Reporting Undesirable Rental Behavior

You can report rental harassment to this hotline if:  

• you rent a property from a private landlord or letting agent (who brings tenants into contact with private landlords);
• you are looking for a private rental property;
• you are an employee from abroad (from a country within the European Union) and are temporarily living in the Netherlands for your work (also called a migrant worker). 

If you rent from a housing cooperative, you can report rental harassment to the cooperative that leases the home. The housing cooperative will then deal with the complaint.

• Discrimination, if a landlord rejects you on the basis of your race, religion, political affiliation, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, marital status, disability or chronic illness.
• Intimidation, if a landlord threatens or scares you.
• The landlord requires more than two months’ worth of basic rent as a deposit.
• The landlord does not provide a written rental agreement.
• The landlord does not provide clear information about:*
  • your rights and obligations;
  • agreements about a possible deposit;
  • the service fees;
  • the manager’s/landlord’s contact details;
  • the contact details for the reporting hotline (from 1 January 2024).
• The service fees are unfair and/or unreasonable, or the landlord does not provide an annual summary of them.
• The letting agent charges double letting agency fees.

* This applies to agreements entered into after 1 July 2023. For previously existing agreements, the rule takes effect from 1 October 2024.

What can you report as a migrant worker?

• The rental agreement is not separate from the employment contract.
• The landlord uses a language that you as a migrant worker do not understand, or have difficulty understanding.

Reporting rental harassment is free of charge and can be done anonymously. When making a report anonymously, tenants do not include their identification details. This may hinder the investigation or make it impossible. If you are lodging the report on behalf of someone else, then you must indicate that this is the case, and include proof that you are authorised to do so.

Report rental harassment >

The municipality will investigate which actions are necessary in response to your report. For example, you may be referred to the Rent Support Center Groningen (Steunpunt Huren) or the anti-discrimination agency. If a landlord or letting agent does not comply with the rules, the municipality may respond with a warning, fine or some other measure.

The municipality cannot check and/or resolve all reports. It can also take time to build up a file. The more information you provide, the quicker the municipality will be able to process your report. Reports concerning serious situations will take priority.

The Meldpunt Ongewenst Verhuurgedrag (Rental Harassment Reporting Hotline, or MOV) was created on the basis of a reporting hotline originally started by the Groninger Studentenbond (GSB) in 2016. Tenants or people seeking rental accommodation can make a report to the hotline if landlords and letting agents do not comply with the rules stipulated in the Good Landlordship Act. This law has been in effect since 1 July 2023. There is an explanatory video, which is available with subtitles in a number of languages (English, Español, Polski, Românâ, български).

If your rental complaint falls outside of the rules stipulated in the Good Landlordship Act, then the municipality will probably refer you elsewhere. This is often the Rent Support Center Groningen (Steunpunt Huren). You can also receive legal assistance there.

Are you a landlord or letting agent?

You can read more information about the rental rules on the Good Landlordship Act web page.

Municipality of Groningen
Telephone 14 050
E-mail woontoezicht@groningen.nl