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 for a very small apartment of 33 m² in the centre of Eindhoven. It was an old house with a poor energy label, and it felt heavily 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 hard. I had no friends or relatives here, and at one point I really felt trapped in this country. But then I realised that my situation was being taken advantage of, and that something could actually be done about it.

Around the time my contract ended and I moved to a more spacious place, I learned that the rent I had overpaid could be recovered. Jan reviewed my contract and confirmed I was eligible. At first I was a little skeptical, even afraid it might be a scam, but I saw the chance for a fair outcome and took it.

It was incredibly easy. I only had to send the documents, and Jan handled 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 a year.

With part of the money I paid for Jan's 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 afterwards for a beer and bitterballen, which was a great surprise. I've told all my expat friends to check their own situation, because so many of them simply don't know their rights. I only wish I'd known about Huurfix sooner.