Documents you need to rent a home in the Netherlands

You apply for a flat, and a few hours later the agent emails back. They want your payslips and an employer’s statement. If you don’t have them ready, you first have to ask your employer, and that can take a few days. Meanwhile, the landlord may already pick someone else.

If you have everything in one folder before you start, you can reply straight away. This guide covers which documents you need, how to get them and when to send what. Including what to arrange if you’ve only just moved to the Netherlands.

Have it ready, but don’t send it all at once

Ready doesn’t mean you send everything with your first message. Under EU privacy law (the GDPR, or AVG in Dutch), a landlord may only ask for what they need, and only at the moment they need it.

So prepare everything, but only send what’s asked for at that stage.

The checklist

1. A secure copy of your passport or ID

Make the copy with KopieID, a free app from the Dutch government. It lets you cross out your citizen service number (BSN) and your photo, and add who the copy is for and the date. So make a new copy for each landlord.

From outside the EU or EEA? Then landlords usually also ask for a copy of your residence permit (verblijfsvergunning), front and back. If your BSN is on it, cover that too.

Never send your ID to someone you haven’t been able to check. How to recognise a fake landlord is explained in How to spot a rental scam in the Netherlands.

2. Your latest payslips

Landlords usually ask for your last three. Download them as PDFs from your employer’s payroll portal, and replace them with the newest one each month.

Just started your job and don’t have three yet? Send what you have, plus your signed employment contract.

3. An employer’s statement (werkgeversverklaring)

This is the document that takes longest to arrange. Below you’ll find what’s in it and how to get one.

4. Your Dutch income statement (inkomensverklaring)

This shows your income over a full year, as registered by the Dutch Tax Administration (Belastingdienst). You can download it for free in Mijn Belastingdienst with your DigiD. It’s only useful if you’ve already lived and worked in the Netherlands for a year or more. New arrivals won’t have one yet, and that’s fine.

5. A landlord’s reference (verhuurdersverklaring)

A statement from your current landlord that you pay the rent on time and don’t cause any nuisance. Renting abroad at the moment? Ask your current landlord for a short reference letter in English. Renting for the first time? Then you won’t have one, and that’s not a problem. Just say so.

6. A BRP extract

This shows the address where you’re registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP). You request it from your municipality, usually online with DigiD, for a small fee. Landlords often want a recent one, so only request it when asked. Not registered in the Netherlands yet? Then you can’t have one. Explain that when it comes up.

Extra, depending on your situation

• You work as a freelancer (zzp’er): an extract from the Chamber of Commerce (KVK), your annual figures and your Dutch income statements. More in Renting with a temporary job contract or as a freelancer.

• You have a temporary contract or you’re on probation: ask your employer for a statement of intent (see below).

• You’re an international student: proof of enrolment from your university. If your income is too low for the landlord’s income requirement, they’ll often ask for a guarantor. Ask whether they accept a guarantor who lives abroad; not all landlords do.

• You’re renting together: prepare the same documents for both of you.

Moving here? Make sure you can register at the address

If you’re moving to the Netherlands for more than four months, you must register with the municipality where you live within five days of arriving. Registration is free, and it’s when you receive your BSN. You need that number for taxes, healthcare and other dealings with the Dutch government.

You register at the address where you actually live. So before you sign, check that the landlord allows you to register there. Some municipalities ask for your signed rental agreement when you register, and for a private rental sometimes a copy of the owner’s ID as well.

Be careful with listings that say registration isn’t possible (geen inschrijving). Without registration you won’t get a BSN. Ask the landlord why.

Don’t have a BSN yet? That’s normal. A landlord doesn’t need your BSN anyway.

The employer’s statement: what’s in it and how to get one

An employer’s statement (werkgeversverklaring) is a form your employer fills in about your contract and income. It shows a landlord whether you can pay the rent every month. It’s a standard form. The most widely used version is the model from the Dutch mortgage guarantee scheme (NHG), but some agents have their own form. The forms are usually in Dutch, but the HR department of a Dutch employer will know them.

What’s in it?

• your employer’s details

• your details: name, address and date of birth

• your job title and start date

• the type of contract: permanent or temporary, and whether you’re on probation

• your gross annual salary, plus holiday pay and, if applicable, a 13th month, year-end bonus or fixed allowances

• any loans from your employer or wage garnishments

Your employer fills in your actual salary. If you work part-time, it won’t show what you’d earn full-time.

Temporary contract? Ask for a statement of intent

On a fixed-term contract or still on probation? Your employer can add a statement of intent (intentieverklaring) on the same form. In it, they say they intend to offer you a permanent contract if you keep performing and nothing changes in the company. It’s not a guarantee, but it makes you a stronger candidate.

How to get one

1. Ask the agent or landlord whether they have their own form. If not, download the NHG model.

2. Send it to HR or payroll. Working through an employment agency (uitzendbureau)? Then ask the agency.

3. Have it filled in completely and signed by someone who’s authorised to do so, with a date. A form that’s incomplete or has corrections is often not accepted.

4. Check that the amounts match your payslip.

An employer’s statement is usually valid for three months. So request it as soon as you start searching, not when a landlord asks for it. Still searching after three months? Request a new one.

What a landlord doesn’t need

You show who you are and what you earn. Nothing more is needed.

• Your BSN. Always cover it on the copy of your ID or residence permit.

• Full bank statements. They show far more than your income. Your payslips or employer’s statement already show what you earn. If a landlord asks anyway, ask whether another way works too.

• Photos of yourself or your family, or your social media profiles.

• Information about your religion, health or ethnic background. A landlord may never ask for this.

Think a landlord is asking for too much, or too early? Ask why they need it. You can also report it to the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens), or get free advice from the Juridisch Loket (legal advice desk) or the local tenants’ advice service (huurteam) in your city.

Set up your folder

1. Create one folder on your phone or in the cloud, for example “Rental”. That way you can send things on the go.

2. Save everything as PDF, with clear names like Payslip-September-2026-Smith.pdf.

3. Add a short standard message for your applications: who you are, what you do, an indication of your income, who you’ll live with and from when. Adjust it for each home.

4. Keep it up to date: a new payslip every month, and a new employer’s statement after three months.

5. Only send documents to the agent or landlord directly, through their portal or business email. Not over WhatsApp to someone you don’t know.