Housing

Three eindtermen (final attainment levels), and they follow exactly the path you take yourself: first a home, then the services inside it, then the life around it.

Most people who have just arrived in the Netherlands rent. There are two kinds of rental homes, and the difference matters.

Are you a statushouder (refugee with a residence permit)? Then your gemeente (municipality) usually assigns you a home. This is called huisvesting van vergunninghouders. You then do not have to register and wait for years yourself, but you also cannot choose where you live.

As soon as you have a home address, you register with the gemeente. You are then entered in the Basisregistratie Personen (BRP). This is not a formality: without registration your BSN is not linked to an address, and then almost nothing works — no health insurance, no allowance, no bank account, no school.

Do you move later on? Then you report this to the gemeente, no later than five days after your move. From there your new address goes automatically to many other organisations, but not to all of them: you have to inform your energy supplier, your insurer and your employer yourself.

Your huurcontract (rental contract) is an agreement. Read it before you sign, and pay attention to these points.

• Kale huur (basic rent) and servicekosten (service costs). The kale huur is for the home itself; servicekosten are for things like cleaning or the lift. Together they are your monthly costs.
• Waarborgsom (deposit). Usually one or two months of rent. You get it back if you leave the home in good order.
• Notice period. Usually one month for you. Stricter rules apply to the landlord.
• Maintenance. Major maintenance is for the landlord. Small things — a light bulb, a tap washer — are for you.

As a tenant you are well protected in the Netherlands. A landlord cannot simply put you out of the house; a court ruling is needed for that. If you have a dispute about the rent, the service costs or overdue maintenance of a sociale huurwoning, you can go to the Huurcommissie.

Do you have a low income and a rental home that is not too expensive? Then you can apply for huurtoeslag at the Belastingdienst (tax administration). Whether you can, and how much, depends on your rent, your income, your age and your assets. Check it with the trial calculation on the Belastingdienst website — amounts and limits change every year.

Marieke Schipper · NT2 teacher

With this theme people often stumble over one word: "toeslag" (allowance). You apply for allowances yourself, they do not come automatically. And you have to stop them yourself when your situation changes. Otherwise you have to pay money back later, and that is exactly where many people get into trouble.

This is the second eindterm, and it really is work you have to do yourself. If you move into an empty home, sometimes nothing is switched on.

When you move into a home, always take the meterstanden (meter readings) — gas, electricity, water — and take a photo of them. Do the same when you leave. It is the cheapest five minutes of your move.

Insurance around your home

• Inboedelverzekering (contents insurance) — for your belongings in case of fire, water damage or burglary. Not compulsory, but sensible.
• Aansprakelijkheidsverzekering (AVP, liability insurance) — for damage that you or your child cause to someone else. Also not compulsory, and very cheap.
• Opstalverzekering (building insurance) — only if you buy a home; it insures the building itself.

The third eindterm is about waste and about the neighbourhood. In the Netherlands you separate your waste, and the rules differ per gemeente. Look on the website of your own gemeente or in the waste app to see which bin goes out when.

Neighbours

If many people live close together, nuisance is unavoidable. The order in the Netherlands is almost always the same, and the exam likes to ask about it:

Marieke Schipper · NT2 teacher

"First talk to them yourself" is almost always the right answer in this theme. I see students who immediately choose the police, because that is logical in their country. Here you are expected to try to sort it out together first.