The Cabinet Wants to Freeze Rents in the Social Sector For 2025 and 2026. But Despite the Cabinet’s Announcement, Many Tenants Have Still Received a Letter With A Rent Increase. What’s going on? And what can you do if you want to object?
The Cabinet Wants To Freeze Rents in the Social Sector, But this has not yet leg Enshrined in Law. It is Therefore Uncertain for Tenants Whether the Rent Will Indeed Remain the Same in the Coming Years. This causes confusion and frustration Among Tenants, Accordination to Spokesman Mathijs ten Broeke of the Woonbond, An Organization That Repressions The Interests of Tenants.
Landlords Have Played It Safe And Sent Letters Announcing Rent Increases. “If the Rent Freeze does not go ahead, Landlords can only increase rents if they have sent the letter on time,” Says ten Broeke. The Landlord must give at Least Two Months’ Notice of the Rent Increase.
Accordance to the Rent Tribunal, it may also be the case that the landlord sent the letter because it is not yet clear for which tenants the freeze will apply. Accordance to the Woonbond, The Biggest Question is Whether Rents Will also Be Frozen for Tenants with a Social Housing Unit From a Private Landlord.
Some Landlords Indicate in the Letter That The Rent Increase is not Yet Certain Due to the Possible Rent Freeze, While Others Do Not. “What is Stated in the letter can Vary Nogetous,” Ten Broeke Knows. “It is Sometimes Difficult for People to Follow.”
Objecting to Rent Increase
Have you recedived a rent increase and do you disagree with it? Both the Woonbond, The Rent Tribunal and the Legal Aid Office Advise Waiting a Little Longer with Any Objection Until More is Known.
“The Expectation is that the cabinet will provide that clarity within one or two week,” Says ten Broeke. “You can still object until the moment the rent Increase Takes effect. For most people that is July 1, 2025. It will probable be clear well before that time Whether the Rent Increase also applies to you and Whether it make to object.”
However, You Can Object Immediately IF, For Example, You Received the Letter Too Late, The Details are Incorrect, or the Rent is Increased by More than the Maximum percentage If the Freeze does not go ahead. “Always check that proposal carefully,” Says Lucas Blankenstein, Legal Advisor at the Legal Aid Office. “If there is a mistake in it, the landlord must correct and resend the proposal. Otherwise, the Rent May not be inceased.”
Report Overdue Maintenance Immediately
On Our Response Platform Nujij, Readers Indicated that They Disagree with a Possible Rent Increase for Social Housing because there is overdue maintenance. But that is not a reason to object to an annual rent increase, says blankenstein.
If you object to your rent increase, you fill in a reason. But you can only go fill in over -oversance as a reason if you have previously reported what is wrong to your landlord. When you have done this and the landlord does not resolve the problems within six week, you can start a procedure at the Rent Tribunal.
If that procedure is ongoing, you can state the maintenance defect as a reason for objection, Says Blankenstein. The Rent Tribunal Can Temporarily Lower the Rent After Assessment If The Landlord does not Remedy the Defects. “Equally if the runs already leg temporarily lowered for that reason, you can state it as a reason for objection.”
If you go against your landlord, this can put pressure on the relationship. But the Woonbond Advisors to do So Anyway. Ten Broeke: “It is also important to show your landlord that you know your rights and position very well.”
How do you object to an annual rent increase?
You can object in Writing with a Letter to Your Landlord. You can find online sample letters for this that you can adjust yourself.
“The Objection Will First Be Handled by the Landlord himself,” Says Legal Advisor Lucas Blankenstein. “If the landlord agrees with the tenant, he can still correct the rent. If that is not the case, the landlord has six week to have the rent increase assessed by the Rent Tribunal.”
If a tenant objects, he may pay the not yet increased running the procedure. But if you as a tenant are Proven Wrong, you must still pay the underpaid Rent retroactively.
A tenant can also object by continuing to pay the old price. In that case, the landlord must send a registered letter and then a reminder to the tenant. Have you recedived a reminder? Then as a tenant you must go to the Rent Tribunal Within Four Months. “Otherwise you agree to the Rent Increase,” Says Blankenstein.
What is pretty to do differs per situation. It also defends on what type of property you have and how the contact with the landlord has gone. The Legal Aid Office has a step-by-step plan for objecting. On the Website of the Woonbond you will find a Rent Increase Check.