Benefits & allowances
A question that holds many people back: ‘will hospita rental cost me my allowances or benefit?’ In the vast majority of cases the answer is reassuring: no. Below we explain exactly how it works.
No impact on most allowances
Hospita rental has no effect on your rent allowance (huurtoeslag), healthcare allowance, childcare allowance or child budget. The condition is that your tenant registers correctly as a (sub)tenant with the municipality. A subtenant does not count as a co-resident, and your tenant's income does not count towards your allowances. This is also confirmed by Dienst Toeslagen (the Dutch benefits agency).
No impact on most benefits
Hospita rental also has no effect on a state pension (AOW), unemployment benefit (WW), WIA or Wajong. These benefits don't depend on who lives with you or on extra rental income.
Take care with social assistance and AIO
There are two exceptions where it's best to contact your municipality in advance:
- Social assistance (Participatiewet): your rental income may (partly) be treated as income and deducted from your benefit. This differs per municipality.
- AIO (supplementary income provision for older people): here too the municipality may take rental income into account.
Good to know: a tenant with whom you have a written, commercial rental contract does not count towards the cost-sharing norm (kostendelersnorm). So your social assistance isn't reduced simply because someone moves in; it's only about the rental income itself. Always report the rental to your municipality in advance, so you know exactly where you stand.
Do you rent your own home?
Renting out a room in a home you rent yourself? Then you need your landlord's permission, and subletting can affect your own situation. Read more under housing corporations and private landlords & HOAs.
In short: for most hosts nothing changes about their allowances. Unsure about your situation? One call to your municipality or the tax authority gives clarity. See also our article on the room-rental tax exemption.