Renting from Woonstede
Renting from Woonstede? How to check your rent.
Short answer: count your home's points and compare them with the legal maximum. If your rent is too high, first ask Woonstede in writing to lower it, and otherwise take the case to the Huurcommissie for 25 euros, refunded if you win. The check below is free and takes two to three minutes.
About Woonstede
Woonstede is a social housing association in the Netherlands. We are not affiliated with Woonstede and make no claims about this association's rents. Whether your rent is correct depends entirely on your home and your contract.
Where Woonstede rents out homes
Ownership figures with source and reference date are on the city page. See also sources and figures.
What you can check
Your rent and points
Is your base rent above the maximum that belongs to your points total?
How it works
Your service charges
Is the annual statement correct, and is every item agreed and actually incurred?
How it works
Maintenance issues
If overdue maintenance is not fixed, the rent can be lowered temporarily.
How it works
The yearly increase
Does the proposal stay within the legal maximum?
How it works
Frequently asked questions about renting from Woonstede
I rent from Woonstede and think my rent is too high. Where do I check that?
Count your home's points and compare them with the legal maximum. Floor area, property value (WOZ), energy label, amenities and outdoor space together determine your points total, and that total corresponds to a maximum base rent. Our free rent check pulls those details from the official registers and works it out for you in two to three minutes. That applies at Woonstede just as it does at any other landlord.
How do I object to my rent at Woonstede?
Start with a written request to Woonstede to lower the rent, with your points count attached. If you cannot work it out together, you take the case to the Huurcommissie. That costs 25 euros in fees, which you get back if you win. Housing associations have been required to be affiliated with the Huurcommissie since 1 July 2022, so that route is always open.
Do I have to complain to Woonstede first before going to the Huurcommissie?
Not for a dispute about the rent, service charges or maintenance issues: for those you can go straight to the Huurcommissie. For complaints about conduct or service you do first follow the internal complaints procedure of Woonstede, and if needed the independent complaints committee every housing association is affiliated with.
Do the same rules apply at a housing association as at a private landlord?
Yes. The points system, the six-month window to have your starting rent tested, service charges, maintenance issues and the yearly rent increase all follow the same legal rules and deadlines. In practice housing associations do win at the Huurcommissie more often than private landlords, because they generally calculate their points and rents correctly.
Can Woonstede raise my rent every year?
Within limits. A legal maximum percentage applies each year, and a rise may never take your rent above the maximum price for your points total. If you disagree, you object in writing before the increase takes effect.
Honest about your chances. Housing associations generally calculate their points and rents correctly, and win at the Huurcommissie more often than private landlords. Checking is still worthwhile, because a mistake is usually demonstrable and then often corrected without a procedure. Read more at renting from a housing association.