What utilities do you pay extra on top of your rent?

When looking at the rental price of a home, you often see the term “bare rent”. This is the amount you pay purely for the use of the stones and the location. The costs necessary to make the home actually livable — the utilities — are almost always on top of that. It is essential to have a good overview of this beforehand so that you are not faced with financial surprises when the first bills fall on the mat.

In a standard living situation, as a tenant, you are responsible for concluding contracts, but sometimes the landlord arranges this via the service costs. It is important to know which things you need to budget extra for and how these costs are calculated.

The basics: Energy and water

These are the most logical additional costs. Unless you have an 'all-in' contract (which is becoming increasingly rare), you pay for your own consumption of gas, electricity and water.

Gas and electricity

Energy costs are often the largest item on top of your rent. To do this, you choose an energy supplier yourself and pay a monthly advance. The annual bill will follow at the end of the year: if you have consumed less than estimated, you will receive a refund. If you have consumed more, you will have to pay extra. When viewing, pay close attention to the home's energy label; a house with label A is tens of euros cheaper in utilities every month than a home with label E or F.

Water

You have no choice when it comes to water in the Netherlands; the supplier is determined by the region in which you live (such as Vitens, PWN or Waternet). You pay a fixed amount per quarter or month for this. Remember that, in addition to supplying water, you also pay for its disposal and treatment through water board taxes.

Service costs: What's in it?

In addition to your rent, many apartments also pay a service fee. These are costs for things that benefit you as a resident, but that the landlord arranges centrally.

• Cleaning and lighting: Costs for keeping the shared hall and the lighting in the stairwell or elevator clean.
• Caretaker: In larger complexes, you contribute to the salary of the caretaker who supervises the property.
• Green maintenance: If a shared courtyard or park belongs to the building, you contribute to the gardener.
• Glass insurance: Collective glass insurance is often included in the service costs, so you do not have to be separately insured for broken windows.

Internet, television and communication

In contrast to the past, internet and TV are almost never included as standard in the rental price anymore, except sometimes in student homes or short-stay apartments. To do this, you must subscribe to a provider such as KPN, Ziggo or Odido yourself.

During a viewing, check which connections are available in the house. Is fiber available, or do you have to rely on the old cable or DSL line? Availability can affect both the speed of your internet and the price of your monthly package.

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Municipal user taxes

This is a post that many new renters overlook, as these bills often only come once or twice a year. As a resident of a home, you will have to deal with “user taxes”.

1. Waste tax: This is the fee that you pay to the municipality for collecting and processing your household waste. The height varies by municipality and depends on the size of your household.
2. Sewer charge: A contribution to the use of the sewer network. Sometimes this is settled by the landlord, but you often receive the assessment directly from the municipality.
3. Water Board Tax: As mentioned earlier, as a resident, you contribute to water management and treatment in your region.

What do you need to be extra focused on?

Sometimes a landlord tries to pass on costs that should actually be included in the basic rent. By law, a landlord is not allowed to make a profit on utilities and service charges. Each year, you are entitled to a specified overview of the actual costs incurred.

Please also pay attention to issues such as the “administrative costs” for preparing the final bill; these should not be unreasonably high. If you rent a home with a shared boiler (block heating), ask about the average consumption of the previous occupant, as you will have less influence on the basic rates.

In short, in addition to your rent, always estimate an amount for your variable and fixed costs. On average, for a single-person household in an average insulated home, you will spend between 150 and 250 euros per month on these extra items.