Rent increases and how to deal with them

When you are renting a property or room it is possible that you get a notice from your landlord that your rent is increasing. A landlord is allowed to increase the rent every year. However there are rules. Your landlord cannot increase your rent whenever they like or by any amount.

As a tenant you can object to the rent increase if the following rules were not followed by the landlord:

• The rent increase is higher than the allowed maximum increase.
• Due to the rent increase the rent will be more than the maximum rent price according to the property value system.
• The rent increase proposal contains mistakes. For example a wrong starting date or rent price.
• The landlord wants to again increase the rent within 12 months. Your landlord cannot normally increase the rent more than once a year.
• You’ve received the rent increase proposal less than 2 months before the start date.
• The  Huurcommissie (Rental Tribunal) has temporarily reduced the rent due to serious overdue maintenance defects and the defects have not yet been remedied.
• The rent price is an all-in rent price. If the basic rent price is not known the landlord is not allowed to propose a rental increase.

Are you renting a property or room in Utrecht and are you struggling with your rental price or landlord? Or are you not sure whether your rental increase is correct? Our partner Huurteam Utrecht can evaluate your situation and give advice. Their services are provided free of charge to residents of the city of Utrecht. Huurteam Utrecht is supported and instructed by the municipality of Utrecht to assist tenants on the private rental market if there are (possible) abuses with regard to the rent price, service costs, overdue maintenance and / or contractual provisions. Visit the website of Huurteam Utrecht to learn more about their services and assess your rent increase or rental contract*.

* The landlord will not be informed or contacted by the Huurteam without the consent of the tenant.