My name is Egor, and I came to the Netherlands for work in March 2023. I had to find an apartment within three weeks, which turned out to be almost impossible. I went to viewings and applied for more than a hundred places. Eventually, I got a call about a very small 33 m² apartment in the center of Eindhoven. It was an old house with a poor energy rating, and it felt way overpriced, but it was my only option, so I took it. I didn’t feel good about it, but I had no other choice.

That first period was tough. I had no friends or relatives here, and at one point I really felt trapped in this country. But then I realized that people were taking advantage of my situation, and that something could actually be done about it.

Around the time my lease ended and I moved to a more spacious place, I learned that I could get a refund for the rent I had overpaid. Jan reviewed my lease and confirmed that I was eligible. At first I was a little skeptical—I was even afraid it might be a scam—but I saw an opportunity to get a fair resolution and decided to go for it.

It was incredibly easy. All I had to do was send the documents, and Jan took care of everything. He contacted the landlord directly, and they never bothered me again, which was a huge relief. After I signed the power of attorney, it took only a few weeks: my rent turned out to be far too high, and €10,000 in overpaid rent was transferred to my account. I had expected it to take months, maybe even a year.

I used part of the money I paid Jan for his help, and with the rest I bought furniture for my new apartment, some books, and tickets to a festival in Barcelona. Jan and I even met up afterward for a beer and some bitterballen, which was a great surprise. I’ve told all my expat friends to check their own situations, because so many of them simply don’t know their rights. I only wish I’d known about Huurfix .