Renting in The Hague in 2026: what it costs, the local rules, and how to get your deposit back

Four local rules shape the Hague rental market, and two of them are stricter than in most Dutch cities.

• The housing permit (huisvestingsvergunning). It is needed for a self-contained home with 186 points or fewer, or with a rent up to €1,228.07 a month, not for a room or a home you already rented before 1 July 2019. You must be 18 or older, have Dutch nationality, a valid EU, EEA passport or a valid residence permit, and have at least 12 m² each; a home over 80 m² below €932.93 needs at least 3 residents. A corporation usually arranges the permit; renting privately, you apply with the signed lease, proof of income no older than 3 months and an owner’s statement on buyout protection (Municipality of The Hague).
• Holiday rental. A resident may let a self-contained home to tourists for at most 30 nights a year while away, with a permit of €131.20 that lasts 3 years and a free registration number. Every stay is reported in advance, each guest needs 12 m², and a tenant checks first whether subletting is allowed (Municipality of The Hague). See our subletting and Airbnb guide.
• Landlord licence in Transvaal and Laak. Since 1 March 2024 private landlords in Transvaalkwartier Midden and Zuid and in Laakkwartier Oost and West need a licence (€286.65), must keep to the maximum rent and send a maintenance plan within 6 months (Municipality of The Hague).
• Buyout protection. A home that changed owner on or after 1 March 2022 may not simply be let if its WOZ value is at or below the limit for the year of transfer, and the tenant still needs a housing permit. Letting without a permit brings fines of €10,000 or more, up to €40,000 (Municipality of The Hague).

New tenants normally get an open-ended lease, and in the first 6 months both the Huurcommissie and the city’s Huurteam can check whether the rent is right.

• Open-ended by default. A temporary lease is allowed only in set situations, for example for a student renting temporarily for studies in another municipality, and lasts at most 2 years (Rijksoverheid).
• The Huurcommissie. In the first 6 months of a lease it can assess whether the rent is correct (Huurcommissie); its postal address is Postbus 16495, 2500 BL Den Haag (Huurcommissie).
• The Huurteam’s points check. Just moved? Whatever the rent, the Huurteam will calculate the points in your first 6 months; after that, it helps when the basic rent is below €932.93 (Municipality of The Hague).
• In writing. A landlord who gives no written lease, unclear information or unreasonable service charges can be reported to the city (Municipality of The Hague).

The Hague offers private tenants more free help than most cities: a Huurteam, tenant advisers, an inspection squad and reimbursed court costs.

• The Huurteam. For private tenants registered in The Hague: it checks your rent against the points, tells you how to raise it with the landlord, helps with a Huurcommissie case, and can visit to assess a temporary rent reduction for poor maintenance; book online or by phone (Municipality of The Hague).
• Tenant advisers and court costs. The city’s tenant advisers check the rent and look at the home if needed. If a landlord does not respond to a Huurcommissie ruling, you can go to court, the legal costs are reimbursed, and the city helps you (Municipality of The Hague).
• The Haagse Pandbrigade. Threatened or discriminated against while looking for a home, or living with neglect or overdue maintenance? Report it to the Pandbrigade, or anonymously to the good-landlord report desk (Municipality of The Hague).
• The court. Rechtbank Den Haag receives visitors at Prins Clauslaan 60 on weekdays from 8.30 to 17.00 (Rechtspraak.nl), and its kantonrechter hears tenancy cases (Rechtspraak.nl). Short of money for a lawyer? Read our legal aid guide.