Reclaim overpaid service costs in the Netherlands

What service costs are supposed to be

On top of your base rent, many tenants pay service costs (servicekosten): things like shared electricity, cleaning of communal areas, a caretaker, or furniture. The key rule that protects you is this: service costs are meant to reflect actual costs, not a round number a landlord invents.

Your right to an annual statement

Once a year your landlord must give you an afrekening, a statement of the real service costs for the period, set against what you paid in advance. If you paid more in monthly advances than the actual costs came to, the difference is yours to reclaim. No statement, or a vague one with no breakdown, is a red flag.

• You are entitled to a clear, itemised annual statement.
• Overpaid advances should be refunded to you.
• Charges with no basis in actual cost can be challenged.

What changes from 1 July 2026

The rules are tightening. From 1 July 2026, the Wet Modernisering Servicekosten introduces a stricter whitelist of what can be charged as service costs at all. In short, it becomes harder for landlords to pass off extra charges as legitimate service costs, and easier for tenants to see when something does not belong.

How to reclaim what you overpaid

If your statement is missing, unclear, or shows you overpaid, you can take it to the Huurcommissie, which can rule on service costs and order a correction. Like rent, this is a Dutch language procedure, and like rent, it is one we can handle for you.

Why this is worth your time

Service costs feel small month to month, but an unjustified charge repeated over a year or two adds up to real money. Asking for the statement you are legally owed costs you nothing, and it often reveals more than just the service costs.