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Tenants will not be evicted during the coronavirus crisis

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Tenants who find themselves in a financial situation due to the coronavirus crisis can be assured that there will be no eviction during this time.

The Minister for Environment and Housing, together with various housing and real estate organisations (Aedes, IVBN, Kences and Vastgoed Belang) have agreed that tenants in the Netherlands will not be evicted during the coronavirus crisis, unless there is evidence of criminal activity or extreme nuisance.

Furthermore, the Minister, with the support of Woonbond (an association of Dutch tenants) and the LSVb (a student representation body), is working to pass an emergency law to allow the extension of temporary lease contracts. This is to ensure that tenants can continue to stay in their rental home during the coronavirus crisis. Currently, a temporary lease contract can only be converted to a permanent one (it cannot be extended).

The Minister issued a joint statement with various housing and real estate organisations. Following are a few key points:

  • The Cabinet have implemented various measures to provide financial aid to entrepreneurs, freelancers and business owners to make up for the loss of income due to the coronavirus crisis.
  • Affected tenants will have to actively look for financial aid provided by the government.
  • Financial aid takes time to process and in situations where tenants are unable to pay their rent, landlords must try to find personalised solutions for tenants.
  • Landlords will not incur fines or late fees on tenants who have run into financial issues due to the coronavirus crisis.
  • There is a consensus that evictions should be postponed during this crisis period, except in cases of criminal activity or extreme nuisance at the premises. For eviction proceedings that began before 12 March, the landlord will assess on a case-by-case basis.

Details of the statement (in Dutch) is available on the Government of the Netherlands site.

For general enquiries and advice about tenant rights, please email the Fair Rent Team.