Anti-Squat (Antikraak) in the Netherlands: €80–350 a Month, 28 Days' Notice and Almost No Tenant Rights

Sooner or later, almost everyone who hunts for a home in the Netherlands hears about antikraak, literally "anti-squat". You live in an empty school, office or house that is waiting to be sold or demolished, and you pay a fraction of market rent. Sometimes you get far more space than your budget would ever buy on Funda.

The catch is that antikraak is not renting. In most cases you sign a bruikleen agreement, a loan for use, rather than a lease. Almost none of the rules that protect Dutch tenants apply. When the building is sold, you can be asked to leave with roughly four weeks' notice.

This article starts from DutchReview's explainer, updated on 7 October 2026. We checked it against the Dutch Civil Code, the Leegstandwet (Vacancy Act), a 2023 Supreme Court ruling, the industry quality mark, and guides from other outlets for internationals. The goal: what you should know about the law, the money and the paperwork before you sign. For general landlord customs, see "Weird but legal: what Dutch landlords can do", and for paid listing sites, see "Paying €30–40 a month just to message a landlord". This piece covers antikraak only.

Main sources for this article

• DutchReview, "Everything you need to know about anti-squatting in the Netherlands (aka 'antikraak')", updated 7 October 2026 (starting point)
• Dutch Civil Code, Article 7A:1777 (loan for use) and Article 7:201 (lease); Leegstandwet, Articles 15 and 16 (wetten.overheid.nl, checked 25 October 2026)
• Dutch Supreme Court (Hoge Raad), 2 June 2023, ECLI:NL:HR:2023:828, on when a fee counts as rent
• Keurmerk Leegstandbeheer standards and complaints committee
• IamExpat, "Anti-squatting in the Netherlands (antikraak)", updated 27 January 2026, and other outlets for internationals

1. What antikraak is and why it exists

A property owner hires a leegstandbeheerder (vacancy manager) to look after an empty building. The manager places temporary residents in it. An occupied building is much less likely to be squatted, stripped or set on fire. The owner pays for management, the resident lives cheaply, and the manager sits in the middle.

From squatting to anti-squat

Squatting (kraken) was a fixture of Dutch city life for decades. According to IamExpat's guide, squatting has been a criminal offence since 1 October 2010. Antikraak spread from the 1990s onwards, and an older IamExpat feature recounts how parliament's lower house passed the squatting ban in October 2009.

The debate did not end there. In March 2021, DutchNews.nl reported that Amsterdam's mayor and police chief urged senators to reject a bill to speed up evictions of squatters.

How many people live like this?

There is no official count. A 2023 ANP news agency report, republished here, quoted the trade body VLBN as saying its members house about 30,000 people. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) does not count antikraak units as housing. The same report said most residents are under 35, and the average stay in one building is about eight months.

What changed in 2025

On 22 August 2025, an MP asked the housing minister about reports of investors placing residents in empty apartment blocks on loan agreements. The concern was that residents get no tenant protection, and that this could sidestep the 2024 ban on fixed-term leases. A ministry draft reply argued that loans are rare in housing, because owners can only charge a fee, not a market rent, so they are no route around the law (questions and draft reply).

Vacancy itself is also in the spotlight. On 23 September 2025, the lower house reportedly adopted an amendment letting municipalities tax empty homes (report). The amendment's explanation cited more than 180,000 empty homes, over 60,000 of them empty for more than a year.

2. Three ways to live in an empty building

Vacancy managers often advertise everything as "antikraak" or "tijdelijk wonen" (temporary living). Legally, though, there are three very different arrangements, and the one in your contract decides your rights.

The first is bruikleen, a loan for use. Most antikraak falls into this category. The second is tijdelijke verhuur, a temporary lease under the Leegstandwet that needs a municipal permit. The third is an ordinary lease. The table below compares them.

The lesson is simple: two buildings both sold as "antikraak" can come with completely different rights. Before signing, check whether the contract is a bruikleenovereenkomst (loan agreement) or a huurovereenkomst (lease), and whether it mentions a Leegstandwet permit.

3. Loan or lease: where the legal line lies

The most important question in antikraak is whether your agreement is legally a loan or a lease. The label on the contract does not settle it. What you actually pay for does, and courts sometimes have to decide.

What the Civil Code says

Article 7:201 defines a lease as an agreement in which one party gives the other the use of a thing in return for a counter-performance (tegenprestatie). Article 7A:1777 defines a loan for use as giving a thing for use free of charge, to be returned after use or after a set time.

So if you pay for the use of the home, it is a lease. If you do not, it is a loan. Antikraak residents do pay every month. Managers argue that this money only covers costs such as energy and administration, and is therefore not payment for use.

