In this guide
The moment that catches many newcomers out is the key handover, when the door opens onto bare flooring, wires hanging where the ceiling lights should be, and windows with no coverings.
That is what “kaal” means: bare. It is a normal category in the Dutch rental market, not a bad deal you accidentally accepted.
This guide covers what to buy first, in what order, from where, and what moves your budget up or down. Check your own listing for what the home includes.
Disclosure: this article contains affiliate links to Emma, Beter Bed and Kameo Sleep. If you use them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change the price you pay and it does not influence what we write. These programmes are pending approval, so for now the links simply take you to the shops.
The three states a Dutch rental comes in
Dutch listings use three words, and the difference matters when comparing monthly rents. The definitions below follow Huurwoningen.nl; a landlord’s listing is what counts for your home.
Kaal is bare: no floor covering, no curtains, and usually you arrange the lamps yourself.
Gestoffeerd means a fixed floor and curtains or blinds are in place, but there is no furniture.
Gemeubileerd is furnished: floor, window coverings, lighting, a complete kitchen, a washing machine, linen and furniture, so you can move in straight away.
Compare the monthly rent of a furnished home with the setup cost of an unfurnished one over your actual contract length. A furnished home that costs more per month can be cheaper on a one-year posting than on a five-year one.
If you are still looking for a home, Dean is a rental alert service: you set your area, budget and preferences once, and according to its own site (heydean.nl/en) it checks more than 1,000 rental sources and notifies you of new matches. It is a paid service from EUR 0.33 per day with a 3-day free trial and a 14-day money-back guarantee (heydean.nl/en, 7 October 2026).
Week one: the order that actually matters
The instinct is to buy a sofa. Resist it. Week one has a different job: making the place liveable while you also register with the gemeente, sort utilities and start a new job.
Bed and mattress first. It is the one item where speed and quality both matter.
Then curtains and light. A kaal home with no window covering and no ceiling fittings is hard to live in after dark. Temporary paper blinds and a plug-in lamp are a cheap first move that buys time to choose properly.
A fridge, if there is not one. Check this before key handover, not after. Delivery lead times on white goods can be long.
A table and something to sit on. Two chairs and a surface for working, eating and paperwork.
Everything else can wait. Sofa, wardrobe storage, rugs, the second bedroom. Live there a few weeks first.
Route one: buying new
The case for new is time and certainty: scheduled delivery, a warranty and a return route if something is wrong.
Budget home chains cover many setup categories in one trip. Kwantum is one of the Dutch options, carrying curtains, lighting, floor covering and basic furniture, the categories a kaal rental leaves you responsible for. IKEA is the reference point many newcomers already know; we have no commercial relationship with them.
The trade-off is depreciation: new furniture loses value as soon as it enters the flat.
Route two: second-hand
On a fixed-term contract second-hand is often the sensible default for many categories. Our guide to buying second-hand in the Netherlands covers the platforms in detail; the short version for furnishing:
Marktplaats has the volume. Search in Dutch (eettafel, kledingkast, bank, koelkast) and filter by distance, because the listing price is only part of the cost.
Kringloopwinkels are charity thrift shops, a place to equip a kitchen cheaply. Stock is unpredictable, so go often.
Transport matters. Many private listings are ophalen, pick-up only, so plan how you will move large items.
The red flags are the usual classifieds ones: pressure to pay before viewing, prices far below market, sellers who will not meet in person. Inspect first, pay after.
Route three: renting furniture
Furniture rental packages exist for short stays: a monthly fee for a set of furniture, delivered and collected. Compare the total cost over your stay with buying, and read the minimum term and damage clauses carefully.
The mattress question, and why your bedding may not fit
Dutch retailers sell metric mattress sizes. Beter Bed’s range lists 90x200 cm singles, twijfelaar (semi-double) mattresses of 120x200 or 140x200 cm, and doubles of 160x200, 180x200 and 200x200 cm; extra-long mattresses come in 210 cm (for people over 1.85 m) and 220 cm (over 2 m) (beterbed.nl, 8 October 2026).
The practical consequences:
- Bedding from abroad may not fit. Check the dimensions of your sheets and duvet against Dutch mattress sizes before shipping them.
