Tenancy · Updated 15 Sep 2026 · ~8 min read

Renting in Maastricht in 2026: rooms, the local rules, and how to get your deposit back

Maastricht is a university city with strict rules on who may let rooms and tourist stays. This guide covers those rules, registering at your address, your lease and deposit, and the free help the city offers.

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Deposit not back? Free checkThe Maastricht rules

Rules from the City of Maastricht, Rijksoverheid, the Huurcommissie and the Civil Code · Checked 15 September 2026

Short answer

Renting in Maastricht is shaped by Maastricht University, where 61% of students come from abroad, and by city rules that limit new student rooms to 120 a year and room rental to streets with space for it. A landlord may ask at most 2 months of basic rent as a deposit. If something goes wrong, the city’s report desk and Huurteam Zuid-Limburg help tenants for free.

Key facts for 2026

  • 61% of Maastricht University students are international, from 134 countries.
  • 120 new student rooms a year is the most Maastricht allows through splits and conversions.
  • 4 houses without room rental must stand between two houses that let rooms in the same street.
  • 60 nights a year is the limit for letting a whole Maastricht home to tourists.
  • €418,000 WOZ value is the 2026 ceiling for buyout protection in Maastricht.
  • 2 months of basic rent is the most a Maastricht landlord may ask as a deposit.
  • 5 days after arriving is when you must register, free of charge.

This is general information about Dutch law, not legal advice for your situation. Rules change; figures are for 2026. No rights can be derived from this text.

Market

Renting in Maastricht: a market shaped by the university

Maastricht’s rental market revolves around its university, where 61% of the students are international.

Students from 134 countries have enrolled at Maastricht University, and more than half come from within 100 km of the city (Maastricht University). At the same time some landlords are selling up: in Pararius’s latest monitor, 8.1% of the homes sold in Maastricht had been offered for rent before (Pararius).

FigureValueSource
Maastricht University students who are international61%UM
Countries its students come from134UM
Homes sold in Maastricht that were first offered for rent on Pararius or Huurwoningen.nl8.1%Pararius
Upper rent limit of the regulated mid-rent sector, 2026 (national)€1,228.07 a monthVolkshuisvesting

Homes with a rent up to €1,228.07 a month in 2026 fall under the national points system (Volkshuisvesting Nederland); our rent check guide explains it.

Moved out of a Maastricht room or flat?

If the deposit has not come back, a free check of about 2 minutes shows whether a lawyer can recover it.

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Local rules

Maastricht rules for tenants: rooms, tourist lets, buyout protection

Three local rules decide which Maastricht homes may be let, to whom and for how long.

  • Rooms (kamerverhuur). Converting a home into rooms needs an environmental permit. The home must be larger than 140 m² and at least 5 years old, each area has a maximum share of room rental, and between 2 houses with rooms there must be at least 4 houses without. New student rooms are capped at 120 a year: 40 splits, 40 conversions and 40 small conversions (City of Maastricht). Renting a room? Ask whether the house has its permit.
  • Tourist lets. Since 1 October 2022 anyone letting a home or 1 or 2 rooms to tourists must register; approval takes about 2 weeks and the number goes in every advert. A whole home may be let for at most 60 nights a year and 4 weeks in a row, each let reported in advance. Housing association homes are excluded, and a tenant needs the owner’s permission (City of Maastricht). See our subletting and Airbnb guide.
  • Buyout protection (opkoopbescherming). Since 1 October 2022 a home with a WOZ value below €418,000 (2026) may only be let under conditions and with a rental permit, which only the owner can request. New-build homes are exempt, and an owner who lives in the home may let up to 2 rooms under the lodger rules (City of Maastricht).

Finding a home

Finding a place and registering in Maastricht

Before you pay anything, make sure the offer is free of agency fees and that you can register at the address.

  • No agency fees. An agent working for the landlord may not charge you, even if the landlord pays the agent nothing (Rijksoverheid).
  • Register within 5 days. Moving to Maastricht from abroad for more than 4 months, you register free of charge within 5 days. Bring a rental or purchase contract printed and signed by both parties, or written permission from the main occupant (City of Maastricht).
  • Students. International students use their own online form and get an e-mail within 5 weeks, then book an appointment within 2 months (City of Maastricht). Our IND and registration in Maastricht guide covers every route.

Your lease

Your lease and rent in Maastricht: permanent, written, checkable

A new Maastricht tenant normally gets an open-ended written lease, and a rent the points system allows.

  • No end date. Temporary leases are only allowed in set cases, for example a student renting temporarily for studies in another municipality (Rijksoverheid).
  • The rules a landlord must follow. A written lease, clear information on the deposit and service charges, and for new leases from 1 January 2025 a points calculation of the home. Since that date you can also report a rent you think is too high to the city (City of Maastricht).
  • The Huurcommissie. In the first 6 months of the lease it can review whether your rent is correct (Huurcommissie).

