Renting in Den Bosch in 2026: the local rules, where to report a landlord, and how to get your deposit back

Three municipal rules shape the Den Bosch rental market, and the first applies in every neighbourhood of the city.

• Buyout protection (opkoopbescherming). In force across the whole municipality since 1 July 2022 and extended on 27 January 2026: a home with a WOZ value below €332,000 on 1 January 2025 may not be let during the first 4 years after purchase. That protects about 16% of all owner-occupied homes. Letting without a permit costs a fine of €21,750, and €87,000 for a repeat within 4 years. Permits exist for letting to relatives in the first or second degree, for letting at most 12 months after living in the home for a year, and for homes that belong to a shop, office or business (Municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch).
• Holiday rental. Letting your home to tourists conflicts with its residential zoning, so you need an environmental permit. You must be the main resident, offer the home for at most 30 nights a year with at most 6 beds, get written consent from the landlord or owners’ association, and pay tourist tax. One home never gets permits for both a B&B and holiday rental (Municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch). See our subletting and Airbnb guide.
• Lodgers (hospitaverhuur). A resident may let up to 2 rooms to at most 2 people without a permit, if they live there and use at least 50% of the home, share the kitchen or bathroom, give each lodger at least 10 m² and sign a rental contract; the lodger registers at the address too. The corporations Zayaz, BrabantWonen, Mooiland and JOOST take part, and the city works with Hospi Housing to match lodgers and hosts (Municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch).
• Temporary letting of an owner’s home. Under the Vacancy Act an owner can get a permit to let a home temporarily, for at least 6 months and at most 5 years (Municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch).

A private landlord in Den Bosch has to put the lease and your rights on paper, and the rent can be checked against the points system.

• Permanent as a rule. A new tenant gets a lease with no end date; a temporary lease is only for set situations, such as a student renting for studies in another municipality, and lasts at most 2 years (Rijksoverheid). Our temporary rental contract guide explains how one ends.
• What the landlord must give you in writing. The lease itself, your rights and duties, clear agreements on any deposit, the rules on service charges, the contact details of the manager and those of the city’s report desk; the landlord must also show the points total the rent is based on (Municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch).
• Service charges. If talking to your landlord does not settle a service-charge calculation, the municipality will check it for you (Municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch).
• The starting rent. In the first 6 months of your lease the Huurcommissie can review whether the rent is right (Huurcommissie); our Huurcommissie guide explains the procedure.

Private tenants in Den Bosch report problems to the municipality, which can enforce the rules and fine a landlord.

• The report desk. Report suspected discrimination, intimidation, a landlord who will not put the lease in writing, missing written information, a deposit that is too high or late, extra charges, and unexplained service charges. The city also takes reports under the Affordable Rent Act (Municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch). Questions go to the Omgevingsloket on 073 – 61 557 77.
• Corporation tenants of BrabantWonen, Zayaz, Mooiland or JOOST complain to the corporation itself (Municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch).
• The court. Rechtbank Oost-Brabant sits in the Paleis van Justitie at Leeghwaterlaan 8, behind the central station (Rechtspraak.nl). If cost is the problem, see our legal aid guide.
• Need a lawyer? See our page on finding an English-speaking tenant lawyer in the Netherlands.