Rent and paying the rent - Duwo

duwo guide 2009
All you need to know about the rental price,
rent allowance and service costs
> Rent and paying
the rent

Contents
Rent and paying the rent 3
Rental price 3
Rent allowance 5
Service costs 6
Types of service costs 8
Paying the rent 11
Adressess 12
All brochures in the DUWO Guide can be downloaded at
www.duwo.nl > Organisation > Folders
July 2009

Rent & paying the rent
Rental price
The amount that you pay for your residence each month consists of various elements.
In addition to the rental price, the so-called basic rent, a payment for service costs is
included.
This brochure contains information regarding the composition of the rent alongside an
explanation of the service costs and how they are calculated. Some tenants are
eligible for rent allowance. This brochure explains exactly what rent allowance is, and
the conditions that you have to meet in order to be eligible for rent allowance. Finally,
the brochure also provides an explanation of the methods in which you can pay the
rent and the action DUWO will take if you have outstanding rent to pay.
The amount of rent that may be charged for accommodation must be linked to the
quality of the residence. The Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the
Environment (VROM) has developed a system for rating the quality of residences
based on certain factors (see also http://www.vrom.nl/woningwaarderingsstelsel).
The maximum amount of rent that can be reasonably charged for a residence is
dependent on how many points the residence is awarded. Factors that are taken into
consideration include the type and size of the residence and the facilities that are
available.
The amount of rent that DUWO charges for a residence is known as the target rent
and is determined based on the market position of the residence. Hence the rent will
be higher for a residence situated in a popular location in the town centre than for a
residence outside of the town centre where housing is less popular.
3

4
The rent amounts set by DUWO for accommodation under its management are never
higher than the maximum reasonable amount.
For most tenants, the monthly rent will consist of:
• the basic rental price: payment for the use of the accommodation and, where
applicable, gardens and communal areas.
• the service costs: payment for the provision of certain goods and services. Your rental
agreement will state which goods and services are covered by the service costs. Gas,
water, electricity and cleaning costs are likely to be included.
> Rent increase
The rent is subject to increase each year. At DUWO, the increased basic rent amount
becomes effective on 1 July. The Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the
Environment (VROM) determines the maximum percentage increase. The actual
percentage increase can vary between different complexes or residences with the
price-quality ratio of a residence being the deciding factor. The rent increase will of
course never exceed the limit determined by the Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning
and the Environment. DUWO consults the body of tenants’ organisations regarding
the average rent increase prior to taking action. You will receive written notice of the
rent increase percentage that will apply to your residence at least two months before
the rent increase takes effect.
> Problems with the amount of the rent increase?
If you have an objection to the rent increase proposed by DUWO, you should inform
DUWO in writing before the increase becomes effective. Making a complaint is only
purposeful if the proposed rent amount is higher than the maximum reasonable
amount, as defined in the applicable regulations. If DUWO disagrees with your
complaint, you can request the Rent Committee to a make a judgement. Maintenance
shortcomings do not constitute sufficient grounds for a written objection. However, in
the case of severe maintenance shortcomings that have not been dealt with despite
DUWO being previously notified, you have the right to submit a rent reduction
proposal to DUWO. Should DUWO reject this proposal, you also have the right to
request a judgement from the Rent Committee.
The Rent Committee’s postal address is:
De Huurcommissie, Postbus 16495, 2500 BL Den Haag
http://www.huurcommissie.nl
> Legal fees
Legal fees will have to be paid for the majority of the cases addressed by the Rent
Committee. Legal fees amount to € 11.00 (2007 price level) and have to be paid in
advance. After the application for a Rent Committee judgement has been received,
the party who submitted the application will be sent a giro collection form. The legal
fees need to be settled within four weeks after the giro collection form was sent. If
the party submitting the application fails to pay on time, the case will not be
processed. Hence, it is important to pay the legal fees on time. Once the Rent
Committee’s judgement has been announced, the victorious party will have the legal
fees refunded. The exact prices can be found on www.huurcommissie.nl.
> What is the procedure?
After the legal fees have been received, relevant information is collected concerning
the case and an investigation may be conducted in the residence. The letter is invited
to be present at the investigation, during which the size of the residence and the
available facilities will be examined. If a rent reduction proposal by the tenant is
involved, any maintenance shortcomings will also be examined. The letter and the
tenant both receive a copy of the investigation report as well as an invitation to
attend a public hearing at the Rent Committee.

