Question 1

Which Extra Costs Can I Expect With An Excl. Rate?

Accepted Answer

When the price is exclusive (excl), it means that only the monthly fixed costs, such as the flat rate and furniture, are included. Additional costs for utilities, internet, and other amenities are not covered. A break-down of these costs can be found in your rental agreement.

APARTMENT RENTAL

When renting an entire apartment, please note that there will be additional costs of approximately 355 EUR per month. These costs cover utilities such as gas, water, electricity, internet, and other possible amenities, which might be different per accommodation.

➡️ When renting an apartment with students, you may be eligible for municipality tax exemptions 🙌🥳. This could save you approx. €25 per person per month.

LONG-STAY ROOM RENTAL

For private bedrooms in shared accommodations (rooms), you can expect an additional amount of approximately €190 per month. This cost covers utilities such as gas, water, electricity, internet, and other possible amenities, which might be different per accommodation.

SHORT-STAY ROOM

However, when renting a short-stay room, please note that the additional amount is approximately €165 per month. This cost is lower because there are no taxes involved when booking a short-stay.

HOMESTAY

All mentioned rental prices for homestays are inclusive of the total rent. There are no additional charges for utilities or other amenities.

Important Information; 💡 (NOT APPLICABLE TO HOMESTAYS)

At the end of your stay, or annually, you will receive a settlement for all advance payments. The actual costs will be based on your actual usage. If your usage exceeds the advance payments, you will need to cover the difference. Conversely, if your actual costs are lower than the advance payments, you will receive a refund.

Question 2

How Does The Booking Process Work?

Accepted Answer

Booking process

The booking process consists of the following steps. These steps can be completed within a day (depending on how fast you respond).

Start Booking To initiate the booking process, simply click the 'start booking' button. You can find this button either on the general listing page under the accommodation or directly on the listing page of the specific accommodation. You will open the take-in form in a new tab.
Take-in Form You can fill in the form through your web browser. By filling in this form, neither you nor Student Housing The Hague is committing to any legal agreement. This form is only for preliminary reasons. At the end of the Take-In form, you will be requested to make a down payment of €50 towards the deposit. If you cancel your booking after submitting the take-in form but before receiving the tenancy agreement, you will be eligible for a 25 EUR refund.
General Terms & Conditions Shortly after you have finished the Take-In form, we will start validating the provided documents. In the meantime, you will receive an email with important documents including the General Terms & Conditions, House rules, and other annexes to the tenancy agreement.
Draft Contract Once the provided documents and data have been checked, your tenancy agreement will be sent to you digitally, along with the request to read it carefully and if you agree with its contents, sign digitally.
Finalising Once the contract has been signed by you, the following steps have to be completed in order to finalise the contract:

The deposit must be paid immediately;
Your guarantor will receive a guarantor form to complete. Once the necessary documents are provided, they will receive a Guarantor Agreement for signing;
Single User's Statement needs to be signed (only if applicable).

Signed Contract Once the above-stated steps have been completed, you will receive a signed copy of the tenancy agreement per email.

Upon completing the processing of your tenancy agreement in our system, you will promptly receive an invoice for the rent. As soon as we confirm the receipt of your rent payment in our bank account, we can proceed to schedule your check-in.

Terms of cancellation and reimbursement (per person)

You hereby commit to sign or cancel the contract within 72 hours after you have received the contract. Kindly note the following; Should the booking process be cancelled by

I) us before the 72 hours have expired, the €50,-- EUR down payment will be refunded within 14 days after the cancellation takes place.

II) you before the 72 hours have expired, you will be charged €25,-- EUR administration costs.

III) you after the 72 hours have expired, the €50,-- down payment will not be refunded.

Terms and agreements regarding the online forms/take-in form process can be found here.

Question 3

Can I End/Terminate My Contract?

Accepted Answer

Depending on your type of contract and the agreed conditions, you may or may not have the option to terminate your contract before the end date. Please contact us, and we will review your contract and provide you with the relevant information.

