The Good Landlordship Act explained: rules for Dutch landlords

01What is the Good Landlordship Act?

The Good Landlordship Act (Wet goed verhuurderschap, Wgv) came into force on 1 July 2023. It applies to landlords and letting agents, including those who rent rooms or accommodation to labour migrants or students. Its aim is to protect tenants better against discrimination, intimidation, excessive deposits and unreasonable service costs, among other things.

The Act has two layers. The first is a set of national rules that apply to every landlord (Article 2). The second is a set of powers for municipalities: a reporting point, a landlord licence in certain areas or for certain types of letting, fines and, as a last resort, taking over management. Municipalities supervise private landlords; for housing associations the Housing Associations Authority (Autoriteit Woningcorporaties) is responsible.

This article is a summary, not legal advice. Read the statutory text on wetten.overheid.nl and consult a lawyer about your own situation.

02Which rules apply to every landlord?

Article 2 of the Act sets out the rules of good landlordship. In short:

1. No unjustified discrimination. You use a clear selection procedure and objective criteria when you advertise accommodation publicly, and you explain to rejected applicants why someone else was chosen. The government asks landlords to have a set working method to prevent housing discrimination.
2. No intimidation of any kind.
3. Deposit within the limit. The deposit may not exceed the limit in the Civil Code (Article 7:261b): a maximum of two months' basic rent.
4. Written tenancy agreement. All agreements are recorded in writing.
5. Written information for the tenant (see below).
6. Service costs only as the law allows. You only charge service costs as permitted by the Civil Code (Articles 7:259 and 7:261).

In addition, a letting agent may not charge brokerage fees to both the landlord and the tenant (no double brokerage fees).

03What information must the tenant receive in writing?

The landlord gives the tenant written information about:

• their rights and obligations regarding the accommodation, insofar as these are not already in the tenancy agreement;
• if a deposit is charged: the amount, how it is settled and the time limits for settling it after the tenancy ends;
• a contact point for questions about the accommodation;
• the contact details of the municipal reporting point;
• if service costs are charged: the payment obligation, and that the tenant receives a full cost breakdown every year;
• the quality of the dwelling under the points system, the maximum rent at the start of the tenancy and, where a surcharge applies, the supporting documents.

The last item was added by the Affordable Rent Act (Wet betaalbare huur), which came into force on 1 July 2024. Following a motion in the Senate, the mandatory points calculation with the contract and enforcement by municipalities took effect on 1 January 2025.

04How do deposits and service costs work?

For tenancy agreements from 1 July 2023 the deposit is at most two months' basic rent; for earlier agreements the limit was three months. According to the Dutch government, the landlord repays the deposit within 14 days after the tenancy ends. If the landlord deducts costs, for example for damage, the remainder is repaid within 30 days.

Service costs must reflect the costs actually incurred, and the tenant receives a full breakdown every year. This matters especially for room rental, where energy, internet and cleaning are often included in a fixed monthly amount. For how to divide energy costs fairly, see passing on energy costs to tenants. A good file for each property, with meter readings at check-in and check-out, makes the annual settlement easier.

05What extra rules apply when renting to labour migrants?

Article 2(3) contains two extra rules for renting accommodation to labour migrants (in the Act: nationals of an EU member state who are temporarily in the Netherlands to work):

• Separate agreement. The tenancy agreement is recorded separately from the employment contract. According to the VNG (association of Dutch municipalities), the aim is that losing a job should not automatically mean losing one's accommodation.
• Language. The information every tenant receives is provided in a language the labour migrant prefers. Another language is allowed if the labour migrant understands it and can communicate clearly in it.

The Act contains no extra rule for labour migrants on how costs are split (rent, service costs, wage deductions); the general rules on deposits and service costs do apply. Wage deductions are regulated separately: at present an employer may deduct up to 25% of the gross minimum wage for housing, and only for certified accommodation. The government intends to abolish this option from 1 July 2028; in October 2026 this is still an intention, not law.

06What can the municipality do?

Reporting point. Since 1 January 2024 every municipality must have a reporting point for complaints about undesirable landlord behaviour. After a report, the municipality can enforce the rules itself or refer the person to the right authority.

Landlord licence. In areas where liveability is under pressure, a municipality can require a landlord licence with extra conditions such as a fair rent and timely maintenance. For renting to labour migrants, a municipality can require a licence that is not tied to an area, with conditions on the number of people per room, sanitary facilities and facilities for cooking and storing food. A licence can be refused if the applicant received a fine or an order in the preceding eight years.

Fines. The maximum administrative fine is the amount of the fourth category; for a repeat offence within four years, that of the fifth category. Since 1 January 2026 these are EUR 27,500 and EUR 110,000 (the categories are adjusted periodically).

Management takeover. If the landlord has already been fined twice within four years, the municipality can take over management. It then sets a reasonable rent and can have necessary works carried out at the landlord's expense. The government points out that a landlord's details are made public when a fine or management takeover is imposed.

07What has changed since 2023?

The Act has been amended several times since 2023. Wetten.overheid.nl shows the version in force from 4 June 2026, and further amendments are scheduled to take effect from 1 January 2027. So far, the most important change in substance for landlords is the information duty on the points calculation and maximum rent introduced by the Affordable Rent Act (see above).

Several proposals that are not part of the Act itself also affect letting:

As its reason for abolishing the deduction, the government says that labour migrants still often depend on their employer for housing. For the proposed Act on suitable rental contracts, the government argues that temporary contracts give landlords more flexibility, so that fewer rental homes are sold. Whether and how the proposals become law is for parliament to decide.

08Checklist: do you comply with the Good Landlordship Act?

The eyesonrooms housing management software helps with the records: contracts, inspections with photos and fault reports for each property in one place. See also housing management software and the challenges of housing labour migrants.

09Frequently asked questions

10Sources

• Good Landlordship Act, current text (wetten.overheid.nl, consulted October 2026, Dutch)
• Volkshuisvesting Nederland: Better protection for tenants with the Good Landlordship Act (2023, Dutch)
• Dutch government: Rules for landlords and letting agents (Dutch)
• Dutch government: Deposits when renting a home (Dutch)
• VNG: How the Good Landlordship Act protects labour migrants (Dutch)
• Dutch Criminal Code, Article 23 (fine categories, Dutch)
• Dirkzwager: Affordable Rent Act in force from 1 July 2024 (Dutch)
• Dutch government: Employers may no longer deduct rent from a labour migrant's minimum wage (10 September 2026, Dutch)

11Read also