am to have found a place in Rotterdam and very convenient in terms of commuting to work. Even though the combi oven doesnt work and some noisy upstairs and side neighbors 😅

I can't complain but rent's going to increase next year - I cry 😭 belt needs to be tighter or I need to find another place (which I doubt I could considering what the average rental prices are now)

Just sharing! Don't shoot please 🥺

I placed a bid for a house for 500k and my offer was accepted. I'm about to sign the purchase agreement and asked for a second viewing to sign of the contract with a good feeling and was denied a second viewing during the 3 day cool off period. That doesn't give me a good feeling about signing the contract for more than half a million euros.

Is it normal that a second viewing gets denied? Any perspectives?

Hey guys so I’m going to the Netherlands in a few weeks and plan to stay till around January. Late November-early December I have to keep a dog with me and I was wondering if I should tell the landlord that? As during the first week or two, I won’t have an animal in the house and I’ve heard it’s best not to say anything? I’d only be staying for a month and a half with the dog until I fly back to my home country with it.

So Im in the process of selling my home, the add is on funda and the real estate agent put in on ther FB/Insta, but I feel that the reach is rather limited.

What suggestions do you have for places where I could share the funda add?

Thanks in advance

I live in Utrecht with my Dutch husband and absolutely love it here. We have been renting for the past years and finally decided to buy our first home. Everyone talked about how hard it is to find a place in Utrecht, how they overbid 20% and lost it etc. so I was thinking it would take us some time. We searched for a few weeks via funda and went to a couple viewings but were not impressed. Finally we put our first bid last week. We did not work with a makelaar - we did our research via Kadaster, house valuation websites etc.

Then last week we went to a viewing and we really liked the place. It was put on sale for a lower price and the selling agent shared that they are expecting around 12-18% overbidding. We checked similar places sold recently via Kadaster, and offered 15% more than the selling price. A few hours after the deadline, the agent called us and told that our bid was accepted.

As we both never bought a house before, this made us a bit... shocked? There was quite a lot of interest to the house, so we expected the competition would be high and we might lose this one but still wanted to try our chance. Now I am wondering if we were too generous with our offer. I keep searching for more data, go to different valuation websites which shows different valuations, compare with more and more homes and can't help but think we could have offered like 10K less. That 10K makes almost no diffference for a 30-year mortgage, and we are well within our budget. We are getting wayyyy les than our maximum mortgage budget. But now I just worry that we are overpaying, there are defects we could not see because we never bought a house before, and this will be more costly than we tought. I know it is stupid but I feel like we are being scammed as our first offer got accepted that easily. On the other hand, for the location and as the house is ready to move in, people are telling that 15% overbidding is normal. And we still have inspection and valuation clause for the purchase.

Anyone had similar feelings when they bought their first home? How to calm myself down and actually enjoy this process?

I recently received a housing offer with DUWO through ROOM. I submitted my documents, and today I was sent a tenancy agreement and my first invoice. Neither document mentioned any security deposit, and only asked me for the first month's rent. I was surprised at this as when I tried to find information on the deposit online, many people said that DUWO requires a few months rent upfront.
Does this mean I don't have to pay any security deposit? Or once I sign the agreement, is there a chance I'll get another invoice asking for a hefty sum? I'm in a bit of a tight financial situation right now, so the amount I'd need to pay upfront would be a deciding factor in whether or not I proceed with renting the room.

I have just submitted all my documents for my application today now just waiting for them to do the final review (related question, how long do they normally take to make a decision?).

I currently live in my apartment which is for sale and will probably not transfer ownership until February. The lease would start however on 1 November. I understand that during this time I will have to pay the rent in addition to my mortgage but I would prefer not to deregister at my current address and register at the new address until my current house is sold.

Does MVGM require you to register at the address you are renting within a certain time period?

Also, my bf and I have been talking about moving in together sometime soon. Does MVGM allow to add a new tenant to the lease agreement if you are in a relationship with them? Either as a medebewoner or medehuurder.

yesterday I came home from vacation after a week and found water all over my upstairs bathroom. water had poured out of the light fixture, so much so that one of the screws holding the fixtures in place broke off. water is still leaking from the fixture. I had to turn off the breaker to prevent an electrical fire. but that breaker controls all lights in the apartment. so I’ve had no working lights since yesterday. I emailed the management company last night and called at 8am. there is no emergency number for the manager or maintenance. maintenance is only available from 8am-12pm on “working days”. When I called at 8am they said hopefully someone would call back and make an appointment. I emailed two more times since then and just told them I would be hiring an independent electrician if I don’t get a response before closing. I have no shower, no lights, and an electrical/fire hazard. How long do I need to wait for a response and would I be be able to enact my right to deduct the cost from rent? Thanks in advance

Voor een vader met kinderen zijn we dringend op zoek naar een betaalbare huurwoning in Hilvarenbeek of de nabije omgeving.