Rent allowance
The public hearing provides both parties with the opportunity to respond to the
findings of the report, but attendance at the hearing is not obligatory.
If you would like additional information regarding submitting an application for a Rent
Committee judgement, paying legal fees and/or the procedure, go to http://www.
huurcommissie.nl
> Cancelling your tenancy
You can cancel your rental agreement whenever you like, but do remember that you
need to take a period of one month’s notice into account. Hence, if you would like
your rental agreement to end as of 18 August, you need to inform DUWO of your
intentions on 18 July at the latest. Of course, it is also possible to cancel your tenancy
longer than a month in advance of your departure. Please inform us that you would
like to cancel your tenancy by sending us a letter or an e-mail. You can also download
a tenancy cancellation form from our website. For more information, see the Moving
House brochure.
Rent allowance is a subsidy to assist with living expenses. If you pay too much rent
relative to your income, you may be eligible for a subsidy from the Dutch Tax Office:
rent allowance. You can complete a test calculation on the website www.toeslagen.nl
to determine whether you have the right to rent allowance. The website also contains
additional general information about rent allowance. Naturally, you are also welcome
to ask Stichting DUWO for more information. We are one of numerous Help and
Information Points (HIP), where everyone is welcome to ask questions about rent
allowance.
> First application
When you sign a rental agreement with DUWO, all important information relevant to
the rental agreement is discussed. Naturally, rent allowance is not a subject that we
overlook. Whether you are eligible for rent allowance depends on a number of
factors, including the rental price, your current taxable income, your household
composition and if applicable, your capital. One condition is that you are registered at
the Gemeentelijke Basis Administratie (GBA) [Municipal Personal Records Database] at
the address for which you are applying for rent allowance.
Tenants living in shared accommodation will not usually be eligible for rent allowance.
You can apply for rent allowance at DUWO. Before you do this, you will need to obtain
your DigID (your personal log-in code for all matters involving government
departments). If you do not already have your DigID, you can apply for it directly at
www.digid.nl. You may also request an application form directly from the Dutch Tax
Office by calling 0800-0543.
When you apply for rent allowance, you will be required to indicate how much rent
you are paying. If you are unsure of the amount you should fill in, get in touch with
DUWO and we will let you know the amount. Consulting DUWO helps to avoid that
you will have to pay back money to the Dutch Tax Office if you have received too
much rent allowance.
> Changes
If your living situation changes, you are required to contact the Dutch Tax Office as
soon as possible. You should also consider the following changes: amendments to
your household composition or income and change of address.
5

Service costs
6
> When does the rent allowance become effective?
The allowance year runs from 1 January to 1 January and it is possible to apply for the
subsidy at any time of the year. It is even possible to apply for backdated rent
allowance up until March of the new year. Should you begin renting a residence during
the year and become eligible for rent allowance, the rent allowance will become
effective on the first day of the following month. For example, if the rental agreement
becomes effective on 17 March, the rent allowance will start in April.
> Subletting
Subletting your room can have consequences for rent allowance. If the main tenant
sublets a section of the residence, the amount of rent used by the Dutch Tax Office to
calculate rent allowance will be reduced by 25%. This means that less rent allowance
will be awarded, or that it will be cancelled altogether. You are personally responsible
for informing the Dutch Tax Office of any applicable changes to your living situation. A
condition of subletting is that a written subletting contract needs to have been
drafted. It is not permitted for the sublettee to be a spouse, registered partner or
immediate family of the main tenant, as these people are always considered to be cooccupants.
> House sitting
House sitting (i.e. when the main tenant sublets the entire residence to another
resident and temporarily lives elsewhere) can also have consequences for the rent
allowance. The individual temporarily subletting the residence is viewed by the Dutch
Tax Office as a co-occupant. Therefore, you need to inform the Dutch Tax Office of the
change to your living situation. The same applies when the house-sitting period is
over, when you will need to inform the Dutch Tax Office that your living situation has
once again changed. Of course, the temporary resident will need to fulfil the relevant
conditions to be eligible for rent allowance. Should a temporary resident fail to satisfy
the relevant conditions, the amount of (and eligibility for) rent allowance can be
affected. Please contact DUWO for more information regarding the conditions.
> Rent moderation
Should you be eligible for a certain amount of rent allowance, you can receive it in
two ways: paid directly to your bank or giro account, or as rent moderation (clustered
payment) via DUWO. The majority of tenants in DUWO accommodation select rent
moderation, which means that they pay a lower rental price. If you select this option,
you will need to state that the rent allowance should be paid directly to the letter
when you fill out the application form. You will also need to enter DUWO’s bank
account number and Chamber of Commerce number (27220173).
In addition to renting you a residence, DUWO also provides goods and services for an
agreed fee: the ‘service costs’. The majority of tenants pay for their gas, water and
electricity via DUWO. In addition to this, such services as cleaning communal areas
and garden maintenance are also paid for via the service costs.
It is also possible to supplement the service costs with a service contract and a
contribution to one of the tenants’ organisations. By entering into a service contract,
DUWO will take responsibility for any ‘tenants’ maintenance’ required in your
residence.
Your rental agreement states exactly which items are covered by the service contract.
Nearly all new DUWO tenants sign the service contract.

