🔥 How to Prepare Rental Documents for the Dutch Market

Many renters miss out on properties because they don’t have their documents ready. It makes the lose out to better-prepared applicants.

To avoid this frustration, you need to have all your documents ready before your first viewing. This guide will help you gather and organize the documents you need to stand out.

Have Your Documents Ready Before Your Viewing

Before you start viewing properties, make sure you have all your essential documents ready. This will allow you to be the first person to submit your offer after a viewing.

Tip: Read how to submit your rental offer to win from the competition

Essential Documents

• Passport / ID / Residence Permit

• Income Proof

  • Working Professionals:

    • 3 recent payslips. If you don’t have payslips yet, that’s fine

    • Working agreement

    • If you work in the Netherlands, Employer statement is required. Here are the templates in Dutch and English

  • Self-employed:

    • Proof of your company’s registration (in the Netherlands - KvK uittreksel)

    • Your tax statements for the last 3 years. If you don’t have three years’ worth of tax statements, submit what you have available

    • Corporate bank statements for the last 3 years. If you don’t have statements covering this period, provide bank statements for the longest period available

  • Students:

    • Statement of enrolment

    • Proof of income for the student or sponsor

  • Sponsors:

    • Include the proof of income mentioned above, depending on whether the sponsor is a working professional or self-employed

    • Sponsor’s Passport / ID / Residence Permit

    • Guarantee letter from sponsor

    • Sponsor’s bank statement

  • Unemployed:

    • Without a steady income, you'll need to demonstrate financial stability. You can do this through one or more of the following methods: providing a bank statement, offering prepayment, suggesting a higher monthly rent, and so on. The more evidence you can provide, the better.

• Bank Statement: Prove the more the better. Don’t include a bank statement if you cannot prove more than 8.000 EUR

Documents That Let You Stand Out

• Motivation Letter (1 page A4): Introduce yourself, outline your activities in the Netherlands, and share your future plans. Template 1 and Template 2

• Presentable Private Photos: Select a few photos that showcase your personality, interests, or lifestyle. Avoid ‘party-pictures’

• Introduction Video (1-4 min): While it's not a common practice and most applicants don't opt for it, those who do tend to get approved with a much higher probability

• References from Previous Landlords: If available, these can boost your credibility. Template 1 and Template 2

Be prepared for additional requests specific to the agency or landlord.

Organise Your Documents

Upload all documents into a Google Drive folder. Make sure Anyone with the link can view this folder. This allows you to easily share your documents by simply providing the link when requested.