Terminating or Cancelling the Rental Contract

A rental contract will usually be signed before the rental period begins, and entitles the tenant to rent the property for the duration of the rental term detailed in the contract. There are also contracts which do not feature a set rental term. Legally, there is little difference between the two types. If the rental term is mentioned in the contract, but the landlord does not terminate the contract in an official letter sent by registered post, the contract is not terminated and the tenant can continue to rent the property.

A tenant should always give between one and three months' notice, a landlord between three and six months'. Both tenant and landlord are required to give valid reasons for cancelling the agreement. Only if the tenant disregarded rules of the house to which he/she agreed in the rental contract, for example by having pets in the property, is the landlord entitled to terminate the contract without notice. In some cases disagreements may need to be settled in a court of law, where the judge's ruling is final.

It may be difficult to terminate a rental contract before the end of the rental term. If you have signed a contract, you have agreed to pay the rent until the end of the term. You may be allowed to cancel the contract if personal circumstances prevent you fulfilling your rental promises, perhaps if a family member becomes critically ill and you must leave the Netherlands: however, your landlord will have to agree to release you from the terms of the contract.

Unless the rental contract forbids it, tenants are allowed to sublet rooms in the rented property. Subletters will have to be added to the contract, but the 'main' tenant takes full responsibility for paying the rent. If the tenant moves out of the property, the subletter has to move out as well.

If the property is sold by the landlord, tenants are entitled to continue living in the property: the new owner has to accept any tenants who come with the property.