Legal disputes over rental terminations rise sharply among private landlords and tenants

Tenants, and especially private landlords, have been involved in an increasing number of legal disputes over terminating rental agreements since the beginning of last year, according to Stichting Achmea Rechtsbijstand (SAR). According to the major legal aid provider, around 2,700 reports of disputes were received in the first half of both last year and this year, an increase of nearly 30 percent compared to previous years.

Private landlords, in particular, are increasingly looking to sell their properties, often because renting is no longer profitable. Additionally, people who bought homes as a retirement investment may be seeking other ways to secure their income after retirement, according to SAR.

“We see that especially private landlords are increasingly trying to terminate rental agreements. This often leads to conflicts with tenants who invoke tenant protection,” said SAR lawyer Eva Jongenelen, who is concerned about this development.

According to her, some landlords wrongly cite grounds for termination or fail to sufficiently consider the interests of tenants. "At the same time, landlords face the difficult situation that they want to sell their vacant property, but this is sometimes challenging. A landlord cannot simply terminate the lease during the contract period."

Additionally, for indefinite-term rental contracts, tenant protection applies. "This means that the lease can only be terminated based on a legally valid reason. In most cases, the sale of the property is not grounds for termination," Jongenelen said.

The Woonbond regularly receives questions and reports from tenants who are being intimidated by their landlords, including through threatening language and even physical intimidation.

“Time and again, it becomes clear that the tenant protection tenants have on paper does not guarantee they can live somewhere indefinitely without problems. This is due, firstly, to the power landlords abuse and, secondly, to the lack of enforcement. Municipalities have an important responsibility in this and must tackle these abuses,” said the advocacy organization