What can a landlord ask a tenant in the Netherlands?

Before a landlord hands over the keys, they want to know whether you can afford the rent and whether you are a reliable tenant. This screening is allowed, but it is not unlimited: Dutch privacy law (the GDPR, known locally as the AVG) and, since 1 July 2023, the Good Landlordship Act (Wet goed verhuurderschap) set clear limits on what a landlord or letting agent may ask of you. In practice, in a tight market landlords often ask for far more than they are allowed to, simply because house-hunters hand over everything anyway out of fear of being rejected.

For expats this matters even more: you are often new to the Dutch system, may not yet have a BSN (citizen service number) or a Dutch rental history, and landlords sometimes exploit that uncertainty to demand extra paperwork. In this article we set out which details a landlord may request, which they may not, and what your rights are when too much is asked. That way, the next time you respond to a listing, you know exactly where you stand.

The starting point: only what is necessary

The GDPR contains the principle of data minimisation: a landlord may only process data that is necessary to assess whether you are a suitable tenant. In concrete terms, that boils down to two questions: can you pay the rent, and are there any signs that you will not stick to the agreements? Anything beyond that is, in principle, too much.

The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, or AP) has ruled on this repeatedly. The common thread: a landlord may check whether your income is sufficient, but may not map out your entire financial and personal life. The more sought-after the property, the more some landlords think they can demand, but the law does not change because of the housing shortage.

What a landlord IS allowed to ask

For a normal screening, the following details are usually permitted, provided they are proportionate:

• Name and contact details — logical and necessary to draw up a contract.
• Proof of income — a recent payslip or an employer's statement (werkgeversverklaring). This lets the landlord check whether your income is in proportion to the rent (a common rule of thumb is an income of around 3 to 3.5 times the bare monthly rent).
• Type of employment — for example, whether you have a permanent or temporary contract. Self-employed people (zzp'ers) may be asked for annual figures or accountant's statements.
• Number of future occupants — relevant for suitability and any agreements about how the home is used.
• A copy of your ID for verification — the landlord may establish your identity. Keeping a copy is only allowed under strict conditions (see below).

For the income check, an important nuance applies. The landlord may see that you earn enough, but does not always need your complete payslip with every detail. A payslip contains more than just the amount: it also shows your BSN, possibly pension data and sometimes information about wage garnishment.

What a landlord is NOT allowed to ask

This is where things most often go wrong in practice. As a rule, a landlord may not request or keep the following:

• Your citizen service number (BSN) — an ordinary landlord may not process your BSN. Only organisations with a legal basis (such as a housing association for certain tasks) are allowed to. So shield your BSN on your payslip and ID copy. As an expat you receive a BSN when you register at the municipality (gemeente), but a private landlord still has no right to store it.
• A complete, uncensored copy of your passport or ID with your photo and BSN visible, to keep on file.
• Your full bank statements — these show all your spending, which is far too detailed for an income check.
• Medical data, religion, ethnic background, sexual orientation or a possible pregnancy — these are special-category personal data and/or grounds for discrimination. Processing them is forbidden, and selecting on this basis is discrimination.
• A Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) — there is no legal basis for this in regular residential letting.
• Unlimited information about your current landlord or rental history without good reason.

For the ID document, the rule is: showing it is fine, but copying and storing it is almost never allowed just like that. If needed, use the free KopieID app from the Dutch government (Rijksoverheid), which lets you mask your BSN and photo and note on the copy what it is for and when it was made. A landlord who insists on a full copy "for the file" is asking for too much in almost every case.

The landlord reference: useful or a step too far?

A landlord reference (verhuurdersverklaring) is a statement from your current or previous landlord confirming that you paid your rent properly and stuck to the agreements. Landlords like to ask for this, but there are catches.

First, it is not mandatory and you do not always have one. Anyone renting independently for the first time, who lived with family, or who has just arrived from abroad simply has no previous landlord. A landlord may not automatically hold the absence of a reference against you, which is especially relevant for expats new to the Netherlands.

Second, the statement may only cover matters relevant to the rental relationship: did you pay on time and did you keep to the contract? A previous landlord may not share value judgements or private details about you. And you do not have to give your current landlord blanket permission to say anything about you.

The Good Landlordship Act: extra protection

The Good Landlordship Act has applied since 1 July 2023. It imposes a number of basic standards on landlords and letting agents that strengthen your position as a tenant:

• No discrimination: the landlord must use a transparent selection procedure and, on request, be able to explain why they chose someone else after rejecting you.
• No intimidation around entering into or ending the tenancy.
• Maximum deposit: the deposit may not be higher than twice the bare monthly rent.
• No double agency fees: an agent working for the landlord may not charge you, the tenant, any agency or contract fees.
• Written duty to inform: rights and obligations, the amount of the deposit and a breakdown of the service costs must be made clear.

Since this Act, municipalities can set up a reporting point where you can flag undesirable landlord behaviour, and they can take action against landlords who do not comply. In the event of abuse, this gives you an extra avenue alongside the Rent Tribunal (Huurcommissie).

Overview: allowed or not?

How to protect your privacy in practice

You are in a stronger position than you think, even in a tight market. A few practical tips:

1. Mask sensitive data. Make your BSN and photo unreadable on your payslip and ID. Write on the copy what it is for and add the date.
2. Provide no more than asked — and no more than allowed. If a landlord asks for your complete bank statements, politely point out that an employer's statement or payslip is enough to demonstrate your income.
3. Ask where your data goes. The landlord must be able to tell you what they do with your data, how long they keep it and when they destroy the data of rejected candidates.
4. Watch out for rogue landlords. Anyone who asks for money, a deposit or a "reservation" before a viewing is almost always a scammer. Read more in recognising rental scams.

The tricky part is that in a tense market it feels as if you cannot afford to be critical. Yet protecting your privacy need not harm your chances: a neatly masked ID copy and an employer's statement are perfectly sufficient for a proper landlord.

Responding quickly and properly

You do not have to choose between responding fast and protecting your privacy. The secret is preparation: keep a tidy file ready with an employer's statement or a recent payslip (BSN masked) and a masked ID copy, so you can respond in full within minutes without giving away unnecessary data. Read how to set this up smartly in responding faster to rental listings.

In cities such as Amsterdam, Utrecht and Rotterdam, where demand from English-speaking renters is highest, the competition is fiercest, and that is precisely where the temptation to just send everything is greatest. With an aggregator like HuurScanner you bundle the supply of dozens of rental sites in one place and get a heads-up as soon as a suitable home appears, so you can be the first to respond with a tidy, complete file. Browse the current rental listings or see what HuurScanner Premium and its instant alerts can do for you.

In summary

A landlord may check whether you can afford the rent and whether you are a reliable tenant — no more and no less. Proof of income and an identity check are allowed; your BSN, full bank statements, special-category personal data and a stored full ID copy are not. Thanks to the GDPR and the Good Landlordship Act, you have concrete rights: a capped deposit, no agency fees and no discrimination. Know those limits, mask your sensitive data and provide only what is needed — then you can respond quickly without exposing yourself.