Fixed-Term Contract

We offer fixed-term contracts with a maximum duration of 12 months. A fixed-term contract is a legally binding agreement with a predetermined timeframe that cannot be terminated prematurely, except by mutual consent through a termination agreement. This arrangement provides clear and stable terms for both tenants and landlords throughout the specified duration. It's crucial to distinguish between a fixed-term contract and a definite contract; the former cannot be terminated by either the tenant or the landlord before the contract's end date. If you wish to terminate a fixed-term contract prematurely, it can only be done through a termination agreement, which may involve administrative costs.

What Is A Termination Agreement?

A termination agreement is a mutually agreed-upon agreement between the tenant(s) and the landlord to end the tenancy agreement before the specified end date. It outlines the terms and conditions of the early termination, including any obligations, responsibilities, and potential costs involved. The termination agreement provides a formal and legally binding framework for both parties to terminate the tenancy agreement in a mutually agreed manner.

What Do You Need To Mention In Your Registered Letter?

If your contracts needs you to terminate by registered letter, you can find the information regarding the registered letter here:

To terminate the rental agreement, you must submit a notice of termination in the form of an "aangetekende brief" (registered letter). According to the law (link), this is the only valid method of giving notice to your landlord. The registered letter provides evidence of delivery and ensures that your notice is legally recognized and binding.

Mention the following in your registered letter:

Date per when you'd like to terminate.
Signature of all tenants in case you rent an entire apartment, otherwise only your signature of your renting an individual room.
The address of the accommodation in question.

Other information

Please take into account that we plan the pick-up of the letters, once, at the end of every month (the last day); this is to prevent missing out on registered letters coming in right after we picked it up.

In case Student Housing The Hague is the contract manager, you must send the registered letter to the following address:

Box 8585 (very important to mention this!!)

Rijn 12

2491 BG The Hague

Question 4

Are (Online) Viewings Possible?

Accepted Answer

How can I view the accommodations?

You have the option to either attend a group viewing or watch the video viewing of the accommodation, if available on our website.

Are in-person viewings always possible?

Typically, viewings are arranged once an accommodation becomes vacant and ready for occupancy. Nevertheless, the overwhelming demand for housing frequently leads to accommodations being booked before their availability date, often bypassing the need for in-person viewings. Consequently, the feasibility of in-person viewings can be limited.

If the apartment is available (vacant), we schedule Open House Viewings if needed, which cater to multiple individuals simultaneously, optimizing time efficiency. If such a viewing is arranged, we will inform you with the necessary details either by e-mail, newsletters, social media or on the listing page itself. Furthermore, you can also partake in the viewing experience via virtual/video tours for added convenience.

Additional Information: No Viewings During High Season

Please be aware that we do not conduct viewings during the high season, which occurs annually from June until the end of September. This period experiences an exceptional surge in accommodation demand, resulting in a significant volume of daily requests. Regrettably, accommodating individual viewings for all inquiries during this time would compromise our operational efficiency. Expanding our team to accommodate viewings is not financially feasible due to our agency's policy of not charging agency fees. Furthermore, conducting viewings during this high-demand period will create unnecessary extra work and time for both our team and potential tenants.

We understand that some students may prefer an in-person viewing. If this is the case, we recommend considering temporary housing until the end of September and then reaching out to us again. It's important to note that while we strive to accommodate all requests, we cannot guarantee viewings. This is primarily because, during periods of high demand, viewings might not be considered necessary and could be canceled if another candidate or group finalizes the booking, rendering the accommodation no longer vacant. Furthermore, please be aware that even if a viewing has been scheduled, there is a possibility it could be canceled if another candidate or group finalizes the booking without requiring a viewing. This means that we cannot ensure a viewing, even if it has been set up. These practices align with our commitment to operating on a first-come, first-serve basis. We greatly appreciate your understanding of the challenges presented by the increased demand and want to assure you that we work diligently to provide timely assistance to all our clients.

Question 5

How Can I Dispose Of My Household Waste?

Accepted Answer

If there are underground containers close by your accommodation (less than 5 min. walk), you can dispose of your household waste in these containers. If there are no underground containers close by, you can put out your garbage bag, wheelie bin, or old paper outside on the designated collection day.