Momenteel verblijft hij in een tijdelijk onderkomen, maar dit is slechts beschikbaar tot medio juli 2027.

Zijn kinderen wonen deels bij hun moeder in Hilvarenbeek en gaan daar ook naar school. Het is daarom ontzettend belangrijk dat hij in de buurt kan blijven, zodat hij een actieve rol in hun leven kan blijven spelen.

Hij werkt in Tilburg en zoekt een stabiele woonplek waar hij ook zijn kinderen kan ontvangen.

Wat zoeken we?
📍 Hilvarenbeek of nabije omgeving
🏠 Zelfstandige huurwoning of appartement
💶 Maximaal € 1.100 huur (€ 1.550 inclusief gas, water en licht)
📅 Beschikbaar uiterlijk medio juli 2027
Het gaat hier niet alleen om een dak boven iemands hoofd, maar ook om een vader die dicht bij zijn kinderen wil blijven en aan zijn toekomst wil beginnen
Kent iemand een particuliere verhuurder, een woning die vrijkomt of een andere mogelijkheid? Alle tips zijn welkom, ook via een privébericht.
Alvast ontzettend bedankt voor het meedenken! ❤️

Tips voor crossposting zijn ook welkom uiteraard🙏🏽

Edit: ik ben benieuwd: wat is de reden van downvotes op een post als deze?
Ik hecht hier geen enkele waarde aan maar erg nieuwsgierig naar de motivatie.🤓

Title: Renovating an 1885 apartment (150 m², energy label F) — what should we prioritise with a €20k budget?
Hi everyone!
We’ve just bought an apartment in a building dating from 1885, and I’d love to hear from people who have renovated similar old Dutch properties, especially those who have improved their energy efficiency.
Some details about the property:
Built in 1885, approximately 150 m².
Last major renovation was around 1998.
Current energy label: F.
We own the top two floors of the building.
There is essentially no building next to us providing shelter, so we have quite a lot of exposure to the outside elements.
The foundations are reportedly in good condition.
The roof was renovated approximately three years ago.
There are lower ceilings on each floor, which might provide some insulation, although we don’t know what’s behind them.
The windows currently have single glazing.
We’re planning to borrow an additional €20,000 through our mortgage to improve the energy efficiency of the property. Our technical inspector recommended starting with replacing the windows and installing a few solar panels on the roof.
Our current idea is to install triple glazing on the street-facing side and double glazing at the back.
However, before committing to this plan, I’d really like to understand whether this is the best way to spend the money.
A few questions:
Windows vs insulation: Would you prioritise replacing all the single-glazed windows first, or would it make more sense to invest some of the budget in roof, wall or floor insulation as well?
Wall insulation: Given the age of the building, how can we determine whether cavity-wall insulation is possible? If it isn’t, is internal wall insulation worth considering, and what risks should we be aware of regarding moisture and condensation?
The lower ceilings: Could there be useful insulation behind them, or should we investigate what’s there before making any other decisions? Are there particular risks when insulating an old building with hidden cavities?
Solar panels: Would solar panels be a sensible investment at this stage, or should we focus on reducing heat loss first? We also need to understand whether the roof structure and any shared-building arrangements could affect installation.
Energy label: With a budget of €20,000, which combination of improvements would you prioritise to get the biggest improvement in energy efficiency and, ideally, move from label F to a better label?
What to watch out for: Are there common mistakes people make when renovating houses from the late 19th century? Anything you wish you had known before starting?
We’d like to make the property warmer and more comfortable, reduce energy bills and improve the energy label, while avoiding expensive work that needs to be redone later.
I’d particularly appreciate advice from people who have renovated a similar property in the Netherlands, or recommendations for an independent energy adviser who can help determine the best order of work.
Thanks in advance! - forgot to mention that boiler is from 2013 - I guess this also has to be done immediately

Hi everyone,

This is a burner account to stay anonymous.

I am in the process of moving, and I have already attended a few viewings.

At one of the apartments that I viewed, the landlord is asking for a deposit of 3 times the monthly rent.

I am aware that it is illegal to ask for more than 2 times the rent, and I suspect that the landlord knows this too.

According to the listing where she posted her apartment, she listed the deposit as 2 times. But in the lease agreement, it says 3 times the rent.

She says that she will refund a third of the deposit after 1 year if I request so.

My problem is that the apartment is ideal for what I'm looking for. It is located in a nice area and if it weren't for this deposit, I would sign the contract immediately.

What is your advice? I feel I should report this to some authority or other, and I know for a fact that the landlord is going to turn me down of I do so.

