{"id":297,"date":"2026-10-02T06:48:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T06:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/?post_type=ba_guide&#038;p=297"},"modified":"2026-10-02T06:48:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T06:48:34","slug":"rental-defects-mould-leaks-netherlands","status":"publish","type":"ba_guide","link":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/?ba_guide=rental-defects-mould-leaks-netherlands","title":{"rendered":"Mould, leaks and defects in a Dutch rental: what to do"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"ba-lead wp-block-paragraph\">Mould, leaks, draughts, heating failures and other maintenance problems can qualify as defects, but the correct response is evidence plus a formal repair request\u2014not merely complaining verbally.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 1: tell the landlord in writing<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Describe the problem, where it occurs, when it began and what you want repaired. Attach photographs and keep proof of delivery. Current Huurcommissie guidance says tenants should first report the problem to the landlord; if it has not been solved after <strong>six weeks<\/strong>, a Huurcommissie procedure may be available. Written reporting is especially important for proving when the landlord was notified.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who must repair what?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dutch rental law divides maintenance between tenant and landlord. Small day-to-day repairs can be the tenant&#8217;s responsibility, while major maintenance and many building defects are the landlord&#8217;s. Use the Huurcommissie <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huurcommissie.nl\/support\/onderhoud-en-gebreken-check\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gebrekencheck<\/a> and the government maintenance overview rather than assuming every repair belongs to one side.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mould is not automatically one person&#8217;s fault<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Record mould, condensation, ventilation facilities, leaks and temperatures. The cause matters: building defects, inadequate ventilation facilities and occupant behaviour can lead to different conclusions. The Huurcommissie updated its defects policy in July 2026, including clarification of mould combined with natural ventilation.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Possible outcomes<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>the landlord repairs the problem after your notice;<\/li><li>the Huurcommissie investigates and, where its rules allow, can temporarily reduce rent because of qualifying defects;<\/li><li>the municipality may have housing-quality\/enforcement powers;<\/li><li>the kantonrechter can be used when a judicial order, damages or another court remedy is needed.<\/li><\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2025 the Huurcommissie carried out more than 100 building investigations per week on average; over 70 per week related to maintenance-defect disputes. Common complaints included mould, leaks and draughts. That makes this a normal enforcement route, not an exotic last resort.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to report rental defects, preserve evidence, identify maintenance responsibility and use the Huurcommissie or other enforcement routes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"template":"","ba_country":[2],"ba_topic":[319,311,307,313,312],"ba_audience":[284,283,261,309,308],"ba_section":[168,20],"ba_stage":[28,30],"ba_location":[],"class_list":["post-297","ba_guide","type-ba_guide","status-publish","hentry","ba_country-netherlands","ba_topic-evidence","ba_topic-housing-defects","ba_topic-huurcommissie","ba_topic-leaks","ba_topic-mould","ba_audience-families","ba_audience-international-workers","ba_audience-newcomers","ba_audience-renters","ba_audience-students","ba_section-legal-rights","ba_section-living","ba_stage-getting-established","ba_stage-living-stage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/ba_guide\/297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/ba_guide"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/ba_guide"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/ba_guide\/297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":298,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/ba_guide\/297\/revisions\/298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"ba_country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_country&post=297"},{"taxonomy":"ba_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_topic&post=297"},{"taxonomy":"ba_audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_audience&post=297"},{"taxonomy":"ba_section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_section&post=297"},{"taxonomy":"ba_stage","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_stage&post=297"},{"taxonomy":"ba_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_location&post=297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}