Renting a home in the Netherlands has never exactly been smooth sailing; the housing crisis has been dragging on for years. But lately, it’s gone from difficult to downright nightmarish.
The Dutch Legal Aid Foundation or Stichting Rechtsbijstand Achmea (SAR) has seen a sharp rise in tenant-landlord disputes, with around 2,700 cases in the first half of 2025 alone.
The culprit? A growing trend of landlords trying to evict tenants so they can cash in on the booming property market.
Landlords want to sell
The root cause of the spike is economic. Many private landlords, particularly those who purchased properties as long-term investments or pension plans, are finding the rental market less profitable.
With mortgage costs, stricter regulations, and stagnating rental yields, a growing number of landlords are choosing to sell instead.
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Crucially, vacant properties can sell for as much as 30% more than those that are occupied, giving landlords a powerful incentive to evict tenants before putting homes on the market.
The oldest tricks in the landlord playbook
Some landlords are getting, let’s say, creative with their eviction tactics.
From vague claims of “urgent personal use” (are they really moving in, or just moving on?) to peppering tenants with paperwork and hoping they’ll get scared and leave, it’s become a bit of a psychological chess game.
Spoiler alert: not all moves are legal. And then there are the more aggressive tactics. 👇
Think landlords removing central heating systems mid-winter or barging in for surprise “inspections” that feel more like intrusions.
In some truly outrageous cases outlined by Het Parool, tenants are being low-key threatened with noisy renovations or other disruptions designed to make their lives miserable.
Know your rights
The good news? Many of these landlords are not real legal experts.
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Tenants who’ve lived in a place for four years or more usually have way more legal protection than their landlords realise. Still, some owners are heading straight to court — not necessarily to win, but to scare tenants into submission.
For tenants, this means staying informed, standing firm, and maybe keeping a lawyer on speed dial, just in case.
Have you experienced anything similar? Been pressured to leave, hit with unexpected inspections, or faced dodgy eviction claims? Tell us your story in the comments below.
