Reporting Rental Harassment

The reporting hotline was established in 2016 together with the Groningen Students’ Union (Groninger Studentenbond). Starting on 1 July 2023, the Good Landlordship Act now applies. This means that any tenant or person looking for rental accommodation, and who experiences rental harassment from a landlord or letting agent, can report this to the hotline.

You can report rental harassment by a landlord if:  

• you are looking for a private rental property (not from a housing cooperative)
• you rent a property from a private landlord or letting agent. A letting agent puts tenants in contact with private landlords.
• you are a foreign worker with a work-rental contract. Your work and accommodation is therefore arranged through a temporary employment agency.

If you rent from a housing cooperative, you should lodge your complaint with the cooperative that leases the accommodation. They will handle the complaint themselves.

You can report rental harassment. If you are lodging the report as an authorised representative, then you must include proof of authorisation. Making a report is free of charge and can be done anonymously.

Report rental harassment >

Your report will be registered, checked and assessed. Depending on the nature of your report:

• actions will be taken by the municipality.
• you will be referred to Rent Support Center (Steunpunt Huren) Groningen
• you will be referred to the anti-discrimination agency

If none of the above options apply, we will find another solution. We always inform you about what we are doing with your report.

The municipality can compel a ‘bad landlord’ or ‘bad letting agent’ to lease the property in accordance with the rules. If the landlord or letting agent does not cooperate, then enforcement will be applied, for example in the form of a fine.

You can make a report in the event of:

• Discrimination
• Threats or intimidation
• A security deposit that exceeds the amount of two months’ basic rent
• Refusal to provide a written rental agreement
• Overdue maintenance or defects
• Excessive rent prices
• Deposit wrongfully withheld
• Double letting agency fees or excessive service fees

A landlord must provide you with a written lease agreement. The following information must be included in the lease agreement or in supplementary written documentation:

• The tenant’s rights and obligations
• The amount of the security deposit (if this is charged)
• The contact details for a company or person that the tenant can approach with questions/complaints
• The contact details for the municipal reporting hotline through which the tenant can lodge a complaint

You can seek legal advice through the Rent Support Center (Steunpunt Huren) Groningen. The Municipality of Groningen does not provide legal advice for individual cases.

The municipality cannot check, use or resolve all reports. Sometimes we have to build up a file, and that takes time. Therefore, please provide as much information as possible along with your report. The municipality always responds to reports of serious situations and reports including thorough information.

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