For tenants in the Netherlands
Read your Dutch rental contract before you sign it.
Upload it, answer 7 quick questions, and in about three minutes get a red, amber, green check, what to ask your landlord, and an email you can send.
Free preview and, during the beta, a free full report. We delete our copy of your contract text after 24 hours.
CheckMyRental is an educational checklist, not legal advice and not a law firm. It cannot see your whole situation. Read your contract yourself and get professional help when a lot is at stake.
Sample report
Example, not a real contract
“The tenant pays a deposit of three months' base rent, being EUR 4,500.00.”
Article 4 of your contract
In your contract: deposit EUR 4,500, base rent EUR 1,500. Two months of base rent is EUR 3,000.
For contracts concluded from 1 July 2023 the deposit may be at most two months of base rent (rent without service costs).
“The landlord sends the statement of the service costs within two years after the end of the calendar year.”
Article 6 of your contract
Service costs are an advance payment. The landlord has to send the actual-cost statement for a year before 1 July of the next year.
Questions about the rental contract for [address] before I sign Dear [name], Thank you for sending the contract. Before I sign, I would like to clarify two points. 1. Deposit (Article 4). The contract states a deposit of EUR 4,500, which is three months of base rent (EUR 1,500). As far as I understand, for contracts concluded from 1 July 2023 the maximum deposit is two months of base rent (rijksoverheid.nl). Could you adjust the deposit to EUR 3,000? 2. Service cost statement (Article 6). I would like to check this clause with you. Could you explain it? I am happy to sign once these points are clear. Thank you for your help. Kind regards, [your name]
Personal details are masked in your browser
Contract text deleted after 24 hours, report after 7 days
12 rules, each with an official source
Personal details are masked in your browser
How it works
1
Answer 7 questions (room or home, furnished, contract length, rent, deposit, who the landlord is, municipality).
2
Add your contract: PDF, photos, or pasted text. We read it in your browser and mask names, addresses, and bank numbers there. An AI model then finds and quotes the clauses; fixed rules decide every colour.
3
Get your preview in about three minutes. The full report is free during the beta.
What you get
Red, amber, green per clause.
Every flag quotes the clause from your contract and names the rule behind it.
Plain English, with sources.
Each rule links to an official page and shows the date we last checked it.
What to ask, and the email to send.
A polite email in English and Dutch, with your numbers filled in.
Deadlines and free help.
Your date for asking the Huurcommissie to assess the starting rent (where it applies), plus free official help near you.
12 rules, each with an official source
We tell you what we did not check. Green means we found no issue on that topic, not that the clause is fine.
- Fixed-term contract: is an exception really applicable?
- Deposit looks higher than the legal maximum
- Agency fee charged to the tenant
- Contract, key money or similar one-off charges
- Rent increase clause above the legal cap or more than once a year
- Landlord may terminate without a legal ground or with short notice
- Tenant notice period longer than the legal maximum
- Deposit return period looks too long or missing
- Deductions from the deposit that are not on the permitted list
- Temporary contract longer than 2 years or without a clear end date
- Service cost statement missing or too late
- Starting rent may be checkable (points system) and the 6-month window
Privacy
Your original file stays in your browser. Only the masked text you approve is sent; our AI provider (Anthropic) processes it outside the EU. We delete our copy 24 hours after upload; Anthropic deletes what it received within 30 days by default, and may keep it longer where the law requires or to deal with misuse of its service.
We read the text in your browser and mask personal details there; you check the masked text before sending. Your report is deleted after 7 days, and you can delete it any time.
Price
Free during the beta.
Questions
Is this legal advice?
No. It is an educational checklist that compares your contract text with a list of Dutch rental rules we checked against official sources. For advice about your situation, see the panel "When to talk to a lawyer or the Huurcommissie".
Is my contract in Dutch a problem?
No. We read Dutch, English, or mixed contracts.
What happens to my contract?
It is read and masked in your browser. The masked text you approve is processed by our AI provider (Anthropic) outside the EU. We delete our copy 24 hours after upload; Anthropic deletes what it received within 30 days by default, and may keep it longer where the law requires or to deal with misuse of its service.
Does an AI decide the result?
No. Fixed rules in code decide each colour. An AI model finds the matching clauses in your masked text, quotes them, and checks each red quote, which can only lower a result. The explanations, the questions to ask and the email draft are written by us from official sources, not by the model.
How accurate is it?
We check 12 rules. Each one has an official source and a check date. We may still misread or miss a clause, and rules change. The report shows the rule pack date and a list of what was not checked.
Which contracts work?
Residential rentals in the Netherlands: whole homes and rooms. Not commercial leases or holiday lets.
Can I talk to a human?
We point you to free official help (Juridisch Loket, your municipality's Meldpunt Goed Verhuurderschap, the Huurcommissie). We do not provide lawyers.
What if it is wrong?
Flag it on the report. If a rule error is confirmed, we correct the rule.
When to talk to a lawyer or the Huurcommissie
- You are being evicted, your landlord has terminated the contract, or you got a court summons: contact a lawyer or Juridisch Loket today. Deadlines can be short.
- You already live there and think your starting rent is too high: the Huurcommissie can assess the starting rent. For regulated homes the request generally has to be made within 6 months of the start (Huurcommissie, checked 2026-10-05). Use the official Huurprijscheck first.
- Your deposit was not returned within 14 days (30 days when there are deductions), or the service-cost statement is missing: write to the landlord first, then ask Juridisch Loket or the Huurcommissie.
- An agent or landlord charged fees, discriminated, or intimidated you: report it to your municipality's Meldpunt Goed Verhuurderschap. Every municipality has one. Eindhoven: info@goedverhuurderschapeindhoven.nl, 085 11 55 587, Fridays 10:30-13:30 at TU/e Atlasgebouw (municipal page, 2026-10-05).
- The report says GREY or 'not covered', you are not sure whether an exception applies to you (student, room in the landlord's home, company let), or more than about 3,000 EUR is at stake: get a professional opinion before you sign.
- Free help: Juridisch Loket, 0800 8020, Monday to Friday 9:00-17:00 (English page, 2026-10-05; the page says personal advice is for people with a low income, so check eligibility). Huurteam Eindhoven (free, online consultation Wed 13:00-16:00, Thu 18:00-21:00, their page). Woonbond (membership, members can submit a contract to lawyers).
Check your contract before you sign it.
Check my contractPhotos: Florian Dormann, Vitaly Gariev, Javier M., Jakub Żerdzicki, Eirik Skarstein, on Unsplash.