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The Hague

More information about how and when the municipality of The Hague will collect the garbage, what is and what isn't allowed, and other information can be found here. You can see when the municipality will collect the garbage with this link. Just fill in your postal code and house number as shown hereunder.

https://malcolm-en-gb.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/instances/N5UzFjSkgD/resources/Lumi565eVm/Zipcode.png (Zipcode.png)

The zip code contains four numeric and two alphabetic characters, which can be found in your contract. Unfortunately, the waste collection schedule of The Hague municipality is only provided in Dutch at this moment.

Private container

As a resident of The Hague, you can order your own mini-container (maximum 1 per household) for absolutely free(!). For more information and to order one, please check this link.

Rotterdam

More information about how and when the municipality of Rotterdam will collect the garbage, what is and what isn't allowed, and other information can be found here. You can see when the municipality will collect the garbage with this link. Just fill in your postal code and house number as shown hereunder.

Question 6

What Does It Mean If An Accommodation Is Labeled 'Available Per Direct'?

Accepted Answer

It means the accommodation can only be booked per today or the first next office day. We do this to prevent a period of vacancy. We do not reserve or hold accommodations, but it is possible to gain a discounted rent on your booking until you check-in into your accommodation. Read more about this here.

Question 7

What Are The Extra Fees With Rooms For Stays Shorter Than Twelve Months?

Accepted Answer

All stays shorter than twelve months are subject to additional fees

The following rates and price plans apply to the rental periods of Dependent Living Accommodations (DLA) such as rooms.

All additional fees are processed monthly

Short stay accommodations:

4 months: + €50,00 p/m
3 months: + €60,00 p/m
2 months: + €80,00 p/m
1 month: + €120,00
less than 1 month: + €240,00

Long stay accommodations:

12 months: the standard rate as mentioned in the advertisement
11 months: + €12,00 p/m
10 months: + €16,00 p/m
9 months: + €20,00 p/m
8 months: + €25,00 p/m
7 months: + €30,00 p/m
6 months: + €35,00 p/m
5 months: + €45,00 p/m

Note: The total amount of months are rounded down. If you are staying e.g. 4 months and 20 days, the additional fee will be calculated as 4 months.

Question 8

When Will The Deposit Be Refunded?

Accepted Answer

For all contracts starting 1 July 2023: Within two weeks after the end of contract. The reimbursement of the deposit will take place utmost within two weeks after the end of contract, as long the following has been met:

All the necessary documents and keys were presented at or before the end date of your contract.
You have confirmed your bank account number. If you have not yet responded to the email requesting your confirmation to which IBAN bank account the funds need to be transferred to, we urge you to do so as soon as possible by replying to this message and mentioning the bank name, account holder, IBAN bank account number and the BIC/SWIFT of your bank.
We have received a proof of de-registration or registration elsewhere. (does not apply for short stays)
There are no unpaid invoices.
There are no outstanding legal issues.

If any of the above issues arise, your deposit will be returned within 4 weeks.

Don't forget to confirm the bank account of which the reimbursement of your deposit should take place.

FYI: Please note that the deposit is always held by the landlord. We can facilitate the deposit reimbursement in coordination with the landlord. We act as intermediaries and do not make final decisions. In some cases, we process the reimbursement on behalf of the landlord, while in other cases, the landlord handles it directly. This varies depending on the landlord.

Question 9

What Is A Valid Proof Of Deregistration And Why Do I Need It?

Accepted Answer

You can report your registration elsewhere within the Netherlands or registration abroad at the municipality where you are registered, or at any government agency abroad. You can make your appointment online or you can go to the municipality in person.

Read more information about deregistration on our blog: Here

Question 10

Are Pets Allowed?

Accepted Answer

Yes, pets 🐕 are allowed^ when booking an unfurnished non-shared accommodation (independent living space). Non-shared accommodations are entire apartments and studio's.

But, when it comes to renting a room in a shared accommodation (rooms):

Your dog might be your best friend, however, some people might have allergies. Given that the change of tenants in a shared accommodation can be quite frequent, it is not doable to take into account each and everyone's preferences and allergies regarding animals. To keep our accommodations available to as many students as possible, we have decided to not allow pets when booking a single room.

^Do keep in mind, depending on the pet, an additional deposit might be applicable.