Huurverhoging: what a rent increase letter says, and when to object
Published: August 31, 2026 · 5 min read · The Letrin team
Dutch words in this post
Hover over an underlined word in the text (tap it on a phone) and see what it means straight away.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| huurverhoging | rent increase |
| huurverhogingsvoorstel | rent increase proposal · The letter's formal name; until it is accepted there is no increase |
| kale huur | bare rent · The rent for the home alone, without service or energy costs |
| servicekosten | service costs · Charged on top of the rent; they have their own rules |
| ingangsdatum | the date the increase starts · An objection has to be in before this day |
| sociale huur | social housing rent |
| middenhuur | mid market rent |
| vrije sector | the free market sector |
| inkomensafhankelijke huurverhoging | income dependent rent increase · The extra increase for higher income households in social housing |
| Huurcommissie | the Rent Tribunal · The official body for disputes between tenants and landlords |
| huurtoeslag | rent allowance |
A rent increase letter looks like an announcement, but in law it is a proposal (huurverhogingsvoorstelrent increase proposal · The letter's formal name; until it is accepted there is no increase). It has to be in writing and reach you at least two months before the date it starts. In social housing the increase usually starts on 1 July, which means the letter has to be with you by the beginning of May.
The caps in 2026
Which cap applies depends on the segment your home falls in.
| Segment | Maximum increase | From |
|---|---|---|
| Social housing, kale huurbare rent · The rent for the home alone, without service or energy costs of 350 euro or more | 4.1% | 1 July 2026 |
| Social housing, kale huurbare rent · The rent for the home alone, without service or energy costs under 350 euro | 25 euro | 1 July 2026 |
| Rooms, caravans and caravan pitches | 4.1% | 1 July 2026 |
| Mid market (middenhuurmid market rent) | 6.1% | 1 January 2026 |
| Free sector (vrije sectorthe free market sector) | 4.4% | 1 January 2026 |
The 4.4% in the free sector is worked out like this: one percentage point is added to the lower of inflation and collective wage growth, and inflation to December 2025 was the lower figure at 3.4%. Even if your contract names a higher percentage, the landlord cannot go above the cap.
The income dependent increase. If you rent a self contained home in the social sector and your household income is high, the landlord can propose a fixed amount instead of a percentage: at most 50 euro a month for a higher middle income, and at most 100 euro for a high income. The year that counts is 2024. For a single person household the limits are 59,504 and 70,149 euro; for a multi person household they are 68,858 and 93,531 euro. For this increase the landlord has to request an income indication from the Belastingdienst and enclose it with the letter.
What the letter has to contain
A rent increase proposal has to state:
- the old and the new kale huurbare rent · The rent for the home alone, without service or energy costs;
- the amount of the increase;
- the day the increase starts (ingangsdatumthe date the increase starts · An objection has to be in before this day);
- how you can object;
- the Belastingdienst income indication, if the increase is income dependent.
There is also a rule that is not printed: the rent can go up only once every 12 months. If the landlord announces it too late, the increase is postponed; when 1 July is missed it moves to 1 September. If work has been done to improve the home (woningverbetering), a separate increase is possible alongside the yearly one, but that needs your agreement.
What a landlord cannot do is also clear: no increase above the cap even if the contract says so, no new contract forced on you at a higher rent, and no ending the tenancy because you did not agree to the increase.
Objecting: one date matters
In social housing the route is this: before the ingangsdatumthe date the increase starts · An objection has to be in before this day, you object to the landlord in writing. The Huurcommissiethe Rent Tribunal · The official body for disputes between tenants and landlords's ready made objection letter is free and does the job.
After that it is out of your hands. The landlord cannot reject your objection alone; if the increase is to go ahead, the landlord has to put it to the Huurcommissiethe Rent Tribunal · The official body for disputes between tenants and landlords within six weeks of the ingangsdatumthe date the increase starts · An objection has to be in before this day. You do not apply yourself. If the tribunal finds for the landlord you pay the increase from that date, including the months that have passed, and the 25 euro procedural fee is yours; if it finds for you, you do not pay that fee.
Valid grounds include: a wrong rent or a wrong date in the proposal, an increase above the legal cap, a proposal that never arrived or arrived late, a rent the Huurcommissiethe Rent Tribunal · The official body for disputes between tenants and landlords has temporarily lowered because of maintenance defects, and less than 12 months since the last increase. If your income has fallen or your household has changed you can also object to an income dependent increase. Against the standard increase, "my income is low" is not a valid ground.
The free sector works differently. You object to the landlord first; if that is refused, this time you go to the Huurcommissiethe Rent Tribunal · The official body for disputes between tenants and landlords yourself, and you have to do it within four months of the increase date. For an increase after a renovation you did not agree to, the period is three months.
Even if you accept it, there is something to do
If you receive huurtoeslagrent allowance, the new rent has to reach Toeslagen. Housing corporations usually report it themselves; with a private landlord it is generally left to you.
Check in Mijn toeslagen or the Toeslagen app whether the new rent has been processed. If it has not, enter it yourself. Doing this within four weeks of the increase is a good habit, because a higher rent usually means more allowance, and a late report means either too little paid out or money to give back.
One more thing to watch: if the letter also raises the service costs (servicekostenservice costs · Charged on top of the rent; they have their own rules), that item has its own rules and its own route. Service costs are settled in a yearly statement and disputed on a separate form.
What Letrin shows in this letter
A rent increase letter is short, and three numbers in it decide everything: the old rent, the new rent and the starting date. Letrin reads the photo and says in your own language what the percentage is, which day is your last day to object, and whether anything the letter must contain is missing.
Because a single date decides the objection, the reminders count back from the ingangsdatumthe date the increase starts · An objection has to be in before this day: 7 days before, 2 days before and on the morning of the last day. If you are going to object, Letrin drafts the letter in proper formal Dutch with a translation in your own language next to it.
Check it against the paper
Explanations are there to help and they are not legal advice. Which cap applies to you depends on the start date of your contract and on the kale huurbare rent · The rent for the home alone, without service or energy costs at the start, and in some files that is a hard question.
If you are unsure, ask the Huurcommissiethe Rent Tribunal · The official body for disputes between tenants and landlords: their checks and model letters are free. For heavier matters such as maintenance defects or a threat to end the tenancy, Juridisch Loket and the municipality's sociaal raadslieden are free as well.