I’m Jan Louwers, the expert behind Huurfix. I work with the Rent Commission to lower rents that are too high, on a no-cure-no-pay basis: you only pay if your rent actually goes down. And often, it’s about more than just a lower rent. If you’ve overpaid, you can get that money back for the period that’s already passed.
In this article, I'll explain when that's possible, how much of a difference it can make, and the deadline for signing up.
Yes. If your rent is too high, the Rent Commission can lower your rent to the amount you’re required to pay under the rules. And in one specific case, that reduction applies not only from now on, but retroactively to the day your lease began.
That process is the review of your initial rent (officially: the review of the initial rent). It’s a check to see if the rent you started paying at the beginning of your lease is correct. If it isn’t, your rent will be reduced starting on day one, and you’ll be reimbursed for the difference for the months in between.
It all comes down to the start date of your lease. If the Rent Commission determines that your rent is too high, it will set a new, lower rent. That new rent applies retroactively from the start date of your lease, not just from the date of the decision.
So, any amount you've overpaid since that start date has turned out to be too much in hindsight, and you'll be refunded the difference.
Here’s an example to illustrate this. Suppose you’re overpaying by €300 per month, and your lease has eight months left when the ruling is issued. In that case, not only will your rent decrease by €300 per month, but you’ll also receive a refund of 8 × €300 = €2,400 for the past period. This is a sample calculation; it’s not an amount I’m promising. The exact amount in your case depends on your home.
Since this process takes time, you’ll often continue to pay the old, higher rent for a few more months while it’s being processed. That’s not a problem: those months count too, because the reduction is applied retroactively from the start.
This is the most important condition, and it’s a strict one. You can apply for a review of your initial rent up to six months after the effective date of your lease. This deadline is fixed and cannot be extended. If you miss the deadline, this option will be permanently forfeited.
If you're still within that six-month period, now is exactly the time. It's the only way to get a refund for the period that's already passed.
Have you been out of work for more than six months? If so, you can often still get your rent reduced through a different process. The difference is that this reduction only applies going forward: you’ll pay less starting from that point on, but you won’t receive any refund for the time before that. That’s still worth pursuing, but it’s important to understand the difference.
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