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).
• you rent from a housing cooperative. In this case, you can only report the level of the rent price or rent price increase to us. If your report concerns a different rule from the Good Landlordship Act, you should report this to the housing cooperative itself.

• Discrimination. A landlord rejects you on the basis of your race, religion, political affiliation, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, marital status, disability or chronic illness. 
• Intimidation. A landlord threatens or scares you.
• The landlord requests more than twice the monthly basic rent as a deposit. 
• The landlord does not provide a written rental agreement.
• The landlord does not provide clear information regarding*:
  • 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 number of WWS(O) points on which your rent price is based (from 1 January 2025). This concerns the ‘points-based system’ to assess homes and rooms.
• The service fees are unreasonable, or the landlord does not provide an annual summary of them.
• The letting agent charges double letting agency fees.
• The rent price for your home or room is too high (according to the Housing Rent Price Implementation Act). You can check this on ismijnhuurteduur.nl.**
• The rent increase is higher than permitted (according to the Housing Rent Price Implementation Act).** 

* This applies to agreements entered into after 1 July 2023. For previously existing agreements, the rule takes effect from 1 October 2024. Information about the number of WWS(O) points must also be provided from 1 January 2025 (for contracts signed after 1 July 2024).

** The municipality’s reporting hotline is only intended for private rental. Except for the rules marked with two asterisks (**). Tenants can also report about these rules if it concerns a housing corporation. These two rules will not, however, be enforced until 1 January 2025.

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 >

Want to know how we handle your data? Read our privacy statement (NL). 

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), the anti-discrimination agency or the Rent Tribunal. If landlords or letting agents do not comply with the rules, the municipality may issue a warning or fine, or take other measures.

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. A video explaining the rules is also available with subtitles in: 

• English
• Español
• Polski
• Românâ
• български

If your rental complaint falls outside the rules stipulated in the Good Landlordship Act, 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 number: +31 (0)50 14 050
E-mail: woontoezicht@groningen.nl