Meter Readings

Documenting Your Usage

Meterstanden, or meter readings, are the numbers displayed on your utility meters for gas, electricity, and sometimes water. Accurately recording these numbers is a critically important step at the very beginning and very end of your tenancy. This process ensures that you are only billed for the energy and water that you personally consume. Failing to do this can lead to serious disputes and you potentially paying for the previous tenant's usage.

When you receive the keys to your new home, one of the very first things you should do, together with the landlord or agent, is locate the meters and record the readings. The meters are often located in a specific cupboard called the meterkast. Take a clear, time-stamped photo of each meter, making sure the numbers are legible. These readings will be used to set up your new account with the utility companies (energiemaatschappijen).

The Move-in and Move-out Process

At the start of your tenancy, you are responsible for signing up with utility providers for gas and electricity. You will provide them with the initial meterstanden you recorded. This marks the starting point of your consumption.

When you terminate your lease and move out, you must repeat the process. On your final day in the property, you record the final meterstanden. You then provide these final readings to your utility companies to close your account. They will use the start and end readings to generate your final bill (eindafrekening). This ensures a clean break. The landlord or new tenant will use these same final readings as their starting point.

This process prevents any ambiguity about who used what. It protects you from being charged for energy consumed before you moved in or after you moved out. Never skip this step, and always keep your photos of the meter readings as proof until your final bill has been settled.