Renting out a room in your home to students: is it allowed?

Are you a house owner or tenant of a home, and are you considering renting out one or more rooms in your house? These are the rules concerning 'Homestay' (hospita) rental.

In and around major student cities, it's becoming increasingly difficult for students to find suitable and affordable housing. Most cities are thus facing a significant room shortage. Homestay rental, where you rent out part of the home you live in to someone else, is a great way to alleviate this issue.

The comeback of Homestay Rental

Homestay rental is making a comeback: an increasing number of people living in or around the major student cities are opting to rent one or more rooms in their homes to (international) students. They provide these new students a warm welcome in a new city, meet new people from all corners of our country, continent, or even the world, and, icing on the cake: earn extra income.

So, there are plenty of reasons to become a host. But is it allowed to just rent out a room in your house?

Laws and regulations regarding Homestay Rental

The short answer is 'yes', the long answer is 'it depends'. In the Netherlands, not only does our national government have rules regarding hospita rental, but the municipality you live in might have its own regulations.

National rules on Homestay Rental

The national regulations can be found here. They specify, among other things, what the national government considers as homestay rental: renting to a maximum of 1 household, sharing common facilities, and living in the house yourself. Moreover, with a homestay contract, the first 9 months are always considered a trial period, and the tenant doesn't get rental protection. These rules are much more lenient than regular rental. On top of that, you don't have to pay tax on rental income up to €5881, and your tenant's income doesn't count for the AOW, rental, or health care benefits.

Municipal Homestay Rental rules

Furthermore, municipalities often have their own rules for hospita rental. As these rules can vary from one municipality to another, we've written an article on the regulations around hospita rental for the 11 major student cities in the Netherlands. You can find them below:

- Homestay rental rules in Amsterdam

- Homestay rental rules in Delft

- Homestay rental rules in Den Haag

- Homestay rental rules in Eindhoven

- Homestay rental rules in Groningen

- Homestay rental rules in Leiden

- Homestay rental rules in Maastricht

- Homestay rental rules in Nijmegen

- Homestay rental rules in Rotterdam

- Homestay rental rules in Tilburg

- Homestay rental rules in Utrecht

As we've mentioned, one thing we've noticed is that all municipalities, like the national government, prioritize solving the room shortage. Therefore, most municipalities have very lenient rules around hospita rental.

Moreover, many municipalities have partnered with us - as a mediation platform for hosts and students - to promote homestay rental. Read about our close collaboration with municipalities and educational institutions in cities like Delft, Eindhoven, Groningen, Leiden, Maastricht, Rotterdam and Utrecht.

In addition to the National Government and municipalities, you may also encounter rules from other organizations. Think about mortgage providers, housing corporations, UWV (Employee Insurance Agency), SVB (Social Insurance Bank), tax authorities, rental commission, or your insurance company. At Hospi Housing, we understand that with so many regulations, it can be easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. That's why we always take a personal look with you. Together, we can prevent any unpleasant surprises.

Register as a host without any obligations

Homestay rental is a fun, smart solution for both students and hosts and is strongly encouraged by our government to help address the room shortage. Do you have a spare room in your own or (social) rented house and are you interested in becoming a host? We warmly invite you to register with us. Registration is free.

We guide and support you step by step through the entire room rental process - from finding a suitable tenant to drafting the rental agreement - ensuring you can embark on your new homestay experience without worries. Have questions first? Check our FAQs or contact us. We're here to help!