Demand Letter Pack

Netherlands · Rental deposit

Your landlord kept the deposit: ask for it back in writing

Dutch law gives a landlord a fixed period to repay the deposit after the tenancy agreement ends, and a longer period only for certain deductions. If the money has not come back, a formal letter sets out those rules and gives a final deadline to pay. You get it in Dutch or English.

Start your letterFrom €49, paid once. You do not need an account.

The questions and the documents that come with the letters (checklist, timeline, next steps and memo) are in English. The letters can be written in Dutch or English.

Other languages: Nederlands

The rules your letter follows

From our rules for the Netherlands, checked item by item against the official sources. Interest rates are reset from time to time; the list shows the current ones.

Period for the landlord to repay
14 days
From the end of the tenancy agreement, not from the key handover.
If the landlord deducts damage or unpaid rent
30 days
Only with a written, complete specification of the costs.
Final term the letter gives
14 days
You can choose up to 30 days.
Statutory interest
4%
Until 31 December 2026. Runs from the date the landlord is in default.
Limitation period
5 years
From the day after the repayment period ended.
Court
Kantonrechter
Whatever the amount, without a lawyer.
How to send it
Registered post
With acknowledgement of receipt (aangetekend met ontvangstbevestiging), and by email.

What Dutch law says about the deposit

The landlord must repay the deposit within 14 days after the tenancy agreement ends. That period runs from the end of the agreement, not from the day you handed over the keys.

If they set off damage to the home, or unpaid rent, service charges or the energy performance fee (energieprestatievergoeding), the period is 30 days, and they must tell you in writing, with a complete specification of the costs. Any other deduction does not extend the period. Normal wear and tear is not damage.

What the letter does

It names the tenancy, the deposit and the date the agreement ended, disputes the deductions you disagree with, and gives a final deadline. If the repayment period has passed, it says so and also works as a notice of default, so statutory interest can run once the letter's deadline passes. If the landlord's period is still running, it asks for the deposit back by a date after that period, and the final notice in the Complete pack puts the landlord in default.

If the landlord still does not pay

Deposit claims go to the kantonrechter whatever the amount, and you can act there without a lawyer. They are decided by the kantonrechter, not by the Huurcommissie. The escalation memo in the Complete pack describes the route.

Where the rules come from

  • art. 7:261b BWDeposit: maximum, return period, limited set-off and written specification

    checked 7 October 2026

  • art. 6:82 BWNotice of default (ingebrekestelling)

    checked 7 October 2026

  • art. 7:237 BWBare rent definition used for the deposit maximum

    checked 7 October 2026

What is in the envelope

Word and PDF files you can change before you send anything.

  1. 01

    Demand letter

    The formal letter, in the language you choose. Your amount and payment details, with the deadline and any interest and costs set according to the rules.

  2. 02

    Evidence checklist

    What to keep and what to send along, checked against the files you uploaded.

  3. 03

    Timeline

    Your dispute as a list of dates, including the ones still to come.

  4. 04

    Next steps

    How to send the letter so you can prove it arrived, and what to do with each kind of reply.

  5. 05

    Final demandComplete

    A shorter second letter with a last deadline, for when the first one passes.

  6. 06

    Escalation memoComplete

    Court, collection agencies and lawyers: what each involves. It describes, it does not recommend.

How it goes

  1. Today

    You answer the questions. It takes about ten minutes, and your answers save as you go.

  2. Today

    You read the summary and pay. The documents arrive a few minutes later, as Word and PDF.

  3. When you are ready

    You sign the letter and send it yourself, so it comes from you.

Questions

My landlord says they need more time to inspect the flat.

The period runs from the end of the tenancy agreement. A landlord who sets off costs for damage or unpaid rent has 30 days, and must specify those costs in writing.

Can my landlord keep money for cleaning?

The letter does not claim that cleaning costs can never be deducted. It lists the deductions you dispute and why, so the landlord knows what to answer.

How long can I wait?

The claim is time-barred 5 years after the repayment period ended, and a written demand interrupts that period.

Can I have the letter written in English?

Yes. Dutch is the default; you can choose English if your landlord reads it more easily.

P.S.

An AI system writes the drafts. Before you see them, our software checks each one for facts you did not give, legal references we have not verified and anything that reads like a threat. No lawyer reads them. They are document drafts and general information, not legal advice. Your answers are deleted 30 days after delivery, or earlier if you ask.

How the AI is usedPrivacy noticeRefunds

Start your letter

Also for the NetherlandsUnpaid invoice in the Netherlands: a notice of default