Posts tagged Housing from the Learn Dutch For Expats team.
Solar panels in the Netherlands lived on the salderingsregeling, which ends in 2027. Here is how net metering worked, what changes, and the vocab to decide.
Need a shelf or panel cut precisely? Dutch DIY stores will saw wood op maat. Here is how the zaagservice works, the millimetre vocab, and how to order it.
Want to change your facade, add a dakkapel, or fell a tree? You may need an omgevingsvergunning. Here is how the permit works, the free check, and the vocab.
The little tub, triangle and iron symbols on your clothes are international, but the Dutch words around them are not. Here is how to read care labels in NL.
Bought a Dutch apartment? You're now in a VvE, and the annual meeting decides your service costs and big repairs. Here is how the ALV works and the Dutch you need.
Woonkamer, slaapkamer, keuken, balkon: the Dutch words for the rooms and features of a home, so you can describe where you live and read a rental listing.
Bought a Dutch flat and the VvE suddenly wants a few hundred extra? Here is how the reservefonds, the MJOP and a one-off special contribution work.
Older Dutch homes can hide a five-figure foundation problem. Here is what paalrot and funderingsherstel mean, the report to check before buying, and the vocab.
That combined bill from the gemeente covers OZB, waste and sewerage charges. Here is what gemeentelijke belastingen are, who pays, and how to get a discount.
No heating or hot water? Your CV-ketel is showing a storingscode. Here is what the most common Dutch boiler errors mean, the water-pressure fix, and when to call a monteur.
Renting in Flanders has its own rules and words, the huurwaarborg, the plaatsbeschrijving, the EPC. Here is the Flemish rental vocabulary that gets you a flat quickly.
Bedbugs in a rental are stressful and a vocabulary minefield. Here is who's responsible for bestrijding, how to report it to your landlord, and the Dutch you need.
If your rent and income qualify, huurtoeslag (rent benefit) puts money back in your pocket every month. Here are the 2026 conditions and how to apply.
Beyond health insurance, the Netherlands runs on a few key policies: liability (WA), contents (inboedel) and more. Here is what they cover and the Dutch terms.
Moving home in NL means more than boxes: you must report your new address to the gemeente and switch utilities. Here is the verhuizen checklist and vocabulary.
Kitchen showrooms expect you to haggle, and the margins are huge. Here is how to negotiate at a Dutch keukenzaak, cut the upsells, and get a proper offerte.
A vague verbal estimate from a Dutch plumber can become a nasty bill. Here is how to ask for a proper offerte, what it should contain, and the cost vocab.
Dynamic energy contracts price your power by the hour, cheap at night, dear at dinnertime. Here is how a dynamisch contract works, the risks, and the vocab.
Moved out and your landlord is sitting on your deposit? The borg must be returned, usually within 14 days. Here are your rights, the rules, and the email to send.
Renovating a Dutch home means dealing with an aannemer (contractor), offertes, permits and the dreaded meerwerk. Here is the vocabulary to get a fair job and avoid surprises.
Need a tile cutter or a drill for a weekend? Dutch DIY stores rent tools, against a deposit and ID. Here is how the verhuur works, the borg, and the vocab.
Studying in Flanders means renting a kot through an immo or a kotbaas, with its own rules and deposit. Here is the Belgian student-housing vocab, decoded.
To get a room in a Dutch studentenhuis you must pass the hospiteeravond, an audition where housemates vote on you. Here is how it works and how to win them over.
A few hundred euros for the water board? Waterschapsbelasting funds dikes and water treatment, and almost everyone pays. Here is what the bill is and how it's set.
Bought a Dutch house and a hidden defect surfaces? Whether the seller pays turns on mededelingsplicht vs onderzoeksplicht. Here is how verborgen gebreken claims work.
Power gone in one room or the whole flat? The answer is in the meterkast. Here is how the Dutch fuse box works, how to reset a tripped group, and the vocab.
Buying a house, making a will, a cohabitation contract: some things in NL legally require a notaris. Here is when you need one and the Dutch terms.
A Dutch energy bill is full of traps: the termijnbedrag, the jaarafrekening, and a tariefswijziging that hikes your rate. Here is how to read it and your rights.
In the Netherlands the ground floor is not the first floor. Here are the Dutch ordinal numbers and how floors are counted, so you find the right door.
A Dutch postcode plus house number pinpoints your door exactly. Here is how Dutch addresses work, how to say yours, and the toevoeging that trips people up.
In the Netherlands you are expected to introduce yourself to the neighbours, they will not knock first. Here is how to do it, and the Dutch to invite them in.
Buying an older Dutch home? The contract often hides an asbestclausule that quietly shifts the risk, and the bill, onto you. Here is how to read it.
