Statistics · every figure sourced
Rental fraud in the Netherlands, in verified numbers
Most rental-scam statistics you see online have no source. This page only shows numbers we verified against the institution that published them — Fraudehelpdesk, CBS, Kences, LSVb — and links every figure to the document it comes from. Where no reliable number exists, we say so.
€68.5M
reported fraud damage in the Netherlands, 2025 · Source: Fraudehelpdesk
Explore by year
Drag the slider or pick a year. Empty cards are honest: no verified number was published for that year.
Online-crime victims (15+, CBS)
CBS measures every two years — the gaps are real, not missing design. Source: CBS Veiligheidsmonitor
Rental-fraud reports
No verified number published for 2025
Rental-fraud damage
No verified number published for 2025
LSVb housing-hotline requests
No verified number published for 2025
Student-room shortage
Kences forecasts the shortage to grow to 26,000–63,200 by 2032–33.
International students in NL
No verified number published for 2025
Key numbers, ready to quote
Each sentence is copy-ready and carries its source. Journalists and researchers: help yourself.
The Fraudehelpdesk received 101,734 fraud reports in 2025 — up 60% from 63,469 in 2024.
Source: FraudehelpdeskReported fraud damage in the Netherlands reached €68.5 million in 2025, up from €52.7 million in 2024 and €44.5 million in 2023.
Source: Fraudehelpdesk17% of the Dutch population aged 15+ was a victim of online crime in 2025; 7.9% experienced purchase fraud (CBS Veiligheidsmonitor).
Source: CBS VeiligheidsmonitorThe Dutch student-union housing hotline (LSVb) received 263 requests for help from international students in the first half of 2026 alone.
Source: LSVb via DutchNewsThe Netherlands is short about 21,500 student rooms (2025–26), forecast to grow to 26,000–63,200 by 2032–33 (Kences).
Source: KencesA student room costs on average €683 per month in the Netherlands, and €979 in Amsterdam (Kamernet, 2025).
Source: Kamernet via DutchNews
What nobody tracks (and why that matters)
There is no national, yearly statistic for rental fraud in the Netherlands. The police do not register rental fraud as a separate category, and the Fraudehelpdesk publishes totals across all fraud types. The only verified rental-specific figure we found: 244 rental-fraud reports totalling €223,075 in damage in 2024, reported by Den Haag Centraal based on Fraudehelpdesk data.
That gap matters. If a scam type is not counted, it is easy to underestimate — and international students, who often pay deposits from abroad before a viewing, are the least likely to report to Dutch authorities. Treat any precise-sounding number without a source (like a “€1.75 billion lost” claim circulating online) with suspicion: we could not trace it to any institution.
The deposit rule, since 1 July 2023
Under the Wet goed verhuurderschap, a landlord may ask at most two months of bare rent (kale huur) as a deposit for contracts signed from 1 July 2023. A landlord asking more is breaking the rules — and an oversized deposit demand is one of the classic scam signals.
FAQ
- How much money is lost to fraud in the Netherlands?
- In 2025 the Fraudehelpdesk recorded 101,734 fraud reports with €68.5 million in reported damage, across all fraud types. The real total is higher: many victims never report.
- Is rental fraud tracked separately in the Netherlands?
- No. The police do not register rental fraud as its own category and no institution publishes a national yearly rental-fraud statistic. The only verified figure: 244 rental-fraud reports (€223,075 damage) in 2024, via Fraudehelpdesk data reported by Den Haag Centraal.
- What is the maximum rental deposit in the Netherlands?
- Two months of bare rent, for contracts signed from 1 July 2023, under the Wet goed verhuurderschap. Asking more is not allowed — and is a common scam signal.
- How many international students are hit by housing fraud?
- Nobody knows precisely — that is part of the problem. The LSVb student-union hotline received 263 requests for help from international students in the first half of 2026, and the union warns fraud against internationals is rising.
Method & sources
Every number on this page was checked against the publishing institution's own document on 18 July 2026 (PDFs included). We link the exact source next to each figure and show the quote we verified against. We publish nothing we could not verify — gaps stay visible instead of being filled with estimates. Spotted an error or a newer figure? Tell us and we will correct it.
Figures verified on 18 July 2026
Don't become one of these numbers
Paste any Dutch rental listing and get the red flags in 60 seconds — free. For a deposit you are about to pay, we can confirm whether the person actually owns the property.
Check a listing free