Know the rules

Rental deposit rules in the Netherlands: the legal cap and when to pay

Last updated: 11 August 2026

Dutch law caps your rental deposit: under the Good Landlord Act (Wet goed verhuurderschap, in force since 1 July 2023), a landlord may ask at most two months' bare rent as a deposit. Just as important: you pay a deposit when you sign the contract — never to 'reserve a viewing', never to 'hold the property'. If someone asks for money before you have seen the home and signed, you are looking at the standard scam script, not a Dutch custom.

Timeline of a Dutch rental depositTimeline of a Dutch rental deposit: contract signed, deposit paid capped at two months, move-in photographs, deposit returned within 14 days of leaving.12€34
  1. Contract signedAfter a real viewing
  2. Deposit paidMax. 2× monthly rent
  3. Move inPhotograph everything
  4. Deposit backWithin 14 days of leaving

Key takeaways

  • Since the Good Landlord Act (1 July 2023), a deposit may not exceed two months' bare rent, and the amount must be stated in the contract.
  • You pay the deposit when you sign the contract — never to book a viewing or to 'reserve' an unseen home.
  • Transfer by SEPA to a Dutch IBAN in the name on your contract, with a clear description — never Western Union, crypto or gift cards.
  • The landlord must return the deposit within fourteen days of the tenancy ending, or thirty days if they set off damage or arrears.
  • If the deposit doesn't come back, send a written demand with a deadline, then escalate to the Juridisch Loket or the Huurcommissie.
On this page
  1. 01How much deposit is legal in the Netherlands?
  2. 02When do you actually pay?
  3. 03Which deposit demands mean you should walk away?
  4. 04How do you get your deposit back?
  5. 05The deposit is also your best scam filter
  6. 06Frequently asked questions

How much deposit is legal in the Netherlands?

Maximum two months' bare rent (kale huur — the rent excluding service costs), per the Good Landlord Act. According to the Dutch government's housing rules, landlords must also put the deposit amount in the contract and specify how it will be settled.

One or two months is the market norm. A landlord demanding three months, six months, or 'a year up front because you're international' is either breaking the rules or fishing — and 'extra deposit instead of income requirements' is a known pressure tactic on internationals.

When do you actually pay?

The legitimate sequence is fixed: view the property → agree terms → sign the contract → pay deposit and first month → get the keys at or after key transfer. Money moves at contract time, to the landlord or agency named in that contract.

Under the Dormetrics Listing Risk Method, the IBAN you were given establishes whether the account is structurally valid and whether it is Dutch, and it cannot establish who holds it. Dormetrics treats a Dutch account as a better starting position, never as a finding about the person behind it.

  • Never for a viewing — viewing a rental home in the Netherlands is free, full stop.
  • Never to 'reserve' an unseen property, whatever the waiting-list story.
  • Never to a different name than the contract — not a partner, not a 'financial manager', not a friend abroad.
  • Never via Western Union, MoneyGram, crypto or gift cards; SEPA transfer to a Dutch IBAN only.
Diagram of how to pay a rental depositDiagram of how to pay a rental deposit: a SEPA bank transfer to a Dutch IBAN shown with a green check, while Western Union, crypto and gift cards are crossed out.NL91 ABNA •••• ••••12
  1. SEPA transfer to a Dutch IBAN, after the contract
  2. Crypto, gift cards, cash pickup: never
Money moves once, at contract time, by SEPA to the name on your contract.

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Which deposit demands mean you should walk away?

Any of these on its own is reason to stop:

  • Deposit requested before a viewing or before any contract exists.
  • Deposit above two months' bare rent.
  • Cash-only, or a payment link instead of a normal bank transfer.
  • The account name doesn't match the landlord or agency on the contract.
  • A 'refundable reservation fee' that will be 'deducted from the first month'.

How do you get your deposit back?

Since the Good Landlord Act, deposit settlement is regulated, and the deadlines are in the Civil Code itself. Article 7:261b BW gives the landlord fourteen days after the tenancy ends to return the deposit. That stretches to thirty days only where they set off damage or unpaid rent and service costs — and in that case they must notify you in writing with a full cost specification. Deductions must be substantiated: damage beyond normal wear, documented arrears, itemised to you. Document the property's state with photos at check-in and check-out — the check-in report is your evidence.

If the landlord won't return it, send a written demand with a deadline, then escalate: the Juridisch Loket (free legal aid), your municipality's rental team, or the huurcommissie for regulated tenancies. Also check whether your rent itself is fair: the Huurcommissie's rent check scores your home under the points system (WWS).

The deposit is also your best scam filter

Almost every rental scam is, in the end, a deposit scam — the deposit is the money that moves first and recovers worst. A SEPA recall works best inside 24 hours, before the money is forwarded on, which is why the checks have to happen before the transfer rather than after it. Before it moves, verify the one fact scammers cannot fake: that the person taking it owns the property. The Kadaster records the owner of every Dutch address; our owner check turns that into a simple match / no-match before you pay.

Frequently asked questions

Can a landlord ask for more than two months' deposit?
Not for standard tenancies since 1 July 2023 — the Good Landlord Act caps deposits at twice the monthly bare rent. Demands above that are a red flag for either a rule-breaking landlord or a scam.
Is a 'reservation fee' before viewing ever legitimate?
No. Paying anything before you have viewed the property and signed a contract is the classic scam pattern. Legitimate Dutch landlords do not charge to view or to 'hold' a home.
How should I transfer the deposit?
SEPA bank transfer to a Dutch IBAN in the name of the landlord or agency on your contract, with a clear description ('deposit + address'). The paper trail matters if you ever need your bank or the police.
When must I get my deposit back?
Within fourteen days of the tenancy ending (article 7:261b of the Civil Code). That becomes thirty days if the landlord sets off damage or unpaid rent, and they must send a written cost specification with it. No response? Written demand with a deadline, then the Juridisch Loket or huurcommissie.
How do I know if the rent itself is fair?
Use the Huurcommissie's free rent check (huurprijscheck) — it scores the home under the Dutch points system. Also compare against the city €/m² benchmarks on our city pages.

Two checks before any deposit

Run the free red-flag check on the listing, and confirm the owner against the Kadaster. Two minutes of checking protects two months of rent.

Check the listing free

Dormetrics is a risk signal, not a guarantee. We show you which red flags fired and whether the person taking your deposit legally owns the property. Always view in person, pay by SEPA to a Dutch IBAN, and insist you can register at the address (BRP). The final decision is yours.

Sources

Related guides

City rent checks

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