Short-Stay Housing Netherlands: Expat Guide

Finding a long-term home in the Netherlands takes time, especially in the big cities, so many expats start in short-stay furnished housing: while they look for a long-term place, while they work out which neighbourhood suits them, or for the whole of a short assignment. This guide covers the types of short-stay housing, the contract rules that apply since 1 July 2024, registration, deposits, scams and practical set-up.

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Quick answer: Short-stay furnished housing in the Netherlands comes as serviced apartments, furnished private rentals, rooms in shared housing and corporate housing. Before you sign, check three things: whether you can register at the address (BRP), what kind of contract it is (since 1 July 2024 new tenants of a home normally get an indefinite contract), and the deposit (at most two months’ bare rent for contracts from 1 July 2023).

Why Short-Stay Housing Matters for Expats

When you arrive in the Netherlands, you are often arranging several things at once: registering with your gemeente (which requires an address), getting a BSN (which follows from registration), opening a bank account and starting your job. Where you live underpins the rest.

Short-stay furnished housing solves the immediate problem and buys you time to search for a long-term place without rushed commitments. When you compare prices with unfurnished long-term rentals, remember that furniture and often utilities and services are included.

Some expats on assignments of a year or two stay in furnished accommodation for the whole period, which saves setting up utilities, buying furniture and end-of-tenancy work.

Types of Short-Stay Accommodation in the Netherlands

1. Serviced Apartment Buildings

What it is: Buildings with fully furnished studios and apartments and hotel-like services, such as cleaning, a reception and sometimes shared workspaces.

Length: Set by the operator, often from a few nights to several months.

Pros: Furnished, often with utilities and internet included, no furniture to buy.

Cons: You pay for the services; a hotel-like stay may not be a residential tenancy, so you have fewer tenant rights; not every building allows BRP registration.

Registration note: Ask the operator, in writing, whether you can register at the specific address before you book.

2. Private Furnished Rentals

What it is: A regular home rented furnished by an individual landlord or a property company, usually through rental platforms or letting agents.

Contract: Since 1 July 2024, a new tenant of a home normally gets an indefinite contract. A temporary contract (maximum 2 years) is only allowed in specific situations, and someone who is temporarily away (for example working abroad) can rent out their home for an agreed period under the diplomatenclausule (Rijksoverheid). See the contract section below.

Utilities: Sometimes included in an all-in price, sometimes arranged and paid by you. Ask before signing.

Pros: More homely than serviced apartments; registration is usually possible because it is a regular home.

Cons: Landlord quality varies; a deposit is usual (at most two months’ bare rent for contracts from 1 July 2023); disputes about damage at check-out; scam risk is higher on private listings.

3. Room Rentals in Shared Housing

What it is: A furnished private room in a shared house or apartment, with shared kitchen, bathroom and common areas, rented from a private landlord or a co-living operator.

Pros: Cheaper than a whole apartment; social, if you want that.

Cons: Shared facilities and limited privacy; check whether you can register at the address and whether the landlord has the permits a room rental may need in your municipality.

4. Corporate Housing / Relocation Agencies

What it is: Agencies that work with employers to arrange housing for relocating employees.

Who it suits: Expats whose employer is handling relocation. If your company has a relocation package or HR department, ask about corporate housing partners and who pays.

What It Costs

There is no official price index for furnished short-stay housing, so compare listings for the same length of stay and the same inclusions. Points that move the price:

• Inclusions: utilities, internet, furniture, cleaning and service costs
• Length of stay: compare the monthly price for the length of stay you actually need
• Location: city and neighbourhood
• Deposit: for a residential tenancy at most two months’ bare rent (contracts from 1 July 2023), returned within 14 days after the tenancy ends, or within 30 days if the landlord deducts costs (Rijksoverheid)

If you are flexible about where you live, compare other cities within commuting distance of your work as well.

Where to Search

• Rental platforms list furnished rentals from agents and private landlords; filter on “gemeubileerd” (furnished) and check whether the listing says registration is possible.
• Search alerts: Dean is a paid alert service that says it checks more than 1,000 rental sources and compares new listings with your search profile, with a 3-day free trial and month-to-month billing (Dean). It sends alerts only, so check the registration and contract terms of every listing yourself.
• Serviced-apartment operators take bookings directly; ask about registration and the contract type.
• Corporate housing runs through your employer.
• Facebook groups and other community listings have genuine private listings but also scams. Be sceptical of anything that looks cheap or involves an absent landlord.

Scam Awareness

Housing scams target newcomers who are searching from abroad and under time pressure.

Common patterns:

The “landlord abroad”: a listing with attractive photos and a low price. The “landlord” cannot meet you but will send the keys once you have paid the deposit and first month’s rent. The property does not exist or is not theirs.

The copied listing: photos taken from real listings, reposted with a different contact, sometimes with forged documents.

The fake letting agent: a “company” that charges fees and then provides nothing. Check the company in the KVK (Chamber of Commerce) register and ask which professional association it belongs to, if any, before paying anything.

Protection steps:

1. See the property before paying anything. If you cannot travel, ask for a live video call in which the landlord walks through the property and opens the door with the keys.
2. Check the registered owner in the Kadaster (land registry).
3. Do not transfer money to someone you have not been able to verify, and pay only after you have a signed contract.
4. If the price is far below similar listings, treat that as a warning sign.

Understanding Your Contract

Indefinite Contracts (Onbepaalde Tijd)

Since 1 July 2024 (Wet vaste huurcontracten), a new tenant of a home gets a contract for an indefinite period, from housing associations and private landlords alike (Rijksoverheid).