Deposit

Your deposit in Maastricht: the limit, the deadline and the free check

A Maastricht landlord may ask at most 2 months of basic rent as a deposit.

Important — read before you worry about cost

The €188 is not paid upfront

For eligible lowest-bracket legal aid (toevoeging), the lawyer contribution is usually not due before your case starts. If your case succeeds, it can be paid from the money you recover — not from your own pocket upfront.

  • €0 now — free eligibility check (opens checker directly)
  • €49 later only if FindLawyer can help after review (refunded if we cannot connect you to the lawyer)
  • €188 lawyer/legal-aid share — after recovery if you win, lawyer confirms eligibility

Still no deposit from your Maastricht landlord?

The eligibility check is free, in English, and takes about 2 minutes.

Do your free eligibility check

Help

Free help for tenants in Maastricht

Maastricht tenants have two free places to turn: the city’s report desk and Huurteam Zuid-Limburg.

  • The report desk for good landlordship. It handles reports about private landlords and letting agents on behalf of the city, advises you on your options, and accepts anonymous reports; the city can enforce and fine (City of Maastricht).
  • Huurteam Zuid-Limburg. Free legal advice for tenants: it checks leases, calculates the maximum rent, advises on defects and service charges and helps with the Huurcommissie or talks with the landlord. Find it at the Studenten Services Centrum, Bonnefantenstraat 2 (City of Maastricht).
  • The court. Rechtbank Limburg receives visitors at Sint Annadal 1 in Maastricht (Rechtspraak.nl), weekdays from 8.30 to 17.00 (Rechtspraak.nl). For the cost of a lawyer, see our legal aid guide.

Rather have a specialist chase your deposit?

Start with the free check; if your case fits, we introduce a specialist deposit lawyer.

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Keep reading

Related guides

More of our guides for living in Maastricht.

Service

Free deposit check

Landlord kept your deposit? Check your case.

 Tool

Deposit calculator

The legal maximum and the repayment date.

 Rent

Is my rent too high?

The points check for your rent.

 Rules

Subletting and Airbnb

National rules for letting your home.

 Arriving

IND and registration in Maastricht

The Expat Centre, the IND Service Point, your BSN.

 Work

Working in Maastricht

Cross-border jobs and dismissal help.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is renting in Maastricht hard for international students?

Demand is high: 61% of Maastricht University students are international, from 134 countries, and more than half come from within 100 km of the city. The city also caps new student rooms at 120 a year. Start early, check that the landlord has the room permits, and make sure you can register at the address.

Does a Maastricht landlord need a permit to let rooms?

To convert a home into rooms, yes: an environmental permit, and only for a home larger than 140 m² and at least 5 years old, in an area below its maximum share of room rental, with at least 4 houses without rooms between two houses with rooms. An owner who lives in the home may let up to 2 rooms under the lodger rules.

Can I let my Maastricht home to tourists?

Only after registering: since 1 October 2022 every tourist let needs a registration number in the advert, and approval takes about 2 weeks. A whole home may be let for at most 60 nights a year and 4 weeks in a row, each stay reported in advance. Housing association homes are excluded, and a tenant needs the owner’s permission.

How much deposit can a Maastricht landlord ask?

At most 2 months of basic rent. The landlord repays it within 14 days after the lease ends, or within 30 days when damage or unpaid rent has to be settled, with a written specification of the costs. A deposit above the limit can be reported to the city’s report desk for good landlordship.

Where can tenants in Maastricht get free help?

Huurteam Zuid-Limburg gives free legal advice: it checks leases, works out the maximum rent, advises on defects and service charges and helps with the Huurcommissie. It sits in the Studenten Services Centrum at Bonnefantenstraat 2. The city’s report desk for good landlordship handles complaints about private landlords.

How do I register my address in Maastricht?

Register free of charge within 5 days of arriving if you stay more than 4 months, using the online form for your situation, then confirm your identity at the municipal service desk. Bring a rental contract printed and signed by both parties. Students get an e-mail within 5 weeks explaining how to book the appointment.

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Official sources, checked 15 September 2026

Final notes and legal disclaimer

  • This article provides general information and is not tailored to your personal circumstances.
  • It does not cover all situations, exceptions, or recent legal changes.
  • Reading this article does not create a lawyer-client relationship with findlawyer.nl or any associated entity.
  • No guarantee is given that this information is complete, accurate, or up to date.
  • No rights can be derived from this article.
  • For decisions about renting in Maastricht, or your specific situation, always consult a qualified professional.

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