5 common rental fees, should you pay them?

These are the 5 most common rental fees

Renting a house can be a traumatic experience in cities like Amsterdam. On top of it all you are confronted with many different rental fees to be paid. Read below to find out if you should pay them or not, and how much would be reasonable. If you have come across any other type of fee, please let us know so we can include it in the list.

Bemiddelingskosten/makelaarscourtage

These type of rental fees are better known as broker fees or agency commission. The law stipulates that an agency can only charge you this type of fee if they actively go out and try to find a house for you. And this makes sense and is of course fair. Since the real estate agent is actively looking for a house for you, they should be able to charge you for that work. However, they are not allowed to charge you this fee for a house they have in their portfolio, since then they are working for the landlord and are already charging them commission. In reality it can be difficult to argue this. If you like the property it can be wise to pay and ask for a refund after signing the contract and moving in. You can refer to the article 7.417 BW which stipulated the ruling. But only do so if you know that the real estate agent is really trying to get commission from both sides, else it is just fair that they charge you a fee.

Administratiekosten

Administration costs are allowed, as long as they are reasonable and in line with work delivered. So if they want to charge you 1 month rent as administration, then you can definitely say no to this, as it is out of proportion. It should generally be less than €200. But you can still ask them to specify the bill, as €200 is on the high end.

Overnamekosten

Transfer fees. These are fees that you would pay the previous tenant for things they leave behind for you, like furniture. You are not obligated to pay these if you do not want to. They can also remove their furniture and then you can bring in your own. This of course if we are talking about an unfurnished apartment.

Borgsom

Deposit. It is normal to pay a deposit. It can vary from 1 month rent to 3 months rent. I would always try and argue that 1 month is enough and pay max 2, unless the apartment is very luxurious and has many expensive things that could break. Make sure that it is clear that you have paid it, I.E. get the owner to sign for payment and make clear (written in the contract) about how and when you get it back, as there are no regulations regarding this topic. Generally, within 1 month after contract end is reasonable.

Sleutelgeld

Sleutelgeld is literally Key money. This used to be very common. Nowadays not so much. It is however not allowed to charge a renter Sleutelgeld, as there is no renting possible without handing over the keys. They only thing allowed would be a deposit for the keys, which would generally for port of the deposit you pay.