Rent increases in 2026: the maximum percentages by market segment

Three rental segments, three maximum percentages

The Dutch rental market is divided into three segments, and each segment has its own rule for the annual rent increase. For social housing, mid-market rentals and the private sector, a different maximum percentage applies in 2026. That maximum is recalculated every year from inflation and wage development, and it differs per segment. Mixing these percentages up means calculating with the wrong figure.

For social housing the maximum increase is 4.1% as of 1 July 2026. If the basic rent is below 350 euros per month, a maximum of 25 euros applies instead of the percentage. In mid-market housing the maximum is 6.1% as of 1 January 2026. In the private sector the maximum is 4.4% from 1 January 2026 up to and including 31 December 2026. That private-sector maximum applies to self-contained homes such as detached houses, studio flats and apartments, and also to mooring places for houseboats.

These percentages are ceilings, not obligations. A tenant can never be charged more than the maximum, but a lower increase or no increase is always possible. In the social sector the landlord makes a proposal, and that proposal may be lower than the maximum. In mid-market and private rentals the actual increase depends on what the tenancy agreement says. If the agreement names a lower increase, that lower one applies. If it names a higher one, the statutory maximum still applies.

Keep the effective dates in mind while reading these figures. The 4.1% maximum in the social sector applies from 1 July 2026 to 1 July 2027. The mid-market maximum applies from 1 January 2026, and the private-sector maximum from 1 January 2026 up to and including 31 December 2026. These are the maxima published at the time of writing; before acting on a later increase, check the current percentages again with the Dutch government, the Rent Commission or the Volkshuisvesting Nederland.

• Social housing: maximum 4.1% as of 1 July 2026, or at most 25 euros when the basic rent is below 350 euros per month.
• Mid-market rentals: maximum 6.1% as of 1 January 2026.
• Private sector: maximum 4.4% from 1 January 2026 up to and including 31 December 2026, for self-contained homes and houseboat moorings.
• These are ceilings: a lower increase or no increase is always possible.
• A higher percentage in your own agreement does not raise the increase above the maximum.

When your rent goes up

In the social sector the annual increase takes effect on 1 July. For rooms, caravan pitches and houseboat mooring sites the maximum as of 1 July 2026 is also 4.1%. In mid-market and private rentals the increase is not automatically tied to 1 July: there the timing follows what your tenancy agreement says. The Dutch government states that a landlord does not have to wait for a fixed moment; in the private sector the rent goes up as agreed in the contract.

A landlord may raise the rent once in any twelve-month period. That does not mean the increase always falls on 1 July. Three exceptions apply. First, you are in the first year of your tenancy: if, for example, your tenancy started on 1 December, the landlord may raise the rent on 1 July, and the twelve-month period then starts again. Second, the increase was announced too late, for example not before 1 July; the landlord then postpones it to 1 September. Third, the landlord has improved your home; the rent may then go up after the improvement, separately from the annual increase. So check the start date of your own contract and count twelve months from there.

In the social sector the landlord must notify you of the increase in writing at least two months in advance, by letter or email. That notification is the written proposal. The same notice period applies to a room, caravan or pitch. A verbal agreement or a brief message in an app is not automatically a substitute for that written notice; ask for the proposal on paper.

• Social housing: increase effective 1 July, with a written proposal at least two months in advance.
• Mid-market and private sector: the timing follows your tenancy agreement.
• At most once in every twelve months, except in your first tenancy year, on a late announcement (postponed to 1 September) and after home improvements.
• Always ask for the proposal in writing, including the date the increase takes effect.

Income-related rent increases in the social sector

For a self-contained home in the social sector with a higher basic rent, the landlord may propose an income-related increase on top of the standard one. That is a fixed amount linked to the combined household income. As of 1 July 2026 the maximum is 50 euros for a higher middle income and 100 euros for a higher income. For those categories the percentage rule is replaced: with a basic rent of 350 euros or more and a higher middle income the maximum is 50 euros, and with a higher income the maximum is 100 euros.

The income thresholds depend on the household composition and on the combined income for calendar year 2024. For a single-person household the 2026 thresholds are: a lower or middle income at a combined income up to and including 59,504 euros, a higher middle income between 59,504 and 70,149 euros, and a higher income above 70,149 euros. For a multi-person household those thresholds are 68,858 euros, 93,531 euros and 93,531 euros. For an income-related increase the landlord attaches a tax office estimate of the income.

For rooms, caravan pitches and sites there is no income-related increase. For those homes the only ceiling as of 1 July 2026 is 4.1%, and the landlord may not request the tenant's income data from the tax office either. That restriction matters for anyone renting a room: a landlord who asks for income documents anyway is going outside the rules.

If you disagree with an income-related increase, you can in some cases object on the grounds of income, for example because income fell in 2025 or because your living situation changed recently. You are then legally required to hand your landlord two documents: an income declaration for every resident of the home, and an extract from the register of residents showing how many people are registered at the address. Without those documents an objection on income grounds is not fully substantiated.

With the standard increase of at most 4.1%, or 25 euros where the basic rent is under 350 euros, you cannot object on grounds of income. That route exists only for an income-related increase. This is a common mistake: an objection letter that only talks about income is the wrong ground for an ordinary annual increase.

