Paying too much rent? Complaining to the Rent Tribunal pays off

Since 2019, the Rent Tribunal (Huurcommissie) has ruled in around 4,900 cases brought by tenants renting rooms in shared apartments, reports ANP. Many cases involved students, with most grievances reported in Utrecht, Groningen and Amsterdam. The Rent Tribunal ruled in favour of landlords in a mere 10 percent of cases.

Almost 25 percent of complaints (1054) came from Utrecht. In only 90 of them, the homeowner was proven right, while in 103 cases neither party was proven right.

Occasionally, the Rent Tribunal grants substantial rent reductions. In August, for example, the rent paid by a tenant in Rotterdam was lowered from over 600 euros to 250 euros a month. However, most rulings concerned disputed service charges. A tenant in Nijmegen was granted a final settlement of over 1,250 euros last June because the Rent Tribunal decided that service charges for the year 2021 should have been 340 euros.

Reluctant
According to the Dutch Student Union (LSVb), many students are reluctant to contact the Rent Tribunal because they have a fixed-term contract and are afraid it will not be renewed if they challenge the rent.

To lower the threshold for contacting the Rent Tribunal, LSVb advises students to contact a rental team in their municipality. They can assess the situation, no strings attached.