{"id":299,"date":"2026-10-02T06:48:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T06:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/?post_type=ba_guide&p=299"},"modified":"2026-10-02T06:48:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T06:48:34","slug":"rental-deposit-not-returned-netherlands","status":"publish","type":"ba_guide","link":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/?ba_guide=rental-deposit-not-returned-netherlands","title":{"rendered":"Rental deposit not returned: Dutch deadlines and enforcement"},"content":{"rendered":"

For current Dutch rental contracts, the deposit is not a general pot from which a landlord can deduct anything they dislike. The law limits both the repayment period and what may be set off against it.<\/p>\n

14 days\u2014or 30 days if there is a permitted deduction<\/h2>\n

If there is nothing valid to deduct, the landlord must return the deposit within 14 days after the tenancy ends<\/strong>. If permitted costs are deducted, the remaining amount must be returned within 30 days<\/strong>, with a written full cost specification.<\/p>\n

What can be deducted?<\/h2>\n
  • rent arrears;<\/li>
  • service-cost arrears;<\/li>
  • damage for which the tenant is responsible;<\/li>
  • energy-performance-fee arrears where applicable.<\/li><\/ul>\n

    Administration charges or an unexplained \u201ccleaning fee\u201d are not automatically valid deposit deductions. The condition report at the beginning and end of the tenancy can become crucial evidence in a damage dispute.<\/p>\n

    If the landlord does not pay<\/h2>\n
    • Ask for repayment in writing and quote the end date and amount.<\/li>
    • Ask for the complete specification and evidence for every deduction.<\/li>
    • Attach your check-in\/check-out report and photos if damage is disputed.<\/li>
    • Use the Juridisch Loket’s example-letter route where useful.<\/li>
    • If payment still does not follow, a deposit claim can be taken to the kantonrechter<\/strong>; an advocaat is not compulsory there.<\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The 14-day and 30-day deposit rules, permitted deductions, evidence and what to do if a Dutch landlord does not repay the deposit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"template":"","ba_country":[2],"ba_topic":[314,301,319,220],"ba_audience":[284,283,261,309,308],"ba_section":[168,20,22],"ba_stage":[30],"ba_location":[],"class_list":["post-299","ba_guide","type-ba_guide","status-publish","hentry","ba_country-netherlands","ba_topic-deposit-disputes","ba_topic-deposits","ba_topic-evidence","ba_topic-tenant-rights","ba_audience-families","ba_audience-international-workers","ba_audience-newcomers","ba_audience-renters","ba_audience-students","ba_section-legal-rights","ba_section-living","ba_section-money-costs","ba_stage-living-stage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/ba_guide\/299","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\/299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/ba_guide\/299\/revisions\/300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"ba_country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_country&post=299"},{"taxonomy":"ba_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_topic&post=299"},{"taxonomy":"ba_audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_audience&post=299"},{"taxonomy":"ba_section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_section&post=299"},{"taxonomy":"ba_stage","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_stage&post=299"},{"taxonomy":"ba_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessadvice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fba_location&post=299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}