• Self-contained home in the social sector: at most 50 euros for a higher middle income, at most 100 euros for a higher income, as of 1 July 2026.
• Single-person household 2026: income thresholds of 59,504 and 70,149 euros (combined income for 2024).
• Multi-person household 2026: income thresholds of 68,858 and 93,531 euros (combined income for 2024).
• Room, caravan pitch or site: no income-related increase, and no income request to the tax office.
• An objection on income grounds requires an income declaration for all residents plus a register-of-residents extract.
• With the standard increase of 4.1% or 25 euros, an objection on income is not possible.

What the proposal has to contain

A rent increase proposal in the social sector is only complete when it contains a number of things. The Dutch government lists the old and the new basic rent, the size of the increase, a tax office estimate of the income when the landlord raises the rent on the basis of your income, the day the increase takes effect, and how you can object. If one of those is missing, that is not by itself proof the proposal is wrong, but it is a reason to ask about it in writing.

Also check the three things that most often go wrong. First: does the basic rent used as the starting point match what you actually pay? Second: was the increase calculated from the correct segment, that is, the percentage that applies to your type of home? Third: is the effective date named, and is it a date on which a single increase within twelve months is possible? For private-sector homes the wording matters: the Dutch government states explicitly that a landlord may never charge more than the maximum, even when a higher percentage is written into the contract.

A landlord may not terminate a private-sector tenancy because you refuse a higher rent, and may not offer you a new contract with a higher basic rent for the same home. This is set out in the rules the Dutch government describes for landlords. That protection is practically relevant when a landlord tries to raise the rent anyway after you have refused.

• Ask in writing for the old and new basic rent, the size of the increase, the effective date and the objection route.
• For an income-related increase, the tax office estimate must be attached to the proposal.
• A higher percentage in the contract can never lead to an increase above the maximum.
• A landlord may not terminate the tenancy because you refuse a higher rent, and may not offer a new contract at a higher basic rent.

Objecting and the deadlines that apply

To object to a proposed rent increase on a social rental home, do so with your landlord and before the day the increase takes effect. The Rent Commission publishes a model objection letter for 2026. If the landlord sticks to the proposal, the landlord must themselves ask the Rent Commission to assess it. In the social sector you therefore cannot lodge an objection with the Rent Commission on your own.

There is a second route: you can refuse the increase by not paying it. The landlord then sends you a registered reminder, which must arrive within three months of the date of the increase. If you still disagree afterwards, the landlord must ask the Rent Commission for a ruling, and must do so within four months of the date the increase takes effect. Miss that deadline and you have to pay the increase after all. During a dispute of this kind you keep paying the old rent, not the increased amount.

In mid-market and private rentals the initiative is yours as the tenant. If your private-sector home is increased by more than the maximum, or by more than the percentage in your contract, you can call in the Rent Commission. You do that with the form for an increase based on an increase clause, and it must be submitted within four months of the date the increase takes effect. If the increase would take effect on 1 July 2026, the form must be in by 1 November 2026. If your contract says nothing about an annual increase, the landlord may not raise the rent at all and you cannot start a case with the Rent Commission.

One deadline stands on its own: if a landlord wants to raise the rent because of a renovation for which you did not give consent, you must object to that with the Rent Commission within three months. That is a different situation from the annual increase, and therefore a different deadline.

If the landlord insists on an increase that is too high under the rules, and your objection letter does not resolve it, the Rent Commission's ruling is the binding end point. If the Rent Commission considers the rent reasonable, the higher price takes effect from the effective date, retroactively. If the increase is not reasonable, the Rent Commission sets the correct price and percentage. The landlord is bound by that ruling.

• Social sector: object with the landlord before the effective date; the landlord must call in the Rent Commission.
• If you do not pay, a registered reminder follows within three months, and the landlord then has four months to go to the Rent Commission.
• Private sector: submit the form for the increase clause yourself, within four months of the effective date.
• Renovation without your consent: object with the Rent Commission within three months.
• If the parties remain at odds, the Rent Commission's ruling binds both of you.

A practical check for your own situation

Before you object or accept an increase, run a short check. First establish which segment your home falls into, because that determines both the maximum and who has to file a dispute. Do not judge this by today's rent alone, but by the basic rent on the date you entered into the contract. For an existing home, the classification at the moment you signed determines the protection you have.

Next: does your contract mention an annual rent increase, and at what percentage? In the private sector that is the difference between an increase you simply accept and one you can have assessed. A contract with a percentage above the maximum gives you no claim to that higher percentage; the maximum still applies. A contract with no provision on increases at all means the landlord may not raise the rent.

Then: did the landlord put the proposal in writing, and is the effective date included? And is the amount under discussion a percentage of your basic rent, or a fixed amount in euros because of your income? That difference matters, because only for an income-related increase can you object on income grounds, and only there do you have to hand over an income declaration and a register-of-residents extract.

Finally, if you disagree, write down the date the increase would take effect straight away. That date determines your deadline. In the social sector you must object with the landlord before that day; in the private sector you must submit your form to the Rent Commission within four months afterwards. Keep all correspondence, and during a dispute keep paying the rent that is not in question.

• Determine your segment from the basic rent on the date you signed the contract.
• Check which percentage the contract names, and whether it sits above the statutory maximum.
• Ask for the proposal in writing, including the effective date.
• Establish whether the amount is a percentage or a fixed euro amount because of income.
• Note the effective date and count your objection deadline from it.