Writing a rental application letter

The structure of a good response

A good response is short, specific and shows that you have actually read the listing. In the first line, identify the home you mean, including the town or city and number of rooms, so the provider immediately knows which one you are referring to. This helps prevent your message from being treated as a generic application.

Then use two or three sentences to explain who you are and why the home suits you. Think about your current living situation, your preferred move-in date and whether you have pets, for example. You do not need to write a long story: factual and specific is better than long and general. End with a real question, such as whether a viewing is possible and when you are available.

Also consider the listing's tone. A short, professional response suits most providers, from housing associations to private landlords. Match your tone to the listing you are responding to.

• Start by identifying the specific home you mean.
• Describe your situation and preferred move-in date in short sentences.
• End with a question about a viewing and the times you are available.

Example: a four-line response

The following example is for illustration only. It describes an imaginary situation, not a real listing or real personal details. Use it as a structure and replace the content with information that applies to your own situation.

The example includes no phone number or signature. That does not contradict the advice above to stay reachable: add your phone number and sign-off yourself once you know who you are dealing with. An initial response only needs the home, your situation and one question; a signature is only needed when you sign a contract.

• Line 1: Hello, I am responding to the home on [street] in [town or city], a three-room apartment.
• Line 2: My name is [name] and I work as a [job title] in [sector]. I currently live in [current situation] and am looking for a self-contained home.
• Line 3: The home suits me because of [one specific point from the listing]. I can move in from [preferred date] and am available this week on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
• Closing sentence: Would a viewing be possible, and do you have any other times available? Kind regards, [name].
• Add yourself: your phone number or other contact details, once you know who you are corresponding with.

Income and affordability: brief and honest

Some providers want to know whether you can afford the rent and ask for an indication of your income or supporting documents. Exactly what they ask for varies by provider: one form only asks whether you have a permanent or flexible employment contract, while another asks for a payslip straight away. Only share information if it is necessary for that assessment, and consider whether the request comes from a party that is entitled to and needs to ask for it.

In your response itself, a brief, factual indication is usually enough: whether you have a permanent or temporary employment contract, and roughly how much your monthly net income is. A CV or extensive explanation is usually unnecessary for an initial response. It is more important to work out your total monthly costs for yourself: service charges, energy and water may come on top of the basic rent.

• Only give an indication of your income if it is needed to assess your response.
• A CV or extensive explanation is usually unnecessary for an initial response.
• Include basic rent, service charges and energy in your own budget.

What information to share, and what to watch for

Responding means sharing information with a party you do not know. According to the Dutch Data Protection Authority, an organisation may only request information that is necessary for its purpose. When renting, a provider may ask about your income to assess whether you can afford the rent, and a letting agent may also ask for a landlord's statement, for example: a statement your current landlord completes about how you have paid your rent. A letting agent may not ask about your nationality or ethnicity, or request your citizen service number (BSN).

Distinguish between showing and sending. A letting agent may look at your identity document to check who you are; this is part of the screening agents are required to carry out. Sending a copy or photograph of your identity document is different, and you should ask for a reason before sharing one. If a response form has a field for an identity document, check whether that field is actually necessary for the assessment, or whether it is simply there because the form always includes it.

Apply the same practical approach to every field in a response form. For each field, ask whether the information is needed to assess your response or is requested simply because it is on the form. Do not provide sensitive information unrelated to the rental, such as your health, political views or religion. Do not send additional information outside the form unless the provider asks for it: an extra email or message containing your details is only necessary if there is a specific reason for it.

Never send a copy of your identity document without checking. Scammers sometimes ask for one under the pretence of offering a home or job, precisely because such a copy can be misused. If a party asks you to send your identity document, first ask why it is necessary and whether you can do it securely. If you do need to make a copy, first obscure information that is not needed, such as your citizen service number, and destroy the copy once you no longer need it.

Preferably send your response through the provider's own form. That is where the provider expects to receive your information, and it keeps things organised. If you also send an email, do not repeat all the details you have already entered; refer to your earlier response instead.

• Only provide information needed to assess your rental application.
• A letting agent may not ask about your nationality or your BSN.
• An agent may inspect your identity document, but do not send a copy without asking why it is necessary.

What to check before signing

Responding to a rental listing is not yet a contract. If you eventually decide to rent, the agreement must be in writing, and that is the moment to check the practical points. Does the rental contract name the correct parties? Are the rental period, end date and maintenance arrangements recorded? Does it state the amounts of the deposit and service charges?

There is a statutory maximum for the deposit: for contracts signed on or after 1 July 2023, it is two months' basic rent; for older contracts, it is three months. If you consider the deposit too high, you can refuse, report the amount to your municipality afterwards, or go to court to have it reduced. Also check repayment: after the tenancy ends, the landlord must return the deposit within 14 days. If costs are deducted, you must receive a written breakdown and the remaining amount within 30 days. The landlord may offset only four types of costs: unpaid rent, unpaid service charges, damage you caused, and an unpaid energy performance fee. Other costs, such as administration fees, may not be deducted from your deposit.

A landlord may not ask for key money, and may not charge letting fees for drawing up the rental contract. If you do pay key money, you can claim it back later through the courts. Finally, you can report discrimination, intimidation, an excessive deposit or unreasonable service charges to your municipality. The municipality decides whether action is necessary; a report is therefore a complaint you submit, not a warning you automatically receive when something goes wrong.

• Check the parties' names, rental period and maintenance arrangements.
• Deposit: a maximum of two months' basic rent for contracts from 1 July 2023, returned within 14 days.
• You should not pay key money or letting fees for drawing up the contract.