Landlord sold the house? Who returns your deposit in the Netherlands
Landlord selling? The sale does not end your lease: the buyer takes over the landlord’s rights and duties that fall due after the transfer (article 7:226). What a sale means for your lease, what the law does and does not say about your deposit, and what to ask the old and the new owner. For tenants whose rented home has changed hands.
FindLawyer gives practical initial guidance, prepares your case and matches you with a suitable independent lawyer. Legal advice comes from the partner lawyer.
Rules from the Civil Code, the Juridisch Loket, Rijksoverheid and Volkshuisvesting Nederland · Checked 25 September 2026
Short answer
If your landlord sold the house, your lease carries on with the buyer. Under article 7:226 of the Dutch Civil Code, the sale passes the landlord’s rights and obligations under the lease that fall due afterwards to the new owner, and the Juridisch Loket says the new owner becomes your landlord. Who must repay the deposit is not spelled out: the statute does not name the deposit, and no official page we checked answers it. Write to the old and the new owner, hold them to the 14-day and 30-day deadlines of article 7:261b, and let a lawyer decide whom to claim from.
Start the free 2-minute FindLawyer deposit check
Key facts for 2026
- Article 7:226 of the Civil Code: a sale does not end your lease, and obligations falling due afterwards pass to the buyer.
- 14 days after the tenancy ends: the deadline to repay the deposit, sale or no sale (article 7:261b).
- 30 days if costs are deducted, with a written, complete cost specification.
- 4 costs only may be set off: unpaid rent, unpaid service costs, damage you caused and the energy performance fee.
- €3.70 is what the Kadaster charges to tell you who owns the home, according to the Juridisch Loket.
- 2 years living in the home before letting it is one condition for the only sale exception, “proefsamenwonen”.
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.
Your lease
My landlord sold the house: what happens to my lease?
Nothing ends: under article 7:226 of the Dutch Civil Code, the sale passes the landlord’s rights and obligations under your lease that fall due afterwards to the buyer. In Dutch this is known as koop breekt geen huur (a sale does not break a lease).
“Nee. Uw verhuurder mag uw huurcontract niet opzeggen als hij de woning verkoopt. Bij verkoop wordt de nieuwe eigenaar uw verhuurder. Uw huurcontract verandert niet.”
Our translation: “No. Your landlord may not end your rental contract if he sells the home. On a sale, the new owner becomes your landlord. Your rental contract does not change.” From the Juridisch Loket, checked 25 September 2026.
- No contract override: for a building, article 7:226 says the parties cannot agree otherwise.
- Selling is not “own use”: article 7:274 excludes the sale of the home from the landlord’s urgent own use, one of the grounds a court can accept to end a lease.
- The one exception: “proefsamenwonen”, a private landlord letting the home temporarily while moving in with a partner. The lease lasts at most 2 years, the landlord must have lived in the home for at least 2 years, let only that home and marry or enter a registered partnership. Even then the landlord needs your consent or a court’s.
- Rent: rent that falls due after the transfer is one of the rights that passes to the buyer. Ask both owners to confirm the transfer date in writing before you change who you pay.
Who pays
Who has to return my deposit after the sale?
Article 7:226 of the Dutch Civil Code moves to the buyer only the obligations that fall due after the transfer, and repaying your deposit falls due 14 days after your tenancy ends, or 30 days with deductions. Read together, that points to the new owner when your tenancy ends after the sale.
But the same article binds the buyer only to lease clauses directly linked to letting the home for rent, and it does not say whether the deposit is one of them. None of the official pages we checked, from Rijksoverheid, Volkshuisvesting Nederland and the Juridisch Loket, says who repays the deposit after a sale. So we give you no rule here. A tenancy lawyer can look at your dates and your lease and decide whom to claim from.
| Your situation | What the official texts say | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Your tenancy ended before the sale | You rented from the old owner, and the lease ended before the transfer. | Claim from the old owner. Have a lawyer check if the dates are close. |
| Your tenancy ends after the sale | Repaying falls due after the transfer, but no official text we checked says whether the buyer is bound for the deposit. | Write to both owners and let a lawyer decide whom to claim from. |
| You are still renting | The buyer is now your landlord. The texts do not say where the deposit money should be. | Ask both owners in writing where your deposit is now. |
| You do not know who owns the home | The Kadaster can tell you who owns it. | Check before you write. |
Sources: Civil Code art. 7:226 and 7:261b; Juridisch Loket. Checked 25 September 2026.
Letters
What should I ask the old and the new owner, in writing?
The Juridisch Loket says the Kadaster can tell you who owns the home for €3.70, so confirm the new owner first and then write to both. Ask short, specific questions that need a written answer.
- To the old owner: the date the home was transferred, the buyer’s name and address, whether your deposit was passed on to the buyer, and how much.
- To the new owner: confirmation that they are your landlord from that date, whether they received your deposit and how much, and that they will repay it within the legal deadlines when your tenancy ends.
- How to send it: by email and by registered post. Keep a copy, the proof of sending and the proof that it was received, refused or not collected (Juridisch Loket). A written reply already counts as proof that your letter arrived.
- Your own proof: Rijksoverheid advises a receipt or a bank transfer for the deposit, so you can prove what you paid.
Deadlines
Do the 14-day and 30-day deadlines still apply after a sale?
Yes: article 7:261b of the Dutch Civil Code gives 14 days after the tenancy ends, or 30 days with a written cost specification, and it has no exception for a sale. Whoever repays, the same rules apply.