Dutch rent is negotiable more often than expats think, especially the furniture and the points-based price. Here are the phrases that get a better deal without losing the flat.
Overcharged rent or murky service costs? The Huurcommissie is a cheap, binding way for tenants to fight back. Here is how the procedure works and the Dutch you need.
Before you sign a Dutch rental, two questions matter hugely: can you register your address (BRP) and can you sublet? Here is what to ask, and the Dutch to ask it in.
Overdrachtsbelasting can be 0%, 2% or 8% on a Dutch home, and getting the wrong rate is expensive. Here is the tax vocabulary every buyer needs before the notaris.
A wasp nest, mice, or a rat in the garden means a call to the gemeente or your landlord, in Dutch. Here are the phrases and the rules on who actually pays.
Every Dutch home has an energy label from A to G, predicting your bills and shaping your mortgage. Here is what it means, and where heat pumps stand in 2026.
Amsterdam's housing crunch breeds rental scams on Facebook and Marktplaats. Here are the red flags, the scam slang, and how to check a listing is real.
Boiler dead in January? A broken CV-ketel is almost always the landlord's problem. Here are the Dutch phrases and the tenant rights that get it fixed fast.
Lights out and a cupboard of Dutch labels? Most Dutch power cuts are a switch you can reset. Here is how to read the meterkast, and when to call an electrician.
Funda listings are packed with Dutch terms like k.k., v.o.n., and servicekosten. Here is what the makelaar jargon means and what you are really paying for.
A Dutch huurcontract can cost you real money if you sign without reading it. Here is how to decode the deposit, service costs, notice period, and the rest.
Buy a Dutch apartment and you join its VvE. A sick one can hand you a huge repair bill. Here is how to read the reserve fund, MJOP, and minutes before you sign.
New flat, no internet, the site is in Dutch. How to set up internet in the Netherlands: the big three providers, the words, and the two-week catch.
In the Dutch housing market the best homes go in days. Here are the terms and the approach that signal a serious buyer to the makelaar, and win viewings.
Gas, water, licht: setting up Dutch utilities is an early admin wall. Here is how the energy market works and the day-one step that saves money.
A Dutch hypotheek is the biggest contract you'll sign here. Expats can borrow on local terms, here is the mortgage terminology, NHG, and the rules, decoded.
Lying awake dreading a confrontation in Dutch? The Dutch expect you to speak up, directly and early. Here is how to handle noisy neighbours, and the words to use.
Got a dead sofa or old mattress to get rid of? Here is how grofvuil (bulky waste) works in the Netherlands, how to book a pickup, and the Dutch you need.
A leak is the worst time to fumble for Dutch. Here are the urgent phrases to call a spoedloodgieter, the word for the main valve, and who actually pays in a rental.
Locked out and googling 'slotenmaker' in a panic? That's exactly what scammers want. Here is how to find a real locksmith, and the Dutch to avoid a huge bill.
Mice or other vermin in your Dutch home? Here are the words to report it, plus who is responsible, your landlord, you, or the gemeente.
Landlord not returning your borg, or docking it for 'damage'? The law is on the tenant's side. Here is how to get your Dutch deposit back, step by step.
Hiring a cleaner in the Netherlands? Here is what zwart and wit really mean, why cash is legal for households, and the Dutch to agree fair terms.
In the Dutch housing market, weak Dutch can cost you real money in the bidding. Here is how overbidding works and how to avoid overpaying out of confusion.
Renovating in the Netherlands as an American? Here is how to talk metres, square metres, and the comma-decimal to a Dutch contractor without costly mistakes.
A glazenwasser is calling up at your window. Here is what he wants, what it costs, and the Dutch to arrange a regular window-cleaning round.
The hardest part of studying in the Netherlands is finding a room. Here is how DUWO works: the priority for internationals, room types, costs, and registering early.
Does speaking Dutch help you win a rental on Funda? In a tight market it can help at the margins, but here is what landlords actually prioritise.
Signing a Dutch rental contract? Here are the phrases and key terms you need, the questions to ask before you sign, and your basic rights as a tenant.
Kaal vs gemeubileerd: the two extremes of Dutch rentals. One is a bare box, the other is ready to live in. Here is the real difference and which to pick.
The Dutch rental vocabulary you need on Funda and Pararius and with your landlord: huur, borg, servicekosten, and the listing words that decide your search.
Kaal, gestoffeerd, or gemeubileerd? These three Dutch words decide whether your new place has floors, curtains, and furniture. Here is exactly what each includes.
The Dutch you need for a flat search in the Netherlands or Flanders: viewings, messaging landlords, and the words on a rental contract.