Renting an apartment in the Netherlands can come with very interesting twists! I’m not sure why it is this way and if you’re coming from the United States you need to be aware of some of these. Many apartments don’t come with flooring. As a renter you need to buy your own flooring and pull it up when you leave…WHY, who knows? Life in the Netherlands as an American or foreigner and trying to rent an Apartment here in the Netherlands can be difficult at best sometimes. Our life in the Netherlands has had its ups and downs but it’s still an awesome place to live even with all its challenges. Expats in the Netherlands and renting in the Netherlands sometimes don’t always go hand in hand but take your time, do your research and be patient and you’ll be just fine…take it from an expat’s who moved to Rotterdam and are enjoying life.
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25 gedachten over “Netherlands apartment renting…WHY do you do this???”
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It's interesting. Flooring IS personal! In the US this is an expense covered by the land lord in between renters, as needed. However, that renter does not make any decision in flooring (99% of the time anuway). Like you are all saying, people make rentals their permanent homes or at least a very long time…longer than many people own a home in the US. I really like this concept. These are the superficial, coverings of a home and are personal preferences and choices.
That's what happens when corporations own everything!!!
As for getting your stuff to your floor, some buildings in Amsterdam still have a beam built in the top of the building with a hook. You attach a rope and you simply haul up your stuff.
And what about the light fixtures? I Canada we used a Zoom Boom, it does exist!
I urgent need of room please help me
Little late to the party. But flooring is very personal, and we tend to live quite long in places where you need to floor yourself. Another thing; if there is already flooring in your rental, you have to pay for it to your landlord, and for the amount of time you live in their, it end up being more expensive. So, why not buy your favourite floor, and just pay for it, atleast it's yours.
You know, every state has different rules. YES some states DO allow and require first, last, and security deposits.
People in the Netherlands do not want to live in someone else's bad taste or filth like for instance a hotel room. We do do not view renting the same way like getting a hotel room but as a long term commitment thus we make our rented appartment/house cosy, "gezellig'. Out with the old, in with the new. That's why Sweden invented IKEA. Landlords are not common in the Netherlands and are seen as, mostly, shady or even criminals.
My daughter got an apartment with flooring and guess what she did?……..she put in a new floor over the existing floor because she didn’t like the existing floor. She also removed the roll down window coverings by curtains.
I once hired an apartment and told them well in advance. They found new tenants who I contacted, they were happy to take over my flooring and curtains- sun screens.
i've been in this apt for 16 years now :). Most people here rent long term, and that's why they want to put in their own flooring.
You can make your home in your taste.
Red flooring, White flooring, tiles, wood .
Same for furniture 👍
Most apartments I've been in America require having to cover at least 70 percent of the floor with rugs or carpeting, to reduce sound in the building. When you leave, you have take it with you.
Furnished apartments usually require two month's rent as security deposit, instead of one month for unfurnished. Foreigners often have to come up with three month's rent as security deposit. When leaving, you usually have to clean everything, with proof of having cleaned, including drapes, (cleaning bills, etc.) or pay for cleaning from deposit. Advance notice of leaving can be one month, but usually two months, sometimes three, unless the rental is short term, then one month. It's funny the furnished rent is twice unfurnished, but also then requires two month deposit, which is four times unfurnished deposit. Many foreigners have to come up double or triple deposit, because they could just leave and never return.
The main difference is that near everything in the netherlands is stone/concrete build. No wood beams or w/e. Sure in old houses this still can be a thing, but you won't find that much in any recent houses since like the 70's or so.
So a wood floor or walls with plaster etc aren't a thing here. As a renter goes out of a building after 10 to 50 years, all that needs often replacement anyway, unless it happened to be fairly recently been replaced. But the new renters might not want that color or type of flooring. And then you HAVE to get it out.
Also, if a renter leaves, they have to announce that ahead, and often they ask if the new renter can visit and have a look and negotiate transition of certain things for money or "leave it" if its too much work.
I know of a family that had to bring their shower back to "standard" by demand of the owning cooperation after living there for like 30 years, they had redone the bathroom beautifully with all piping in the walls, big nice tiles, shower cabin etc etc. and they had to bring it back to the state it was b4… they where NOT happy with that… so they did a botch job and it answered how it was but tilings was NOT nice and stuff… they remade their policies after that. If they made it nicer, they could leave it like it was.
Dutch ppl don't tend to move a lot. The relations we have with the ppl around us make us more grounded with our surroundings than the company we happen to work for. There are plenty of other employers. Not plenty of other places to live close to family / friends etc.
I noticed that, looking up apartments for NL. The site I was on had a filter for "Upholstered" or "Furnished." Made it seem like upholstered meant furnished, and "un" was unfurnished. But it refers to the flooring?
Sidenote, I think the 'don't give them that"" is more about the physical ID card or drivers license. It' contains your picture etc, but also a finger print. Plus, most important, they have a chip in it and thats what they want since it's needed to, for instance, proof you are you with the camera from different angles and reading the info (limited) of your persona. Sorry, loads of mistakes in text, but am sooo tired. ChherS!
Haha, I had the same type of surprise when I learned that in other countries landlords put flooring in the rental properties. Still when I look at those home makeover programs I shudder at the thought that you would live on the previous occupants ‘dirty’ carpet.
Late to the party, but all of this is so true. We experienced it all!
The why is already answered I see, and I agree, it’s because it’s a personal taste but even when you upgrade stuff, I changed all the water tabs with new better ones but I kept the old ones so I can put them back when I leave, in general you have to give appartement back as you get it. I have a ugly basic bathroom and I don’t upgrade it because they will demand to take it out again.
When the house that you rent is to old. And the house is being demolished by the coöperation…, you Will get money from our covernment to move to a other appartement. And if you want to go back to the same place in the new house you get even more money from the covernment without paying it back
For the best 'tot ziens' pronouciation you could try to say the "tot' as you would say 'tater tots '. And also you could leave the 'tater' and add 'iens' -> totsiens. We pronounce it pretty quick and it almost sounds like one word. ☺
i just need to comment 🙂 : if u are getting this appartment/house without floors , u are a very very lucky person ! as it takes around 10+ years just to become eligible for these kind of rentals ( in some parts of the netherlands even 17 or 20yrs ) the housing market over here can't be compared with USA , students can try to rent a room ( almost impossible in the big cities ) .. long story shorts , all the very rich expats are welcome in the netherlands 🙂
Simpel if you can't buy you can lese
Just because it is so for ever
In Dutch law, homes are defined as immovable property / immovable goods. Everything that is nailed and screwed or fixed to the immovable property is part of that immovable property. A laminate floor and curtains is / are not nailed / fixed to the property and are therefore movable property /movable goods. A kitchen and taps are fixed to the property and are therefore part of the immovable good /property. Plants in the garden are also part of the immovable property.