Rent a place in breda
In the Netherlands, there are two renting options: sociale huurwoning (social housing) and vrije sector (the private sector). For social housing there are generally long waiting lists, most newly arrived internationals rent in the private sector. Website such as Pararius (for private sector), Funda (for both renting and buying property) and Klikvoorwonen (for social housing) are a good start for your accommodation search.
A common way to find long-term rental accommodation is by looking on social media platforms such as Facebook. Our advice is to become a member in all groups, post a friendly description of who you are and what you’re looking for and check all posts daily.
Beware of scammers! The rental market is very active and the demand is high, which means good places rent out fast! Please make sure you do your own due diligence and stay safe while looking for a home. Don’t make any payments to people you haven’t met for properties that you haven’t visited.
Facebook groups/pages for finding accommodation:
- Room(mates), studios or apartments in Breda
- Find a room(mate) or house in Breda – Kamer(s) in Breda
- Kamers, studio’s en appartementen in Breda
- Living Arrangements Breda
- Find a room in Breda (International students friendly)
- Breda Rooms
The most official and automated way to look for rentals in Breda is through specialized platforms and websites, or with an agent (makelaar). Most of them require a paid membership to get contact info and viewings of places. Remember to cancel your subscription when you’re done with the house hunting. Read below for more.
Useful terms in Dutch:
- huren = to rent
- kopen = to buy
- te huur = for rent
- te koop = for sale
- kamer = room
- (woon)huis = house
- woning = residence, dwelling
- makelaar = real estate agent
- makelaardij = agency
Here are a few search terms (zoektermen) in Dutch to help you find the most popular housing platforms used by locals:
- kamer huren Breda
- appartement huren Breda
- rent room Breda
- rent apartment Breda
- woning kopen/huren
- huis kopen/huren Breda
- huurwoningen
- rental apartments Breda
- studio huren Breda
We’ve listed a few practical tips for you to know what you need to expect when renting a place, what you need to look out for when searching a place, and other things you need to keep in mind when renting in Breda and West-Brabant region. Read all about it below.
Generally, rental apartments will come in three different states:
- bare shell/scale (kaal) – this means the apartment is empty, no flooring, no lighting, no appliances or curtains.
- unfurnished/upholstered (gestoffeerd) – these apartments have flooring, (some) lights, curtains/blinds, kitchen appliances (at least a refrigerator and a stovetop, but some apartments may also have an oven, a microwave and a dishwasher)
- furnished (gemeubileerd) – these apartments have floors, appliances, and furniture (e.g. chairs, table, bed), a washing machine, kitchen utensils, linens and lamps. Move-in ready!
MAKE SURE YOU CHECK IF THE RENT:
- includes or excludes service costs (servicekosten) or utilities. Service costs concern of costs in an apartment building that cover all expenses for the communal area, e.g. window washing, cleaning of halls and elevator, lights in hallways etc.
- includes or excludes WGL (water, gas, light)
The words to look for in an ad are inclusief (or incl.) and exclusief (or excl.)
If the rent does not include these additional costs, find out what the total costs are before signing a rental contract.
As a tenant, you will also be responsible for your share of a water, sewer and trash bill sent once a year by the municipality (gemeente). This is usually not included in your rental payments. For a current estimate of this tax in Breda, please head to the BWBrabant website.
A FEW OTHER THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN YOU’RE RENTING IN BREDA:
Always check if the description of the place matches the photos.
- The rental market in Breda is really tight. Breda has the lowest percentage of rentals in the 10 biggest cities in The Netherlands.
- Don’t rent a place without a proper lease (legal contract). It’s not a regular practice in the Netherlands and if someone tries to do it, it might be a scam.
- Don’t transfer money incase you feel uncertainty or fraud. As a tenant, you won’t have any rights to claim the money back without a signed document. Also, don’t pay money before viewing the property. You might need to undergo a downpayment to secure the apartment (after viewing it), always ask for a receipt!
- Provide identification details when signing a lease and allow the landlord to verify the information against your ID.
- Always check that you are allowed to register with the municipality (gemeente) at that address. Note some addresses only let you register ONE person, so if you are living together, make sure you are allowed to register everyone living there.
- Washing machines and dryers don’t stay in the property in general. Appliances such as these as well as fridges or bikes can be leased nowadays.
- Be prepared to pay a deposit of 2x rent before moving in. No bargaining nor starting date of lease either.
Legally, a landlord is usually allowed to break a lease contract for three main reasons:
- They want to move in and live there themselves. In this case, the landlord needs to let the tenant know in advance (according to the terms of the contract)
- The tenant didn’t pay the rent or the rent was paid too late (according to the terms of the contract)
- The tenant damaged the property or broke other rules mentioned in the contract.
Tenant rights are covered in Article 7 of the Dutch Civil Code. To get a better idea of your rights and obligations as a tenant, here’s an English translation of the Dutch Civil Code.
For more information about rented housing, visit the Dutch governmental website here.
Trusted Partner:
Huyskeepers
At Huyskeeper, we are dedicated to finding you the perfect home in Breda. We support you through every step of your journey, from the start of your search to moving in. Having lived abroad ourselves, we understand your challenges and prioritize your comfort and satisfaction. With over 20 years of local experience, we truly know Breda inside out.
- E-mail: info@huyskeeper.nl
- Tel: +31 (0)6-24210466