A Reference From Your Past
The verhuurderverklaring (landlord's statement) is a standardized reference letter that a prospective tenant must obtain from their current or most recent landlord. It is a fixture in the application process for nearly all professional real estate agencies and housing corporations in the Netherlands. The document's purpose is to serve as a character reference, providing the new landlord with assurances that the applicant has a proven track record as a reliable and well-behaved tenant. While it is treated as a crucial piece of evidence in the screening process, its practical value is highly questionable due to its inherently subjective and unverifiable nature.
What the Statement Certifies
An agent will typically provide the applicant with a standard form to be completed by their previous landlord. The key questions on this form are almost always:
- Did the tenant consistently pay the rent on time?
- Is the tenant currently in rent arrears?
- Did the tenant cause any significant nuisance (
overlast) during their tenancy?
- Was the property well-maintained?
A positive verhuurderverklaring can smooth the path to acceptance, but any negative remarks, or even a refusal by a previous landlord to provide one, can be a major red flag that leads to rejection.
The Flaw of Subjectivity
The fundamental problem with the verhuurderverklaring is its lack of objectivity. The new landlord has no way of knowing the context of the relationship between the applicant and their previous landlord. A 'bad' reference could be a form of retaliation from a landlord who was unhappy with a tenant's legitimate maintenance requests. Conversely, a 'good' reference could be a lie from a landlord who is eager to get rid of a problematic tenant. The document is an opinion, not a verified fact. This system also creates a significant and unfair barrier for first-time renters, homeowners transitioning to renting, and newcomers to the country, none of whom can produce such a document and are therefore immediately at a disadvantage in the screening process.
