Service charges in the Netherlands (2026): what a landlord may charge, the annual statement and refunds
Service charges come on top of the basic rent, and the yearly statement is where mistakes show up. This guide explains what a landlord may charge, how to get money back, what furniture and administration may cost, how the energy label affects your rent, and the rules that start in 2027.
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Rules from the Huurcommissie, the Civil Code and Government.nl · Checked 15 September 2026
Short answer
Service charges, servicekosten, are what a Dutch landlord charges on top of the basic rent for goods and services that come with the home, such as cleaning, lighting in shared areas, a caretaker or furniture. The landlord may only charge costs actually incurred and must send a statement for each year before 1 July. If it is missing or wrong, ask the landlord in writing; after 3 weeks you can go to the Huurcommissie, up to 2 years after the statement was due. New rules apply to leases signed from 1 January 2027.
Key facts for 2026
- 1 July is the deadline for the landlord’s statement covering the previous calendar year.
- 3 weeks is the time a landlord gets to answer your written objection to the statement.
- 30 June 2028 is the last day to have the 2025 statement checked by the Huurcommissie.
- 5% is the most a landlord may add for administration on most cost items, capped at €75 per statement.
- 20% of the value a year is the usual charge for furniture and curtains with a five-year life.
- 55% of an all-in rent, at least, must be basic rent in your proposal to split it.
- 8 kinds of service charges are the only ones allowed on leases signed from 1 January 2027.
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.
Charges
What service charges a landlord may charge
Service charges pay for goods and services that come with living in the home, and a landlord may only charge what was actually spent (Government.nl).
| Cost item | What the Huurcommissie accepts |
|---|---|
| Cleaning, lighting of shared areas, a caretaker | Service costs, at the actual cost |
| Gas, water and electricity with your own meter | Not service costs: a separate monthly advance |
| Curtains, carpet, furniture, a fridge or washing machine | A usage fee: usually 20% of the value a year, 10% for appliances and laminate in one home |
| Built-in appliances, central heating, radiators, a tiled floor | Nothing extra: they are part of the basic rent |
| Small repairs the landlord carries out for you | Allowed when the lease says the landlord does them |
| Administration | At most 5% of most items, 2% on the supply of heat; €7.50 to €75 per statement |
| Smoke detectors | No usage fee: they are the landlord’s cost |
| Taxes and levies, such as the waste levy | Not service costs, and not for the Huurcommissie |
Source: Huurcommissie service charges policy book, July 2026, and its page on service charges.
- Check your lease. Which services you pay for is usually in the lease, and the amount often in the letter about the annual rent increase (Huurcommissie).
- Furniture loses value. After its life, the value is reset at 60%: curtains worth €300 cost €60 a year for 5 years, then €36 a year. Without invoices or a list of the items, the standard amount is €12 a year (policy book).
- Shared areas. Costs are in principle split equally over the homes that use or can use them, and a tenant who does not use the shared areas at all does not pay for them (policy book).
Statement
The annual service charges statement
Every year, within 6 months of the end of the calendar year, the landlord must send a statement of the charges, broken down by type and showing how each was calculated (Civil Code, article 7:259).
- What it shows. What you paid in advance and what the costs really were: you pay the difference or get money back (Huurcommissie). The Huurcommissie’s sample statement lists each cost item, the total, the distribution key and your share.
- See the invoices. On request, the landlord must let you inspect the books and documents behind the statement, or copies. When your lease ends, the statement covers the part of the year that has passed (Civil Code, article 7:259).
- Your deposit. A landlord may withhold unpaid service costs from the deposit (Government.nl); see our rental deposit guide.
| Statement for | Due by | Last day to file with the Huurcommissie |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 30 June 2025 | 30 June 2027 |
| 2025 | 30 June 2026 | 30 June 2028 |
| 2026 | 30 June 2027 | 30 June 2029 |
Source: Huurcommissie, checking the annual service-charge statement.
Refunds
Getting service charges back: the landlord first, then the Huurcommissie
Put your objection to the landlord in writing first; with no answer in 3 weeks, or no agreement, you can start a case at the Huurcommissie.
- Write to the landlord By email or letter, name the cost items on the statement you disagree with (Huurcommissie).
- Allow 3 weeks The landlord can explain the statement or say it will be corrected (Huurcommissie).