The amount paid for the service costs varies from complex to complex and even
between individual residences. Service costs are adjusted at the same time as the
rent, which means that you will pay a different amount for the service costs as of 1
July. You will receive a settlement for the previous calendar year at the end of June at
the latest, at which time the new service costs will also be announced. The monthly
payment is an advance payment based upon an estimate. At the end of June, the
amounts paid are balanced with the actual costs. It will then become clear whether
you have paid too much or too little in the previous calendar year, and DUWO will
either give you a refund or ask for an additional payment accordingly.
> Shared accommodation
If you rent shared accommodation, the service costs may also include payment for the
cable TV service and a contribution to small maintenance in the communal areas. In
addition, you will sometimes have to pay for sewerage rights, the waste materials levy
and any other local authority taxes.
> Independent accommodation
If you live in independent accommodation without communal facilities, you will
normally pay local authority taxes such as the waste materials levy, sewerage rights
and the anti-pollution levy directly to the local authority. The local authority will send
you an invoice for any taxes you are required to pay.
> Settlement
Tenants that are entitled to a refund will receive their money back as soon as
possible. If you are required to pay additional costs, DUWO will send you a separate
invoice. The amounts for the glass insurance, the service contract and the contents
insurance are fixed and are not settled.
> Passing on charges
Service costs are based on the tenant’s expected usage. But if you receive a
considerable sum of money back for the previous year, for example due to a mild
winter, it doesn’t automatically mean that your service costs will be lowered.
If the following winter is extremely cold, the next settlement would come as a nasty
surprise. DUWO takes this into consideration when determining the amounts to be
paid in advance. After all, it’s always nicer to receive some money back than to have
to pay more.
> Division system for shared accommodation
In several DUWO complexes, the service costs are shared amongst the number of
residents. This concerns complexes in which not every residence is fitted with its own
meter. The total energy costs in these complexes are divided using a division system.
This division system ascribes a number of service cost units to a residence. You can
read more about the specific division of the costs in the ‘Rent conditions’ brochure. At
a few complexes, different agreements have been made concerning the division
system.
7

Types of service costs
8
> Supplementing the service costs package
Additions can be made to the service costs package following a proposal from your
tenants’ organisation. For example, perhaps you would like more regular cleaning. The
tenants’ organisation can then discuss this with DUWO. If a significant majority of
residents (70% or more) agree to the addition, an item can be added to the service
costs. DUWO can also make additions to the service cost package. If, following
consultation with the residents’ committee, a majority of the residents agree to a
proposed addition, DUWO is authorised to implement a change. For more detailed
information about this, see the Rent conditions brochure.
The most common service costs are listed below. Your rental agreement contains an
overview of the actual costs you pay.
> Household waste and cleaning
In most cases, this includes the collection of household waste and bulky household
waste, replacing lamps in communal areas, cleaning windows and window/door
frames, cleaning contracts and cleaning ventilation valves in communal areas.

Garden maintenance
DUWO will pay for the initial design and construction of grounds when a complex is
completed. The costs of any further necessary maintenance and construction will be
passed on to you as part of the service costs. If you rent accommodation in a complex
with communal gardens or green areas linked to the complex, you will pay for
maintenance via the service costs.
> Internet
In a number of complexes, tenants can receive internet for a fixed price.
> Energy: electricity, gas and water
Unless you pay the energy company directly, you will pay for your electricity, gas and
water via the service costs. This is especially applicable to tenants living in shared
accommodation.
> CAI/CAS/Signal supply
If DUWO supplies the tenant with a TV and radio signal using a communal antenna or
CAI operated by DUWO, they will invoice the tenant for the costs of operation. DUWO
will also pass on the charges to the tenant if a TV and radio signal is supplied that
have been purchased from a cable television provider.
9

