Dutch scope and deposit refund
This edition concerns residential letting in the Netherlands. Government guidance requires deposit repayment within 14 days after the tenancy ends, or the remainder within 30 days where lawful deductions apply, with a full written cost specification. Only rent arrears, service charges, tenant-liable damage and energy performance compensation may be deducted; general administration fees may not. Ordinary wear and damage caused by the landlord’s neglected maintenance are excluded. Do not wait indefinitely for a future annual statement. Check applicable rules and the agreement. General information, not individual legal or tax advice.
Inspect the home together
Prepare the agreement, move-in report, inventory and original photographs. Arrange a joint inspection and record the home, participants, date, keys and final meter readings. Compare the initial and final condition. Separate ordinary wear, existing faults and maintenance issues from damage for which the tenant may be responsible.
- Consider repair, age and previous condition before charging for replacement. Do not automatically charge the price of a new item or an improvement.
Photographs that support later proof
Assign each defect an identifier such as K-01 and use it in the report, photograph list and cost statement. This is a practical evidence workflow, not a guarantee that a claim cannot be challenged.
- Take a room overview, a view locating the affected item and sharp close-ups with a ruler for scale. Describe the exact location, size and observed condition; distinguish suspected cause from fact.
- Link the relevant move-in image and report entry, or disclose that no comparable starting record exists.
- Keep unchanged original files and available metadata. Retain annotations and crops as separate copies; avoid relying solely on compressed messaging attachments.
- A phone date or EXIF field is not a trusted timestamp. Support the circumstances with a dated joint report and evidenced delivery of the same final image package to both parties.
- Avoid faces, private papers and unnecessary personal belongings. Share the evidence securely with the relevant parties.
Connect the images to clear written statements
List the exact image filenames and defect identifiers in the signed report. Give both parties the same final report and attachments. Record separately whether the tenant acknowledges the condition, accepts responsibility and agrees the amount.
- Example: “K-01 appears in images 01–03; the tenant accepts responsibility; repair cost will be settled separately against supporting evidence.” This does not accept an unknown future price.
- Record any disagreement or refusal to sign accurately. Absence, silence or receipt of photographs is not an admission of debt. A witness or independent expert may help.
- For significant claims consider appropriate electronic signatures, timestamps or expert evidence. A file hash checks file identity; it does not prove when the image was taken, its truth or who caused the damage. No photograph or signature makes a claim unchallengeable.
The tenant pays separately
Create an itemised claim with evidence and a justified repair cost. Mark quotations as estimates and support final costs with invoices or other verifiable documents. Agree which items the payment covers, its deadline and method.
- Record only money actually received as paid. Retain the bank reference or a cash receipt.
- Do not deduct an already paid damage item from the deposit again. Show the deposit refund separately.
Use the deposit or combine both methods
Check the legal basis and deposit agreement before making a deduction. Show the available deposit, each use, separate payments, remaining claim and refund. Deposit use settles an existing claim; it is not new cash received.
- Illustration with no other debt or prior deposit use: available deposit 2,000 EUR; evidenced, agreed damage 350 EUR.
- Separate payment: receive 350 EUR and refund the full 2,000 EUR deposit. Deposit deduction: apply 350 EUR and refund 1,650 EUR.
- Mixed settlement: receive 100 EUR, apply 250 EUR from the deposit and refund 1,750 EUR.
- If agreed damage is 2,250 EUR, applying the 2,000 EUR deposit leaves 250 EUR unpaid. The deposit is not necessarily the limit of liability.
Close the statement and identify open items
Keep damage, rent, utilities, payments and deposit refunds distinct. Identify missing bills, disputed amounts and the next settlement date rather than marking them final. Check the applicable refund deadline; do not retain the whole deposit indefinitely for an unspecified future bill. Send evidence and allow a meaningful response. Seek legal assistance if the dispute remains unresolved.
- Restrict access to the evidence and retain it only for the necessary settlement and legal purposes.