Servicekosten: Dutch Service Charges and Your Rights (2026)

Servicekosten are the service charges a tenant pays on top of the bare rent (kale huur) for goods and services the landlord supplies with the home. The point every tenant should know is that these are not a fixed extra the landlord simply keeps. They are advance payments that the law requires to be settled against the real costs once a year.

This page explains what may and may not be charged as servicekosten, the yearly statement (afrekening) a landlord owes, the tenant's right to see the underlying invoices, and the cheap route to the rent tribunal (huurcommissie) if the charge looks too high. It is written for the tenant (huurder). The rules are stated as Book 7 of the Burgerlijk Wetboek (BW) was consolidated on 1 July 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.

What counts as servicekosten

Dutch law draws a line between two kinds of extra charge, and the difference matters. Under artikel 7:237 lid 3 BW, individually-metered electricity, gas and water are a separate legal category called kosten voor nutsvoorzieningen met een individuele meter. Everything else the landlord supplies in connection with living in the home is servicekosten proper.

Servicekosten therefore cover things such as cleaning of shared areas, a lift, a caretaker (huismeester), the electricity for communal spaces, and collective heating (stookkosten) where the home has no individual meter. Where a dwelling has its own gas meter, by contrast, the heating gas falls under the metered-utilities category rather than servicekosten. The same article lets a general order (algemene maatregel van bestuur) designate further items as servicekosten.

Service charges are advance payments, settled once a year

The heart of the tenant's protection is that servicekosten are a voorschot, an advance, and not a fixed surcharge. Under artikel 7:259 lid 1 BW the amount the tenant pays each month is the amount the parties agreed; where they did not agree, servicekosten are set at the amount fixed by ministerial regulation. But the monthly figure is only provisional.

Under artikel 7:259 lid 2 BW the landlord must give the tenant, no later than six months after the end of a calendar year, an itemised statement (naar de soort uitgesplitst overzicht) of the metered utilities and servicekosten charged that year, showing how each was calculated. The provisional monthly payments are then set against the actual costs, and the difference is settled either way: the landlord refunds an overpayment or bills a shortfall.

A short worked example makes the mechanism clear. A tenant paying EUR 50 a month in advance pays EUR 600 across the year. If the actual servicekosten for that year come to EUR 520, the landlord owes the tenant the EUR 80 difference on the afrekening. If they come to EUR 680, the tenant owes the extra EUR 80.

The advance is only ever an estimate of what the real costs will turn out to be.

Two further rights sit around the statement. Under artikel 7:259 lid 4 BW the tenant may, on request, inspect the invoices and records that lie behind the statement, or copies of them, so the figures can be checked against what the landlord actually paid. And under artikel 7:259 lid 3 BW, when a lease ends partway through a year, the statement covers the part of the year already elapsed at termination.

If you cannot agree: the huurcommissie

A tenant who thinks the servicekosten are too high, or who never receives a statement, is not left to argue alone. Under artikel 7:260 lid 1 BW, if the tenant and landlord cannot agree on what is owed for metered utilities and servicekosten, either of them may ask the huurcommissie to rule.

There is a time limit and a scope limit. Under artikel 7:260 lid 2 BW a request covers at most one period of up to twelve months for each type of cost, and it may be made up to twenty-four months after the six-month deadline for the landlord's statement has passed. So a tenant has a generous window, but not an unlimited one, to challenge a year's charges.

The huurcommissie is the cheap, tenant-facing route. In 2026 a tenant pays leges (a fee) of EUR 25 to start a case, refunded if the tenant wins, and the procedure needs no lawyer. The tribunal, its fees and its procedure are covered in full on the rent tribunal page.

Its decision is not merely advisory.

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.

Raising the monthly advance

Because the advance is only an estimate, the law also controls when a landlord may raise it. Under artikel 7:261 BW the voorschot for metered utilities may only be increased after the landlord has provided the yearly statement, and each statement can support only one such increase. A landlord cannot simply push the monthly advance up at will between statements.

Where a servicekosten dispute is decided

If a servicekosten dispute goes past the huurcommissie to a court, the same forum rule applies as for every Dutch tenancy matter.

Dutch tenancy cases are heard by the kantonrechter whatever the amount at stake, because artikel 93 sub c Rv assigns huur cases to the kantonrechter regardless of the value of the claim, so the EUR 25,000 threshold that applies to ordinary money claims does not apply here.

Taken together, the annual afrekening, the inspection right and the huurcommissie route mean a landlord cannot set servicekosten at whatever level suits them. The charge has to reflect real costs, and a tenant has a cheap way to have that tested.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are servicekosten in the Netherlands?

Servicekosten are service charges a tenant pays on top of the bare rent (kale huur) for goods and services the landlord supplies with the home, such as cleaning of shared areas, a lift or a caretaker. Under artikel 7:259 lid 2 BW they are advance payments that must be settled against the actual costs once a year, not a fixed profit for the landlord.

What can a landlord charge as service charges?

Only real goods and services supplied in connection with living in the home. Artikel 7:237 lid 3 BW separates individually-metered electricity, gas and water into a distinct category and treats the other shared services, such as cleaning, a lift, a caretaker and collective heating without an individual meter, as servicekosten. The charge must reflect the costs actually incurred.

Does my landlord have to give me a yearly service-charge statement?

Yes. Under artikel 7:259 lid 2 BW the landlord must provide an itemised statement (afrekening) of the year's metered utilities and servicekosten no later than six months after the end of the calendar year, showing how each cost was calculated.

Can I see the invoices behind my service charges?

Yes. Artikel 7:259 lid 4 BW gives the tenant the right, on request, to inspect the invoices and records behind the statement, or copies of them, so the charged figures can be checked against what was actually paid.

My service charges seem too high. What can I do?

If you cannot agree with the landlord, either of you may ask the huurcommissie to rule under artikel 7:260 lid 1 BW. The tribunal is cheap, needs no lawyer, and can bring the servicekosten down to the reasonable amount. The request can be made up to twenty-four months after the deadline for the landlord's statement passed.

Can my landlord charge whatever they want for service costs?

No. Servicekosten must reflect the actual costs the landlord incurs (artikel 7:259 BW), the tenant can inspect the underlying invoices, and the huurcommissie can test and correct the charge. A landlord who sets service charges above real cost can be challenged.

Are gas and electricity part of servicekosten?

Not when they are individually metered. Under artikel 7:237 lid 3 BW individually-metered electricity, gas and water form a separate category, kosten voor nutsvoorzieningen met een individuele meter. Only collective or unmetered supply, such as communal heating without an individual meter, is treated as servicekosten.

How long do I have to challenge a year's service charges?

Under artikel 7:260 lid 2 BW you may ask the huurcommissie up to twenty-four months after the six-month deadline for the landlord's yearly statement has passed. Each request covers at most one period of up to twelve months for each type of cost.