Fines and Penalties for Landlords

Raising the Stakes: 'Bestuurlijke Boetes'

For a long time, the primary recourse for a tenant against a misbehaving landlord was to initiate a civil procedure, which could be time-consuming and daunting. The Wet goed verhuurderschap (Good Landlordship Act) fundamentally changed this by introducing a system of direct and severe public-law sanctions. The act empowers municipalities (gemeenten) to levy significant bestuurlijke boetes (administrative fines) directly on landlords who violate one of the seven 'good landlordship' rules. This shifts some of the enforcement burden from the individual tenant to the local government.

The fines are intended to be a serious deterrent. For a first-time violation, the fine can be as high as €25,750. For a repeat offender, this can double to €51,500 (as of 2024, amounts are indexed). The violations that can trigger these fines include:

• Engaging in discrimination during tenant selection.
• Intimidating or harassing a tenant.
• Charging a security deposit of more than two months' basic rent.
• Failing to provide a proper, written rental agreement.
• Charging unreasonable service costs.

In the most extreme cases of repeat offenses, a municipality can even take the ultimate step of revoking a landlord's rental permit (verhuurvergunning) where one is required, or taking over the management of the property themselves, effectively putting the rogue landlord out of business.