10
> Contribution to tenants’ organisations
You pay a contribution towards covering the costs of the activities carried out by the
tenants’ organisations, such as organising meetings, hiring experts and the necessary
administration and correspondence. The contribution you pay via the service costs
does not include the cost of organising events.
> Contents insurance
Residents of shared accommodation (rooms) in one or two room residences have the
option of taking out contents insurance via DUWO in order to benefit from favourable
conditions and great prices.
> Service contract
As tenant, you are responsible for carrying out various small-scale maintenance
activities in your residence. By signing a service contract, you hand over these
responsibilities to DUWO. More information is available in the Alterations and
Maintenance brochure.
> Levies/Taxes
This covers a number of municipal taxes, including: sewerage rights, the waste
materials levy and water taxes.
> Floor covering in communal areas
All costs incurred by DUWO for movable property used by tenants will be passed onto
tenants via the service costs. In the case of unfurnished rooms, the primary concern is
wear and tear to floor covering. If the floor covering is damaged through improper
use, the tenant will be invoiced for the costs of repairing the damage. However, if the
damage is simply due to wear and tear over time, the floor covering can be replaced
and the costs will be included in the service costs.
> Glass insurance
DUWO has taken out insurance for all interior and exterior glasswork. The costs of
this insurance are passed on to the tenant based on the average premium.
In addition, tenants also pay:
> Administrative costs
In order to cover the administration costs linked to the service costs, DUWO invoices
the permitted additional 2% on the energy costs and 5% on the other elements
included in the service costs.
> Loss of rent
By law, DUWO has the right to invoice the tenant for up to 2% of the total service
costs to cover vacant property loss. This covers the risk of diminished receipt of
service cost payments resulting from a residence being temporarily vacant.

Paying the rent
Rent needs to be paid in advance of the month in question, which means that DUWO
should receive the rent on or before the first day of each month. Rent can be paid in a
variety of ways. You can pay by direct debit or by giro collection, in which case we will
send you a giro collection form every month. If you are unable to pay using either of
these methods, you can also pay the rent in person at the DUWO offices, preferably
using a debit card.
> Outstanding rent
DUWO will send you a reminder if you do not pay the rent. Should you ignore this
reminder, you will receive a final warning. If you persist to ignore the reminders, you
can expect to receive a notice from the bailiff. Costs are always linked to the final
warning and bailiff’s notice, and you will be responsible for these so-called
extrajudicial costs incurred by DUWO in collecting the outstanding rent.
It is clearly advisable not to let things get this serious. If you know that you will not
be able to pay the rent on the first day of the month, contact DUWO as soon as
possible. DUWO will arrange a repayment schedule for you free of charge. The
conditions attached to a repayment schedule are dependent on your personal
situation and we would be pleased to discuss this with you at the DUWO offices.
In addition, we can provide you with information regarding debt repayment agencies
with whom we work. During this process, your privacy remains of the utmost priority.
Of course, we hope that it won’t come to this. Payment by direct debit dramatically
reduces the chance of you being in the position of owing outstanding rent.
> Direct debit
The easiest way to pay the rent is by direct debit. This means you can never forget to
pay and it also helps you avoid owing outstanding rent. By completing a standing
order, you can authorise DUWO to collect the amount you owe from your account
every month. If you wish, you can decide to cancel the standing order at a later date.
In addition, you have the security of knowing that you can reverse the standing order
transaction up to a month after it was carried out, should you not agree with the
amount collected from your account.
If you complete the standing order, DUWO will collect the required amount from your
account on the first workday of the month. Naturally, you need to have sufficient
funds available in your account. It is also possible to authorise your bank to transfer
the required amount to DUWO every month, although this does have the
disadvantage that you will have to give the bank new instructions if the rent changes.
If you authorise DUWO to collect the rent, this is not necessary. Nor is it necessary to
send a new authorisation form (standing order) if you move to another DUWO
residence. However, you may receive a one-off giro collection to cover the transfer
period.
If you wish, it is possible for someone other than the individual named on the rental
agreement to pay the rent. It is important that you inform us if you plan to make such
an arrangement.
11

Addresses
12
Delft branch
Kanaalweg 4
2628 EB Delft
T 015 - 219 22 00
F 015 - 215 80 15
E info@duwo.nl
DUWO-TU Delft Accommodation Shop
Kanaalweg 4
2628 EB Delft
T 015 - 219 22 22
F 015 - 215 80 15
E info@duwo.nl
The Hague/Leiden branch
Stamkartplein 98
2521 ER Den Haag
T 070 - 305 14 00
F 070 - 305 14 04
E denhaag@duwo.nl
Amsterdam branches
Uilenstede 108
1183 AM Amstelveen
T 020 - 543 11 00
F 020 - 543 11 01
E uilenstede@duwo.nl
Spinozastraat 51-53
1018 HJ Amsterdam
T 020 - 344 95 44
F 020 - 625 73 54
E amsterdam@duwo.nl
Postal address for all locations:
Postbus 54
2600 AB Delft
I www.duwo.nl