Many expats in the Netherlands have to discover the challenges of the rental market way too late. Here's what you need to know today before starting your search:

1. Set Your Budget

Your max budget should be a third of the gross monthly salary and can be increased with the spouse's salary, other income, or savings. For eg. you’re single and you make €5,500 gross per month- your maximum budget would be €1830. It usually doesn’t make sense to apply for rents which are way above this budget recommendation.

Same goes for the opposite. Affordable rentals will have a maximum income requirement. If your income is €10,000 per month and you’re looking to rent a studio for €1100 - you will have a hard time, as agencies try to maintain a fair market.

2. Location, Location, Location

Planning to move to Amsterdam in 2025 with a budget of €1700? Here’s what you need to know.

If you're open to sharing a flat, you can find a room for around €1100-1600. However, if you're looking for a place all to yourself, you'll need to budget at least €2000 for rent within the A10 ring. In areas outside it there are still cheaper alternatives.

Locals apply for housing 3-6 months before they want to move to find something that’s less than €2000 in Amsterdam. If you're on a tighter timeline, be realistic about your options.

Choose the location based on your budget, not based on where you prefer to be.

3. Furnished, Unfurnished & Shell

Furnished properties are difficult to find depending on the city. They get 3x higher interest and are usually more expensive. So simply be prepared for higher competition.

Upholstered(unfurnished) ones include the flooring and kitchen appliances. Washing machine is usually not included.

Shell properties are bare walls without proper kitchen or flooring- mostly reserved/favoured by locals. Shell properties are €200-500 cheaper but have high upfront costs(think cost of flooring, washing machine,dryer, sometimes fridge & other appliances) and are really tough for newcomers to get.

Unfurnished rentals are a perfect option if you plan to live in the Netherlands for at least 1 year+. If you want to rent furnished- be patient as there will be less options.

4. Be super fast

Agencies have 5-15 viewing slots that fill up within 15-20 minutes of an ad's release. Pararius recently released the data, that in Q4 2024, supply of properties dropped by 40% compared to 2023(not including social housing). This means that every single property now receives 4x more interested candidates compared to 1 or 2 years ago. The hardest properties to get are in the budget of €1157-1500.

💡 Relocify’s app gives you instant notifications when a property is published. We can also email & call the agency right away increasing your chances.

5. It’s the landlord’s market

The Dutch housing market is at the tightest point of scarcity, making it completely the landlord’s market. Demand for rental properties greatly exceeds available supply, as a result landlords have the power to choose from 10-15 best applicants. If you have a big family or you’re bringing a pet(s)- this means your search will be harder. Prepare to make bigger compromises. Landlords prefer older, calmer pets so highlight pet's age, training, and good behaviour.

6. If you have a pet

Many landlords prefer tenants without pets, so you may face more competition for pet-friendly places.

Budget matters: If you're working with a small budget, you might need to compromise and take whatever you can find. Pet-friendly options at lower prices are limited.

Furnished vs. unfurnished: Unfurnished rentals are generally easier to secure with a pet, but there are still some furnished options available for pet owners, though they can be harder to come by.

7. View Like A Pro

Submit a viewing request online asap and then follow up. Share key details like job, salary, family, pets, and smoking status. Landing 1-2 viewings out of 10 is a good rate if searching without a househunter. At viewings make sure to check all the important aspects of the contract and carefully inspect the property if attending independently.

Be available at any time. Viewings can come up last minute- if you can’t attend, you can’t apply.

💡 Use Relocify’s virtual viewing support to never miss out on a property

8. Area Score and Distance

Check the Livability Score for area quality in the Netherlands, compared to the national average, and use the Travel Time Calculator to find easily accessible areas from your office.

9. Get Your Offer Accepted

Boost your chances by sending offers within a few hours after viewing, including passport scans, contact details, employment contracts, with optionally a photo and a brief intro to increase your chances. In some cases, overbid may help.

10. Sign The Contract

Remember, agencies representing landlords cannot charge fees for contract handling or check-in. Rental contracts in the Netherlands typically fall into three standard types, but watch out for extra clauses favouring landlords and consider negotiating them. Always verify estate agencies online and only make payments after signing the contract, or in other cases, after receiving the keys.

💡 If you secured a contract on your own, but want a professional review. We do offer a service where we thoroughly check the landlord, the agency, and the contract itself. We’ll highlight the key points for you in English, as most contracts are in Dutch. This service is included in all our packaged, but can be purchased as a standalone service the cost for €480.

11. Check-in and Utilities

Typically, you have 2 weeks, to report damages found during/after check-in. Make sure to inspect the property in full. For utilities, consider using online comparison tools or set them up online using a Utility advisor service.

12. Know the laws

Recent regulations affected the way the properties are rented out now. Landlords are more careful. They must provide you with a points calculation for the property before signing the rental agreement. If the points are less than 186 ,there is a maximum rent that they can charge.
Read more in our article. Don’t let yourself be fooled.