A new living space, but what other additional costs do you have to pay?
When concluding a rental contract, tenants are often confronted with costs other than just the monthly rent. There is always a landlord or broker who wants to charge (a lot of) costs. Tenants often spend a lot of money on the new living space, without even having lived there for a single day!
Because there is a lot of uncertainty about which costs may or may not be charged, below you will find an explanation of frequently requested (additional) costs.
Intermediation costs
The most well-known costs are mediation costs. Mediation costs can also be called differently, for example: administration costs, consultancy costs, commission costs, contract costs, one-off tenant costs, broker costs, marketing costs or rental costs. Despite the different name, this all falls under the concept of mediation costs.
Mediation costs are charged by a mediator. The mediator is the intermediary between the tenant and the landlord. The intermediary who works on behalf of the tenant and the landlord may not charge the tenant any costs.
As a tenant, you must prove that the intermediary also worked on behalf of the landlord. It is now assumed that this is the case, for example, if the intermediary has offered the accommodation on the internet. Other indications may be that the mediator arranges the viewing or that the mediator is the point of contact for questions, comments or complaints during the rental period. It also happens that the rental contract states that the notice of termination must be addressed to the mediator. In that case too, it can be said that the intermediary works on behalf of the landlord. Why else would the mediator need the notice?
Once you have the proof in order, you can ask the mediator to reimburse the mediation costs. If he does not do this, you as a tenant will be forced to go to court. This is a step that prevents many tenants from reclaiming the agency costs.
Key money
Some landlords charge an amount at the start of the rental contract before the tenant can move into the living space. This is called key money. Key money may not be charged. When renting a living space, you get access to the living space at no extra cost. Have you paid key money? Then you can reclaim this.
Administration costs / contract costs
Instead of key money, some landlords charge administration or contract costs. These costs were incurred in connection with (administrative) work that the landlord would have carried out. For example, this may involve compensation for drawing up the rental contract, registration costs or viewing costs.
In general it can be said that these costs are not charged to the tenant. The law says that you may not agree on things that do not provide a reasonable advantage for the tenant or the landlord. An unreasonable advantage exists, for example, if no or only negligible services are provided for the amount paid. In the case of administration or contract costs, this quickly becomes the case, especially since the amounts are often high! If you have paid administration costs or contract costs, you can reclaim this.
Deposit
Many landlords require a deposit equal to one month’s rent at the start of the contract. In some cases, landlords even ask for a deposit higher than one month. In principle, a landlord may charge a maximum amount of three times the (basic) monthly rent as a deposit. A deposit higher than three months’ rent is generally unreasonable and can be reclaimed.
If there is damage to the living space when you leave the living space, the landlord may deduct costs from the deposit. This is only allowed if you caused the damage yourself or someone for whom you are responsible. The landlord cannot simply deduct costs from the deposit. He will have to properly substantiate these costs. If there is no damage to the living space, you must get the deposit back.
The law does not specify a period within which the deposit must be repaid. Usually a term is set in the rental contract. Is there no term in your contract or a term longer than three months? Then it is wise to request the landlord in the rental notice to repay the deposit within two weeks after the end of the contract. You can find a sample cancellation here.
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