Temporary Contracts (Tijdelijk Huurcontract): Only in Specific Situations

A landlord may offer a temporary contract only in specific situations listed by the government, for example to a student renting temporarily for study in another municipality than where they live, to someone living elsewhere during work or renovation on their home, or to someone in a social emergency. A temporary contract lasts at most 2 years, ends on the agreed date without notice, and you may cancel it early. The landlord must tell you by letter 1 to 3 months before the end date that the contract ends. If it is extended, it becomes an indefinite contract (Rijksoverheid, checked 5 October 2026).

Temporary contracts signed before 1 July 2024 (maximum 2 years for a self-contained home, 5 years for a room) stay as they are.

Tussenhuur (Diplomatenclausule)

Someone who is temporarily away, for example on a long trip or working abroad for a while, can rent out their home for an agreed period. The tenant leaves when the owner returns and may not cancel early (Rijksoverheid). This is a common form of furnished rental, so check which form your contract uses.

Hotel or Service Agreements

Some serviced apartments and short-stay operators use a hotel or service agreement rather than a residential tenancy. That can mean fewer rights. If you are unsure what you are signing, ask the local Huurteam or Juridisch Loket for advice before you sign.

Deposits

For contracts from 1 July 2023 a landlord may ask a deposit of at most two months’ bare rent (three months for older contracts). The landlord must repay it within 14 days after the tenancy ends; if costs are deducted, you get the remainder within 30 days. Ordinary wear and tear may not be deducted, nor may administration costs (Rijksoverheid). Take dated photos when you move in and email any existing damage to the landlord on day one.

BRP Registration: The Critical Step

Registration at your gemeente (BRP) is how you normally get a BSN, which you need for most government services, payroll and many other arrangements. Some providers let you start before you have a BSN: bunq, for example, lets you open an account without one and asks for your tax ID (for Dutch residents the BSN) within 90 days, and ING lets you open an account before you have a BSN (with a non-EEA passport you provide your BSN and Dutch address within 90 days). Dutch health insurance has its own deadline: no later than 4 months after you arrive (government.nl).

Before signing any rental contract, confirm in writing: “Can I register at this address for BRP (basisregistratie personen) purposes?”

If the answer is no, or vague, look for another place unless you have another registration address.

Money Transfers When Arriving

If you are moving from outside the eurozone, you will need to convert currency for your deposit and first months’ rent. Compare what your bank charges, including the exchange rate it uses, with a specialist provider.

Use Wise for international transfers — quoted exchange rate, small transparent fee

Wise says it uses the mid-market exchange rate with no markup and shows its fee before you send. Its account also lets you hold euros and other currencies, which is useful while you are transitioning.

Practical Tips

Search before you arrive. Arrange viewings or live video tours while you are still abroad, so you can sign soon after you land.

Look beyond the city where you work. If you are flexible on commuting, compare nearby cities as well.

Be careful with holiday-rental platforms. They are meant for short stays and municipalities can set rules for holiday rental of homes; check whether you can register at the address and whether tenant protection applies before you rely on one.

Know who to call for repairs. Ask on day one who handles urgent repairs (heating, leaks, locks) and keep everything in writing.

Further Reading on ExpatNetherlandsHub

• How to find a job in the Netherlands
• Best Dutch health insurance plans compared
• Dutch utilities explained for expats
• Buying second-hand in the Netherlands
• Netherlands vs Australia: full comparison
• Dutch trains guide for expats
• Retiring in the Netherlands: housing and pensions
• Single expat guide to the Netherlands

Utilities in Short-Stay Housing: What Is Usually Included

What you need to arrange yourself depends on the accommodation type.

Serviced apartments: Utilities and internet are often included; check the booking terms.

Private furnished rentals: Some include all utilities in an all-in price; others charge rent separately and you contract the utilities yourself. Ask before signing:

• Are gas and electricity included or separate?
• Is internet included? If so, which provider and speed?
• Is water included?
• What is the approximate monthly cost if utilities are separate?

If internet is not included, or is not good enough: A fixed internet contract with a long term makes little sense for a three-month stay, and a fixed connection may need an engineer. An alternative is 5G home internet, which needs no cable to the property. Odido’s Klik&Klaar Internet is a 5G modem you plug into a socket, “Nu voor € 26/mnd” plus a one-off €20 connection charge, with unlimited data and “Maandelijks opzegbaar” terms, so it can end when your stay does (odido.nl/internet/klik-en-klaar, checked 5 October 2026). Speed depends on 5G reception at the address; Odido says you get the maximum achievable speed at your address up to 300 Mbit/s, so check the coverage map for the specific address before you order. Ask the landlord or operator first, too: in a serviced apartment you are usually paying for internet already.

Check Odido Klik&Klaar availability at your postcode →

Shared housing: Often quoted as an all-in price covering rent, utilities and internet. Confirm what is included and whether there is a separate cleaning rota or cost.

Moving Out: What to Expect

Condition: return the property in the condition agreed, apart from ordinary wear and tear. Take dated photos at move-in and move-out and email them to the landlord.

Deposit return: the landlord must repay the deposit within 14 days after the tenancy ends, or the remainder within 30 days if costs are deducted (Rijksoverheid). If the landlord does not repay, you can ask the court (kantonrechter); for advice, contact the Juridisch Loket or a Huurteam.

Deregistration or change of address: when you move, report your new address to your new gemeente, or deregister if you leave the Netherlands. This keeps your BRP record correct.

Forwarding address: PostNL offers a mail-forwarding service; set it up before you move.

External source: Rijksoverheid — When can a landlord offer a temporary rental contract? — official information (in Dutch) on temporary contracts since 1 July 2024.