What Constitutes 'Normal' Screening?
In the highly competitive Dutch rental market, it is standard and accepted practice for landlords and real estate agents (makelaars) to screen prospective tenants. The primary goal of this screening is to assess a tenant's ability to reliably pay the rent. To this end, a landlord can legally ask for a range of documents, including: proof of identity (a passport or ID card, though they should be careful with how they handle this data), proof of income (typically employment contracts and recent payslips - loonstroken), and sometimes a statement from a previous landlord. A common rule of thumb used for income requirements is the inkomenseis, where a tenant's gross monthly income must be 3 to 4 times the basic monthly rent. While stringent, these financial checks are a legal and accepted part of the process.
The Widespread Reality of Discrimination
Despite clear anti-discrimination laws, the reality of the Dutch rental market is that discrimination is a pervasive and well-documented problem. It is illegal for a landlord or agent to reject a tenant based on their race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or family status, but it happens with alarming frequency. Discrimination can be blatant, with rental listings that explicitly state 'No students' or 'Expats preferred'. More often, it is subtle and difficult to prove. An agent might be friendly on the phone but then claim the property is 'already taken' when you show up in person. Emails from applicants with foreign-sounding names may be systematically ignored, while those with Dutch-sounding names receive prompt replies. This illegal gatekeeping creates an enormous and unfair barrier for many qualified tenants.
Tenant's Rights and the 'Good Landlordship Act'
The government is aware of this problem and has taken steps to combat it with the Wet goed verhuurderschap (Good Landlordship Act). This law requires landlords to use a clear and transparent selection procedure and explicitly forbids discrimination. Crucially, it also mandates that every municipality (gemeente) must establish an official hotline (meldpunt) where tenants can report discriminatory practices and other forms of landlord misconduct. While proving discrimination in an individual case remains very difficult, reporting it to these municipal hotlines and to the national anti-discrimination authority (Meld.nl) is important for collecting data and enabling authorities to identify and sanction landlords and agents who engage in systematic discrimination. Your rights are protected by law, but enforcing them often requires persistence and formal reporting.