- File with the Huurcommissie In MijnHuurcommissie, choose the form for the service-charge statement, within 2 years of the date the statement was due (Huurcommissie).
- Claim the money If the ruling shows you paid too much, ask the landlord for it yourself; if the landlord will not pay, contact the Juridisch Loket (Huurcommissie).
- No statement at all? Ask for it in writing after 1 July; if it has not come 3 weeks later, the Huurcommissie decides what you owe (Huurcommissie).
- Binding or advice. The ruling binds both sides in social rent, and on mid-rent or free-sector leases signed from 1 July 2024. On an older free-sector lease it is advice, and only possible if the landlord agreed in writing (Huurcommissie).
- Invoices decide. The landlord must prove the costs with invoices or other proof of payment (policy book). The law allows a request up to 24 months after the statement deadline (Civil Code, article 7:260).
- Fee and hearing. Our Huurcommissie guide explains what a case costs, how it runs and how to challenge the ruling.
Landlord refusing to repay service charges? Talk to a tenancy lawyer
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Advances
Monthly advances, all-in rents and the energy performance fee
What you pay each month is an advance, and some of it can be checked before the year is over.
- Utilities advance too high. With your own meter for gas, water and electricity, ask the landlord in writing to lower it, propose an amount and allow 3 weeks, then go to the Huurcommissie; not if you pay the energy supplier directly (Huurcommissie). By law, the Huurcommissie can lower an advance that is considerably higher than the expected costs, and each statement may lead to only one increase of the advance (Civil Code, article 7:261).
- All-in rent. With one price for rent and costs you cannot check the annual increase or the statement. Propose a split: basic rent at least 55% and the advance at least 25% of the all-in price, starting no earlier than 2 months after your letter. The Huurcommissie can be asked up to 6 weeks after the proposed date (Huurcommissie).
- Energy performance fee. In a very energy-efficient home you can agree to pay an energieprestatievergoeding (EPV). The landlord must send an overview before 1 July showing the energy the home generated; you have 2 years to go to the Huurcommissie, and the ruling binds in social and mid-rent (Huurcommissie).
Energy label
The energy label: points, rent and what you can check
The energy label shows how energy efficient a home is and affects its maximum rent, so a wrong label can mean you pay too much (Huurcommissie).
- Reading the label. Labels run from G, least efficient, to A++++; with an energy index, lower is better. Download your home’s label from MijnOverheid with DigiD (Huurcommissie). A poor label now costs a self-contained home points, the tochtkorting (Huurcommissie).
- Having it checked. Only within a starting-rent review, which you can start up to 6 months after the lease begins, or a points-based rent reduction after a proposal to the landlord. Show reasonable doubt, such as single glazing listed as double, and send the label and photos; an expert may then visit (Huurcommissie). In the free sector the result is advice only (Huurcommissie).
- Which label counts. An expired label on the reference date, or a simplified label made without a visit, is not counted (Huurcommissie). Since 16 July 2026, in a case after a proposal to lower the rent, a label registered later can count if it is on EP-online before the ruling and nothing was improved in between (Huurcommissie). Check your points with our is my rent too high? guide.
2027
New service charges rules from 1 January 2027
The Wet modernisering servicekosten takes effect on 1 January 2027; some changes apply only to leases signed from that date, others to every lease (Huurcommissie).
| Change | Applies to |
|---|---|
| Only 8 kinds of service charges: heating and cooling; electricity, gas and water; movable goods; small repairs; supervision, security and waste; signal delivery; insurance and funds; administration | Leases signed from 1 January 2027 |
| The advance can be checked for all 8 kinds, not only metered gas, water and electricity | Leases signed from 1 January 2027 |
| A collective request needs only 2 tenants; the 50% participation rule, the 25-home minimum and the €36 minimum go | All leases |
| No proper statement: the Huurcommissie uses low standard amounts, sometimes €0 | All leases |
Sources: Huurcommissie and Volkshuisvesting Nederland on the Service Charges Modernisation Act.
- Existing leases keep their service charges, unless the tenant expressly agrees that the new rules apply (Huurcommissie).
- Older statements for years before 2027 are still judged under the old rules, and new cases look at the date the lease was signed. The reason for the change: some landlords charged costs that are clearly not service costs, such as fitness facilities or cinemas (Volkshuisvesting Nederland).
