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I discovered the Netherlands' challenging rental market when I moved here in 2017, and it's gotten even tougher since. Here's what I wish I'd known before starting my search:
Max budget should be a third of the gross monthly salary and can be increased with the spouse's salary, other income, or savings. To set a realistic budget use our price calculator and with a tighter budget, consider nearby cities or towns, for example, Utrecht or Amstelveen if you're working in Amsterdam.
Shell properties are bare walls without even a kitchen or flooring. Unfurnished/semi-furnished ones have only flooring and a kitchen. Shell properties are €200-500 cheaper but have high upfront costs and are tough for newcomers to get. Unfurnished and furnished are similarly priced.
A €1200 two-bedroom in Amsterdam is likely for seniors/social housing or a scam so verify conditions when searching independently.
Check the Livability Score for area quality in the Netherlands, compared to the national average, and use the Travel Time Calculator to find easily accessible areas from your office.
<aside> 💡 Our app can filter properties by commute times and show area scores on homes.
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Dogs are not allowed in furnished properties, but cats sometimes are. In unfurnished ones, cats are generally okay, and dogs are allowed about half the time, with concerns about flooring damage. Landlords prefer older, calmer pets so highlight pet's age, training, and good behaviour.
Agencies have 5-15 viewing slots that fill up within 15-20 minutes of an ad's release. To keep pace without a househunter, consider using alert services like RentSlam or RentAlerts.
In big cities, 300-500 candidates apply for properties, leading agencies to be strict. They mandate in-person viewings by you or a househunter and usually dismiss offers from non-attendees.
<aside> 💡 Given the costs of hotels and BnBs, it's usually more cost-effective to find a place remotely through a househunter service like Relocify.
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Submit a viewing request online and then call to follow up. Share key details like job, salary, family, pets, and smoking status. On the call, confirm your eligibility and reserve contract, utility, or similar questions for the viewing. Landing 1-2 viewings out of 5 is a good rate if searching without a househunter. At viewings make sure to check all the important aspects of the contract and carefully inspect the property if attending independently.