Step 8: What to Expect When You Rent

Expected and Unexpected Costs

So you’ve found the perfect place and you’ve moved in – congratulations! Aside from furnishing your home, you need to arrange the recurring costs and charges such as electricity, gas and water. While in some houses this is included in your rent, in most cases you will need to arrange it yourself.

In Eindhoven, water is typically charged monthly by Brabant Water. Once you move in you will receive a letter from them explaining how to submit a meter reading. You do not have a choice in which supplier you have for water, or the cost.

In contrast, with electricity and gas you have some choice regarding your supplier. You can use a comparison website online to choose your energy supplier. These companies typically charge you a set fee per month – but be careful! If you use more than the monthly fee covers each month they will send you a bill at the end of the year for the extra. This can be substantial, so put in place a good plan to make sure you keep an eye on this cost.

You will also be obliged to pay the municipality for waste, which can be placed in special containers on the street. This is charged once per year and the amount is based on how many people are in your household. This can be quite large (>€200 per person) which can be a surprise for some students.

You might also face other charges such as water service maintenance charges or condominium charges for maintenance of communal spaces. When in doubt, ask your landlord or the rental agent what sort of charges you can expect when you are moving in.

Deposit

When you move into a house you will usually be asked to pay a deposit. The maximum deposit is three months’ basic rent (excluding utility charges). This maximum has been set by the courts.  

You should make sure there is a clear paper trail for this deposit by paying by bank transfer or getting a signed receipt from the owner of the building.

Upon move out, if there are damages to the property, the landlord can use the deposit to replace or repair the damage. To avoid misunderstanding, it is recommended when you move in to ask the landlord to make an extensive inventory of the house and ask to be present when this is made. might be used upon move out and costs taken from your deposit.

For more advice on this process, see this page from the Dutch government.

Finding Work

Eindhoven is a city with a wide range of design studios and designers and it is also home to the Netherland’s largest company – ASML. There are many opportunities for part-time and full-time work that can be found before or upon your arrival in bars, cafes, restaurants and delivery services. While it’s certainly easiest to find work when you are here (and already registered) you can find work in advance.

Common flexible jobs taken by DAE students include Thuisbezorgd (food delivery service) and Monk (boldering gym).

Fast fashion retail outlets in the city centre, along Demer, are often looking for staff.

There are a wide range of café’s and bars in Eindhoven, in areas such as Strijp-S, Stratumseind, and Kleine Berg.

Healthcare

Healthcare, in particular the Dutch Basic Health Insurance, is required for anyone who is employed in the Netherlands. To find out more about Dutch Basic Health Insurance (zorgverzekering) you can read more directly from the Dutch Government here.

Be aware that ‘Student Insurance’ is different to ‘Dutch Basic Health Insurance’. Student Insurance will not necessarily cover you to work in the Netherlands, although you will be covered in case of a range of issues that can arise during your studies. Simple comparison tools such as Independer can be used to compare health insurance policies.

Use the following flow chart to determine what sort of insurance you need: