اخبار

Almost € 354 A supplement from the government to help pay the rent every month.

This sounds great, of course, but not everyone is entitled to housing allowance. Rent allowance is a contribution from the government to the rental costs of your home. You must meet a number of conditions before you are eligible for housing allowance.

For which type of property can I get housing allowance?

Tenants of an independent home may be eligible for housing allowance. An independent home is a home with its own access door, which must at least have its own living room, bedroom and kitchen. For example, think of an apartment house or a terraced house. Are you renting a room in a (student) house? Then you are usually not eligible for housing allowance.

There is one exception to this: if your home was designated by the government before 1 July 1997 for the housing allowance. So check carefully with the landlord if this is the case.

If your home is eligible, these conditions apply:

1- You are 18 years or older

2- You have Dutch nationality or a valid residence permit – this also applies to any roommates

3- Your basic rent may not exceed € 720.42 per month in 2019. In 2020 that is € 737.14. If you are younger than 23, the basic rent in 2019 may not exceed € 424.44 per month. You must specify the rental price including service costs. You may state the following four service costs as service costs for which you are eligible for housing allowance:

4- Costs for the lift and electricity in common areas

5- Cleaning costs for common area

6- Costs for a care taker

7- Costs for maintenance of service areas and communal recreation areas

8- You have signed a lease with the landlord

9- You pay the rent and can prove this with bank statements

10- You are registered with the municipality at the address for which you want to apply for the housing allowance

11- You have an independent rental property (your own door, living room, bedroom and toilet)

12- Finally: income and capital conditions with housing allowance

To receive housing allowance, your income may not be too high. The maximum income amount is set per year. In 2019 this was € 22,700 for single people.

Don’t you live alone? Then the income of all the people you live with in 2019 should not exceed € 30,825. So, take a good look at the current income limit *

Your assets may not be too high either. You may have a maximum of € 30,864 in equity in 2020.

If you have a benefit partner, your assets may not exceed € 61,692. If you have a benefit partner you can find it on the website of the Tax Authorities.

* From 2020 a gradual income limit will be introduced. With a rising income, the right to rent allowance is not lost in one go, but it slowly decreases to zero.

What is the maximum rent allowance that I can get?

The maximum surcharge per month in 2019 was € 354.

Chater Finance has tried to summarize the rules regarding renting and renting out a home for you. This is not advice and no rights can be derived from it. If in doubt, we recommend that you consult us.