Rent Increase in the Netherlands 2026: Huurverhoging Caps

A Dutch landlord cannot raise the rent by any amount they choose. Every rented home sits in one of three segments, and each segment has a maximum yearly rent increase (huurverhoging) fixed for the year by regulation, so a rise above the cap is simply not owed.

This page sets out the 2026 caps and their effective dates, the special rules for the social sector, how a landlord has to propose an increase, and how a tenant objects and gets the huurcommissie to test it. The caps are re-set every year, so each figure below is dated 2026.

Information last verified on 22 July 2026. This page provides general legal information about Netherlands law and does not constitute legal advice in an individual case.

The 2026 caps

For 2026 the maximum yearly rent increase is set separately for each segment, and the effective dates are not the same. Reading a single percentage across the whole calendar year is a common mistake, because the social cap changes in the middle of the year while the other two change at its start.

The statutory hook for these caps is in the civil code and the Uitvoeringswet huurprijzen woonruimte (Uhw). Artikel 7:248 BW provides that a clause producing an increase above what artikel 10 and artikel 10a Uhw permit is void (nietig) for the excess, and the percentages themselves are fixed each year by regulation under those Uhw articles. So the cap is not guidance a landlord may ignore: an increase above it has no legal effect for the part that exceeds it.

A worked example makes the arithmetic plain. A social-sector rent of EUR 700 per month may rise by at most 4.1 percent from 1 July 2026, which is EUR 28.70, to EUR 728.70. A middenhuur rent of EUR 1,000 may rise by at most 6.1 percent from 1 January 2026, to EUR 1,061. A free-sector rent of EUR 1,500 may rise by at most 4.4 percent from 1 January 2026, to EUR 1,566.

The social sector has extra rules

The social sector carries two rules the other segments do not, and both are worth checking before treating 4.1 percent as the whole answer.

The first concerns very low rents. Where the bare rent (kale huur) is under the 2026 threshold of EUR 350 per month, the landlord may instead raise it by up to a flat EUR 25, which can be more than 4.1 percent would allow, so that very low rents are able to catch up. For a bare rent of EUR 300, for instance, 4.1 percent would be only EUR 12.30, but the flat rule permits up to EUR 25, taking the rent to EUR 325.

The second concerns higher-income households. In a self-contained social rental, an income-dependent surcharge (inkomensafhankelijke hogere huurverhoging) of EUR 50 or EUR 100 per month may be charged in 2026 to households above set income thresholds, on top of the ordinary cap. Both the surcharge amounts and the income limits are re-set each year.

How a landlord must propose an increase

A rent increase does not take effect just because the landlord announces it. Artikel 7:252 lid 1 BW requires the landlord to make the proposal in writing at least two months before the date it is to take effect.

The written proposal has to state the current rent, the increase as a percentage or an amount, the proposed new rent, the date it is to start, and how and by when the tenant can object. A proposal that leaves those out, or that gives less than two months, does not validly change the rent. For most regulated tenancies the standard moment for a yearly increase is fixed, which is why the social cap is tied to 1 July.

How to object, and where it goes

A tenant who thinks a proposed increase is too high, or above the cap, does not simply refuse to pay: there is a route to have it tested, and it differs by segment.

In the social sector the burden is on the landlord. Under artikel 7:253 BW, if the tenant states in writing before the effective date that they do not agree, the landlord must ask the rent tribunal (huurcommissie) within six weeks to rule on whether the increase is reasonable, or the increase does not take effect. If the tenant neither objects nor pays and the landlord re-notifies by registered letter, the tenant may then ask the huurcommissie within four months. A tenant who lets four months pass without any request is deemed to have agreed.

In the middenhuur and free sectors the tenant carries the request. Artikel 7:248 lid 4 BW lets a tenant ask the huurcommissie within four months of the effective date to rule on an increase that exceeds the permitted cap. And where the issue is that the rent itself is too high rather than the increase, artikel 7:254 BW lets a tenant propose a rent reduction and, if the landlord refuses, ask the huurcommissie within six weeks.

A huurcommissie ruling binds both parties under artikel 7:262 BW unless one of them asks the kantonrechter for a decision within eight weeks of the ruling being sent, and no further appeal lies against that decision.

So a rent-increase dispute has a clear end point. The huurcommissie rules, and unless a party takes it to the subdistrict court (kantonrechter) within eight weeks the ruling stands. The rent tribunal page sets out the huurcommissie procedure, the EUR 25 tenant fee and the eight-week route in full.

The points still set the ceiling

The yearly cap limits how far a rent can rise, but it is not the only limit. For a regulated home the points system fixes an absolute maximum rent, and an increase cannot push the rent above it.

Since the Wet betaalbare huur took effect on 1 July 2024 the woningwaarderingsstelsel (the points system) is largely mandatory rather than a cap a tenant must invoke, it now also regulates the middenhuur band up to 186 points, and from 1 January 2025 gemeenten can fine a landlord who charges more than the points allow.

In 2026 a self-contained home scoring up to 143 points is social housing with a maximum rent of EUR 932.93 per month, a home scoring 144 to 186 points falls in the regulated middenhuur band up to EUR 1,228.07 per month, and only a home scoring 187 points or more is free-sector where the rent is not capped by the points.

That means two checks, not one. A tenant should confirm both that the proposed increase is within the yearly cap and that the resulting rent does not exceed the maximum the points allow. The points system page explains how a home is scored and points to the official huurcommissie check for an exact figure. The wider framework, including contract types and the deposit (waarborgsom), is on the tenancy law page and the tenant rights overview.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much can my rent go up in 2026?

It depends on the segment. For 2026 the maximum yearly increase is 4.1 percent in the social sector from 1 July, 6.1 percent in the regulated middenhuur band from 1 January, and 4.4 percent in the free sector from 1 January. In the social sector, where the bare rent is under EUR 350, the landlord may instead raise it by up to a flat EUR 25.

Can my landlord raise the rent whenever they want?

No. A landlord must propose a change in writing at least two months before it takes effect under artikel 7:252 BW, and the increase cannot exceed the yearly cap for the segment. For most regulated tenancies the ordinary yearly increase is tied to a fixed date, which is why the social cap runs from 1 July.

What can I do if the increase is above the cap?

Object in writing and have the huurcommissie test it. In the social sector, if you object before the effective date the landlord must bring the case to the huurcommissie within six weeks or the increase does not take effect. In the middenhuur and free sectors you ask the huurcommissie yourself within four months under artikel 7:248 lid 4 BW. A clause producing an increase above what the law permits is void for the excess.

Does a rent increase have to respect the points system?

For a regulated home, yes. The yearly cap limits how far the rent can rise, but the points system fixes an absolute maximum rent that the rent cannot exceed. Since the Wet betaalbare huur the points system is largely mandatory, so both checks apply: the increase within the cap, and the resulting rent within the points maximum.

What is the extra charge for higher incomes?

In a self-contained social rental an income-dependent surcharge of EUR 50 or EUR 100 per month may be charged in 2026 to households above set income thresholds, on top of the ordinary cap. The surcharge amounts and the income limits are re-set each year, so they should be read with the year attached.

What happens after the huurcommissie rules on my rent increase?

The ruling binds both parties under artikel 7:262 BW unless one of them asks the kantonrechter for a decision within eight weeks of the ruling being sent, and no further appeal lies against that decision. In practice a rent-increase dispute that is not taken to court within eight weeks is settled by the huurcommissie ruling.