- Only 4 deductions: Rijksoverheid lists unpaid rent, unpaid service costs, damage you caused beyond normal wear, and the energy performance fee. Administration fees and other costs may not be deducted.
- Cleaning: cleaning is not a separate item on that list, so a landlord may not charge routine end-of-tenancy cleaning or a standard cleaning fee. The landlord may deduct the actual cost of cleaning only if you left the home dirty or not as agreed, and never for normal wear (Rijksoverheid).
- No opt-out: article 7:265 says these deposit rules cannot be set aside unless they say so themselves.
- Older contracts: did your tenancy start before 1 July 2023? Then have the deadline checked.
- The demand letter: you can ask for the deposit back from 2 weeks after your tenancy ends. Our guide for when your landlord is not returning your deposit shows how.
Next step
When should I bring in a lawyer after the sale?
Bring one in once 14 days have passed since your tenancy ended and neither owner pays: Volkshuisvesting Nederland says the Huurcommissie plays no role in deposit disputes, so the claim goes to a court. After a sale the first question is whom to claim from, and that is a question for a lawyer.
- Court: tenancy cases go to the kantonrechter whatever the amount, and a lawyer is not required (rechtspraak.nl). Read how a deposit claim at the kantonrechter works.
- Tools: run the FindLawyer deposit check at the top of this page, and test each deduction with the FindLawyer deposit calculator.
- Legal aid: see whether you qualify for subsidised legal aid.
- The basics: our guide to rental deposits in the Netherlands covers the maximum and every deduction.
Old owner and new owner pointing at each other?
The FindLawyer deposit check asks a few questions about your lease and the sale. Free, about 2 minutes.
What the FindLawyer deposit route costs
- Eligibility check: Free, takes about 2 minutes at findlawyer.nl/deposit. No BSN or document upload required.
- Coordination fee: €49, and you only pay it after we have reviewed your documents.
- Lawyer/legal-aid contribution (2026): With legal aid, you pay the lawyer €188. You only pay after you get your deposit back, out of the money you get back.
FindLawyer.nl offers tenants in the Netherlands a free 2-minute deposit check. If the deposit looks recoverable, it matches the tenant with an independent tenancy lawyer. FindLawyer is not a law firm.
Keep reading
Related guides
More for tenants whose home changes hands.
Landlord not returning your deposit
The demand letter, step by step.
DepositRental deposits in the Netherlands
The maximum, deductions and deadlines for 2026.
CourtA deposit claim at the kantonrechter
How a court claim works and what it costs.
EvictionEviction in the Netherlands
When a landlord can and cannot end your lease.
DeductionsIllegal deposit deductions
What a landlord may and may not keep.
TenancyTenancy law hub
All our English guides for renters, in one place.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
My landlord sold the house. Who returns my deposit?
The law does not say it in so many words. Article 7:226 of the Civil Code passes the obligations under your lease that fall due after the sale to the buyer, and the Juridisch Loket says the new owner becomes your landlord. No official page we checked names the deposit. Write to both owners and let a tenancy lawyer decide whom to claim from.
Can the new owner end my lease because they bought the house?
No. The Juridisch Loket says your landlord may not end your lease because of a sale: the new owner becomes your landlord and your contract does not change. Article 7:274 also says a sale does not count as the landlord needing the home. The one exception is “proefsamenwonen”, and your lease must say so.
The old landlord says the buyer has my deposit. What should I do?
Ask the old landlord to confirm in writing the date of the transfer, the buyer’s name and address, and the amount passed on. Then ask the buyer to confirm in writing that they received it. Send both letters by email and registered post and keep the proof. The Kadaster can confirm the owner for €3.70.
Can my lease be changed because the house was sold?
No. The Juridisch Loket says your rental contract does not change when the home is sold. Article 7:226 of the Civil Code adds that for a building the landlord and tenant cannot agree otherwise. Your rent, your deposit clause and your protection stay as they were, and the buyer steps into the landlord’s place.
Can the Huurcommissie help me get my deposit back after a sale?
No. Volkshuisvesting Nederland says the Huurcommissie plays no role in deposit disputes; only a court can order repayment. Tenancy cases go to the kantonrechter whatever the amount, and a lawyer is not required there. After a sale a lawyer is still useful, because the first question is which owner to claim from.
Free checklist · one-page PDF
Moving to the Netherlands?
Get the 12 legal things nobody tells you before you arrive — deposits, contracts, the 30% ruling, your rights. One email, no spam.
Already here and need a lawyer? Tell us what happened
Official sources, checked 25 September 2026
- Wetten.nl: Dutch Civil Code, Book 7, articles 7:226, 7:261b, 7:265 and 7:274 (in Dutch)
- Juridisch Loket: may my landlord end my lease? (in Dutch)
- Juridisch Loket: what to check in your rental contract (in Dutch)
- Juridisch Loket: example letter to ask for your deposit back (in Dutch)
- Rijksoverheid: may my landlord ask for a deposit? (in Dutch)
- Volkshuisvesting Nederland: the deposit (in Dutch)
- Rechtspraak.nl: starting a summons case at the kantonrechter (in Dutch)
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 your deposit or your tenancy, or your specific situation, always consult a qualified professional.
FindLawyer is a lawyer-matching and case-preparation service, not a law firm. Legal advice comes from the partner lawyer.