Hi all, looking for advice from people who have been in a similar situation. I am leaving the Netherlands and will be selling my house. As the sale will occur after I have moved out of NL, I understand that I can grant a notarial power of attorney to the buyer's appointed notary to sign the transfer deed on my behalf. I have the following questions:

1. Is there a risk that the buyer's appointed notary does not provide the possibility to sign the deed on my behalf?

2. Is the granting of notarial power of attorney done digitally, or does the notary need to mail the power of attorney to where I am, and then I will have to legalise my signature at the Dutch embassy, and then mail it back to the notary?

3. Have others here done it in another way and can share your experience?

Hello,

There is a scaled drawing of all the apartments in my building including the garden and the balcony area. According to the drawing, the balcony (that sits on the extension roof of the downstairs apartment) is clearly bigger than the other balconies with a graphic scale bar showing the distance 1-5 m which shows the exact measurements of the apartment.

However, currently the size of the first floor balcony is smaller than the plan drawing.

Now as a VvE , we need to replace the balcony decks and replace the extension roofs material. I would like to extend my balcony to the approved dimensions attached to the Kadester document.

However, the downstairs neighbor is opposing to it - with no substantial reasoning.

What course of action should I take? I already applied to Municipality to get the construction permit drawings. Even if the constitution drawings also show the same dimensions as the splitsingsakte drawings - do I need to get VVE approval to correct the dimensions?

Thank you!

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to buy a tussenwoning in the Rotterdam Alexander area (ideally near the metro/train station) and need recommendations for a solid aankoopmakelaar.

I know how the market works here, but I've already put in two bids on my own at ~6% over asking and missed out both times. I'm not looking to keep losing bids, so I want to hire an agent who knows Prins Alexander inside out and can use their NVM system access to check actual recent transaction prices to help me nail the right winning bid.

Does anyone have a strong recommendation for an agent or agency around Alexander who gets things done?

Thanks!

Dont know if here is the best place to ask for this kinda of help but anyway I bought a house last year, and everything was going well until a group of kids on fat bikes (of course) smashed the glass panel in our front door with a metal pipe.

Unfortunately, our insurance doesn't cover glass damage, and several glass companies said they could not help because it's a large panel integrated into the door. The manufacturer in Germany quoted us over €4,000 just for the replacement glass!

Does that sound like a reasonable price? At this point, I'm wondering if replacing the whole door would be cheaper. Does anyone know a company that could handle this kind of job or have any advice?

Feeling pretty lost and sad about the whole situation. Any help is appreciated!

hey guys, I have been looking for a place to rent at Rotterdam with a 25km radius for my family (2 adults 1 baby) willing to pay a commission to a realtor, and 1 bedroom 50m2 apartment will do for me. what I understand from the market even if you pay the realtor you still need to be fast, check out the listings like a full-time job. is not there a way out? are we all depending on just luck?

Hello all, I have recently purchased and moved in to a new apartment in a multi-floor building. The building has coax (ziggo) and fiber infrastructure (KPN) and my next door neighbor (and others in the building) even has both (fiber in his meterkast, coax externally on balcony). My apartment has neither.

In such cases, who is it that I should reach out to get the cables extended to my house? Is it a request to be taken by KPN/Ziggo? Because when an installer from Ziggo came, he said that this would require drilling etc. which he cannot do... a bit confused!

Thanks!

I read a lot of articles that the housing market will see a crash / cooldown in next year.

Does that mean that the market valuation of the houses will crash?

How do we interpret these reports by ING and ABN Amro etc?

The latest quote for renewal of my insurance is now hitting crazy levels because my house is thatched. I want to look at some other options but it is difficult to find companies that will even give me a quote. Especially frustrating with websites where you fill in all the details only to be denied at the very end.

I made an offer of 600K+ in Hilversum and got the house that we really liked. As I am on highly skilled migrant VISA, the future is uncertain with the layoffs in the tech industry that I am part of. While I understand that we were lucky to be able to buy a house in this crisis, definitely worried if I will end up taking a big loss if I need to leave the country if impacted by the layoffs and house prices start falling at the same time. The fear of catching a falling knife is scary as I understand that i don't have an option to rent the house either if we need to go back to our home country considering the bank don't allow that and real possibility of finding a job without knowing Dutch is not going to be easy. There are positives like my rent was pretty high and now my monthly mortgage is going to be lower than that without having to worry about rent keep going higher with inflation when the salaries are stagnant.

Would love to hear if there are folks in the similar boat and how do you keep yourself from not stressing out.

The mortgage interest rates are quite high and we are in process of buying our house. We are struggling to make a decision.

Lock on 5 year fixed interest and hope that the situations will improve or bear this high interest for 10 years?

5 years is quite some horizon for the global things to settle a bit. But of course, we can not predict.

We also have plan for periodic repayments to reduce the impact of high interest rate in some way.

What would be the wise decision?