The Indefinite Contract: True Long-Term Security
When tenants or landlords in the Netherlands refer to a 'long-term lease', they are referring to a huurovereenkomst voor onbepaalde tijd (rental agreement for an indefinite period). This type of contract is the traditional and most secure form of tenancy. It has no specified end date and, in principle, allows a tenant to remain in the property for as long as they wish, provided they adhere to the terms of the lease (such as paying rent). It is the legal expression of long-term housing security (woonzekerheid) and is the most sought-after type of contract for tenants seeking stability.
The Gold Standard of Tenant Protection
An indefinite contract offers the tenant the full and undiluted power of Dutch tenant protection (huurbescherming). The most significant feature is the extreme difficulty for a landlord to terminate the lease. Unlike in many other countries, a landlord cannot simply give notice because they want to sell the property or find a new tenant. They must have one of a very small number of legally valid grounds for termination, and if the tenant does not agree, the landlord must obtain a court order to evict them. The tenant, meanwhile, retains full flexibility to terminate the lease at any time with a simple one-month notice period. This legal imbalance is a deliberate policy choice to protect the tenant's home.
The Decline of the Indefinite Contract
While it is the gold standard, prospective tenants should be aware that indefinite contracts are becoming increasingly rare in the private rental market. Since the introduction of the two-year fixed-term lease in 2016, many private landlords have opted to offer these temporary contracts instead, as it gives them the certainty of being able to end the tenancy without legal proceedings after the term is over. This has led to a significant decrease in long-term housing security for tenants in the free sector.