- Measure the room and the route, not just the bed. A 180x200 needs floor space, and it needs to get up the stairs.
- Decide between a boxspring and a bed frame early, because they behave differently in a stairwell.
For something to sleep on quickly, mattress-in-a-box brands such as Emma arrive compressed in a carton. If you would rather lie on a mattress before buying, chains with physical stores such as Beter Bed and Swiss Sense are options.
A Dutch mattress-in-a-box alternative is Kameo Sleep: its own site (8 October 2026) lists the Kameo Flex mattress with a 100-night trial, a 10-year guarantee and free shipping and returns. The site and customer service are Dutch-only, so expect a browser translator during checkout.
See the Kameo Flex mattress and 100-night trial →
Delivery and assembly in a Dutch building
Older Dutch housing often has narrow, steep staircases and tight turns. Before ordering anything large, measure the narrowest point of the route against the packaged dimensions. Ask whether delivery is to the building door or to your floor, and whether assembly is included. Flat-pack and mattress-in-a-box formats exist partly because of this.
A budget framework
List what the home lacks and price each item at the shops you will use.
Toward a lower budget: the property is gestoffeerd rather than kaal, so flooring and curtains are handled; you buy the bed new and most else second-hand; you furnish only the rooms you use.
Toward a higher budget: bare floors across the whole apartment, no kitchen appliances, buying everything new and a larger home.
Two costs sit outside the furnishing budget. The deposit (at most two months’ basic rent for contracts signed since 1 July 2023) is due around the same time. And in an apartment complex there can be service costs (servicekosten) on top of rent and utilities; check your contract for what is included.
Sequence the spending: bed, light, curtains and a fridge are enough to live in the place while the rest arrives.
What to agree with the landlord before you drill anything
Get these in writing before the first hole goes in a wall.
- May you drill, and where? Curtain rails, shelves and wall lights need fixings. Contracts differ on this.
- What are the floor requirements? Apartment buildings and VvE rules can set requirements for floor coverings, for example on sound insulation. Ask before buying flooring.
- What condition must it be returned in? Oplevering terms vary: some landlords want the property back as handed over, meaning your flooring may have to come out again. Sometimes the outgoing tenant offers to sell you their flooring and curtains (an overname); ask about it.
- Who is responsible for which appliances? If a fridge or oven was present at handover, establish in writing whether repairs are yours or the landlord’s.
Photograph everything at handover, before you move a single box in. That record helps settle deposit disagreements.
Next, work through our week-one utilities checklist so energy, water and internet are running from the day you get the keys.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between kaal, gestoffeerd and gemeubileerd?
According to Huurwoningen.nl, a kaal home has no floor covering and no curtains, and you usually arrange the lamps yourself. A gestoffeerd home has a fixed floor and curtains or blinds but no furniture. A gemeubileerd home is fully fitted out with floor, window coverings, lighting, a complete kitchen, a washing machine, linen and furniture, so you can move in straight away. Listings on Funda and Pararius state which category applies, and it changes your moving-in budget.
How much does it cost to furnish an unfurnished apartment in the Netherlands?
It depends on three things: whether flooring is included or is your job, whether you buy new or second-hand, and how much you defer. Set a budget by listing what the home lacks, pricing each item at the shops you will use, and starting with a bed, basic lighting, curtains, a fridge and a table. The rest can wait until you know how long you are staying.
Which mattress size should I buy in the Netherlands?
Dutch retailers sell metric sizes. Beter Bed lists, for example, 90x200 cm singles, twijfelaar (semi-double) mattresses of 120x200 or 140x200 cm, and doubles of 160x200, 180x200 and 200x200 cm, plus extra-long mattresses of 210 cm (for people over 1.85 m) and 220 cm (over 2 m) (beterbed.nl, 8 October 2026). Bedding brought from abroad may not fit these sizes, so check the dimensions before reusing it.
Is it worth buying second-hand furniture instead of new?
It can be, particularly on a fixed-term contract, because new furniture loses value quickly. The costs are time and transport: private listings are often pick-up only. Consider buying the bed and mattress new and second-hand for the rest.