Keep reading
Related guides
More of our guides for tenants in the Netherlands.
Huurcommissie explained
Fees, the hearing and the deadlines to challenge a ruling.
RentIs my rent too high?
The points, the energy label and your maximum rent.
IncreasesChallenging a rent increase
What to do when the annual increase is wrong.
DepositRental deposit rules
What a landlord may keep from your deposit.
DefectsRental defects
Repairs, and a lower rent for serious defects.
RotterdamRent too high in Rotterdam
The points check and the city report desk.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What are service charges in a Dutch rental?
Service charges, servicekosten, are what you pay on top of the basic rent for goods and services that come with the home: for example cleaning, lighting in shared areas, a caretaker, or furniture and curtains. Gas, water and electricity with your own meter are paid as a separate monthly advance. Which services you pay for is usually set out in your lease.
When must my landlord send the service charges statement?
Before 1 July, for the previous calendar year. It must break the costs down by type and show how they were calculated, and on request the landlord must let you see the records behind it. If nothing has arrived by 1 July, ask for it in writing; if you still have no statement after 3 weeks, you can go to the Huurcommissie.
How far back can I challenge service charges?
At the Huurcommissie, up to 2 years after the statement should have reached you. For the 2025 statement, due by 30 June 2026, the last day to file is 30 June 2028. Before that, ask the landlord in writing to correct the items you dispute, and give the landlord 3 weeks to respond.
Can my landlord charge for furniture and appliances?
Yes, for movable items such as carpet, curtains, a fridge or a washing machine, but not for built-in appliances, radiators or central heating, which are part of the basic rent. The Huurcommissie usually allows 20% of the value a year for an item with a five-year life, or 10% for household appliances and laminate in one home. After that period the value is reset at 60%.
How much can a landlord charge for administration?
Under the Huurcommissie’s policy, at most 5% of the cost items, or 2% on the supply of heat, including VAT. The minimum is €7.50 and the maximum €75 per statement per home. Administration costs may only be charged when the landlord has actually sent a statement, although a late statement still counts.
Can the Huurcommissie lower my monthly advance?
For gas, water and electricity with your own meter, yes. Ask the landlord in writing to lower it, propose an amount and allow 3 weeks, then file with the Huurcommissie. This does not work if you pay the energy supplier directly. On leases signed from 1 January 2027 you can have the advance checked for every kind of service charge.
Does the energy label affect my rent?
Yes. The label counts in the points that set the maximum rent, and a poor label costs points for a self-contained home. If you think the label is wrong, ask the Huurcommissie to check it as part of a starting-rent review or a points-based rent reduction, and show reasonable doubt, for example the wrong type of glazing on the label.
What changes for service charges in 2027?
Leases signed from 1 January 2027 may only include 8 kinds of service charges, and tenants can have the advance checked for all of them. On every lease, 2 tenants can file a joint request, and a landlord without a proper statement risks low standard amounts, sometimes €0. Existing leases keep their charges unless the tenant expressly agrees to the new rules.
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Official sources, checked 15 September 2026
- Government.nl: step-by-step plan for tenants
- Huurcommissie: service charges and gas, water and electricity (in Dutch)
- Huurcommissie: service charges policy book, July 2026 (PDF, in Dutch)
- Dutch Civil Code, Book 7, articles 7:259 to 7:261 (in Dutch)
- Huurcommissie: sample service-charge statement (PDF, in Dutch)
- Huurcommissie: checking the annual service-charge statement (in Dutch)
- Huurcommissie: checking the monthly advance for utilities (in Dutch)
- Huurcommissie: splitting an all-in rent (in Dutch)
- Huurcommissie: the energy performance fee (in Dutch)
- Huurcommissie: checking the energy label, social and mid-rent (in Dutch)
- Huurcommissie: the Affordable Rent Act for tenants (in Dutch)
- Huurcommissie: checking the energy label, free sector (in Dutch)
- Huurcommissie: the energy label in a rent procedure, 5 December 2025 (in Dutch)
- Huurcommissie: a label registered after the reference date can count, 16 July 2026 (in Dutch)
- Huurcommissie: new service charges rules from 1 January 2027 (in Dutch)
- Volkshuisvesting Nederland: the Service Charges Modernisation Act (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 service charges and the energy label in Dutch rentals, 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.