When a landlord rents out a property as 'furnished' (gemeubileerd), they are providing not just the empty space, but also a significant amount of movable goods, such as a sofa, beds, tables, chairs, and appliances. The landlord is legally permitted to charge an extra fee for the use of these furnishings. This is not part of the basic rent (kale huur) for the property itself, but a separate component known as a fee for furnishings (vergoeding voor meubilering en stoffering). This fee is intended to compensate the landlord for their investment in the furniture and to cover the depreciation (afschrijving) of these items over time. This is a completely legal and standard practice in the Dutch rental market.
How the Fee is Calculated
A landlord cannot just invent a number for the furnishing fee. While the rules are not as strict as for the basic rent in the social sector, the fee should be reasonable and based on the value, age, and expected lifespan of the furniture. A common method is to calculate the fee based on the depreciation of the items over, for example, a five-year period. The fee for a brand-new, high-end designer interior will be significantly higher than for basic, second-hand furniture. The furnishing fee is typically added to the basic rent and the service costs to arrive at the total monthly rental price. In the free sector (vrije sector), there is more freedom for the landlord to set this fee, but it should still bear a reasonable relationship to the value of the goods provided.
The Critical Importance of the Inventory List
For any furnished rental, the single most important document, aside from the lease itself, is the inventory list (inventarislijst). This is a detailed document, created at the check-in, that lists every single item provided by the landlord, from the sofa down to the last teaspoon. Crucially, it should also describe the condition of each item at the start of the tenancy, supported by dated photographs. Both the tenant and the landlord must sign this list. This document is the tenant's primary protection against unfair deductions from their security deposit. At the end of the lease, this list is used during the check-out inspection to determine if any items are missing or have been damaged beyond normal wear and tear (normale slijtage). Without a detailed, signed inventory list, it is very difficult for a landlord to legally prove that a tenant was responsible for any specific damage.
