Dutch rental sites charge house hunters to contact agents, investigation finds

Some rental websites in the Netherlands require house hunters to pay a subscription before contacting a letting agent, even when the same property is advertised on other platforms where applicants can respond for free.

Paid subscriptions to respond to rental listings in the Netherlands

An investigation by De Telegraaf, found that some rental platforms require a paid subscription before applicants can contact the agent or landlord advertising a property. Huurwoningen confirms that it gathers listings from across the Netherlands and requires a Premium account to access advertisers’ contact details.

One example was a studio on Wittebollestraat in Tilburg, listed on both Huurwoningen and Rentumo for 656 euros per month, excluding service charges.

Although both platforms invited people looking for a rental home in the Netherlands to get in touch and arrange a viewing, applicants first had to create an account and take out a subscription before sending a message.

Same property advertised elsewhere without subscription fees

According to NL Times’s account of the investigation, the same Tilburg studio was also advertised on Funda and Pararius, where applicants could contact the agent without paying a subscription.

Huurwoningen currently charges 29,95 euros per month for its Premium subscription, which includes responding to listings and contacting landlords. Rentumo charges 39,99 euros per month following its paid introductory offer of 4 euros (for four or 14 days, depending on the sign-up), with services including automated searches, alerts and access to contact details.

House hunters may therefore be able to avoid an additional subscription by checking whether a property is also listed on another platform or the letting agent’s own website.