The loan rules are not generous to residents. You must look after the property carefully (Art. 7A:1781). You generally cannot recover what you spent to make use of it (Art. 7A:1785). And the lender can ask a court to return the property early if an urgent, unexpected need arises (Art. 7A:1788).

The 2023 Supreme Court ruling

In ECLI:NL:HR:2023:828 of 2 June 2023, the Dutch Supreme Court dealt with a resident of a Rotterdam municipal home who had signed a loan agreement plus a "services" agreement with a vacancy manager. The appeal court had treated the monthly service fee as payment for use, and so as rent. The Supreme Court found that reasoning insufficient, quashed the decision and sent the case back.

A practitioner's overview on omgevingsweb.nl (29 January 2026) sums up the case law. The table below summarises how courts tend to read different kinds of payment.

The same overview cites a 2021 Arnhem-Leeuwarden appeal court case where €150 a month for using a home was treated as rent. Asking the manager for a written breakdown of your fee is the first step to knowing where you stand.

4. Temporary leases under the Leegstandwet

Some vacancy managers also offer temporary leases under the Leegstandwet. These are proper tenancies, approved by the municipality, and they give you a clearer position than a loan.

Which buildings, and for how long

Under Article 15 of the Leegstandwet, the municipal executive can grant a permit for vacant properties of the following types. The table shows the maximum permit period for each.

The permit is only granted if the property is empty, the owner cannot reasonably be expected to let it normally, and it will be properly occupied. If an extension request is pending when the permit expires, the lease continues until a decision is made.

Contract rules and the rent cap

Article 16 sets the rules. The lease must run for at least six months (three months for rental homes to be sold). The tenant's notice period may be no longer than one month. The landlord's notice must be at least three months (two months for rental homes to be sold). Anything less favourable to the tenant is void.

Rent is capped. The municipality writes a maximum rent into the permit, calculated with the points system (woningwaarderingsstelsel). If you agree to pay more, the permit rent replaces it. According to the government housing site Volkshuisvesting Nederland, liberalisation does not apply, so even high-scoring homes keep a cap. The exception is owner-occupied homes for sale, where no maximum is set.

The lease must be in writing and must mention the permit, its period and the maximum rent. If it does not, the landlord cannot rely on the Leegstandwet exceptions and ordinary tenancy law applies. When the permit expires, the lease ends without notice. That is the main weakness for tenants.

5. How the 2023–2024 rent reforms apply

The Netherlands overhauled its rental rules in 2023 and 2024. But those laws are written around leases, and they barely reach antikraak on a loan agreement.

Open-ended leases (Wet vaste huurcontracten)

From 1 July 2024, new leases are open-ended by default, the government announced. Temporary leases under the Leegstandwet are explicitly left as they were. The government's Q&A on temporary leases lists the other exceptions.

Mid-rent regulation (Wet betaalbare huur)

Also from 1 July 2024, the points-based rent cap was extended to mid-rent homes scoring 144 to 186 points. That regulates rent under a lease. A loan fee is not rent, so this cap does not directly apply. Leegstandwet leases are bound by the rent in the permit.

Good landlordship (Wet goed verhuurderschap)

The Wet goed verhuurderschap, in force since 1 July 2023, requires landlords and letting agents to avoid discrimination, put leases in writing, and cap deposits at two months' rent, among other things. Its definition of "landlord" assumes a lease. During the 2023 debate, an amendment was proposed to cover people who lend homes on loan agreements, but the consolidated text we checked on 25 October 2026 does not mention bruikleen.

The table below shows how far each reform reaches.

In short, living on a loan agreement puts you outside most of the recent gains in tenant protection. If a court decides your arrangement is really a lease, though, those rules may apply after all.

6. What it costs

Low cost is the whole point of antikraak. But the monthly figure alone can mislead, because moving in often involves a sizeable lump sum.

Monthly fees

Reported figures vary widely. The table below collects what different outlets have published. They come from different years, so treat them as a guide.

DutchReview says residents mainly pay utility bills with little added on top. IamExpat's 2017 feature, however, quoted critics who said managers rarely give a cost breakdown. As section 3 showed, the breakdown matters legally too, so ask for it.

What you pay up front

Move-in costs depend on the manager. Taking the published terms of Alvast (February 2025), one of the larger managers, as an example:

The Wet goed verhuurderschap caps lease deposits at two months' rent, but, as noted above, it does not mention loans. Compare the full cost, including move-in fees and the final settlement, with a normal rental or a room in a shared house before you decide.

7. Notice periods and moving out

The biggest drawback of antikraak is that you do not decide when it ends. Once the building is sold, demolished or renovated, the manager will give you notice.

How much notice?

Under the Keurmerk Leegstandbeheer standards, certified managers must give at least 28 days' notice, and they are not obliged to offer another home. You may have to find somewhere yourself within those four weeks. DutchReview mentions 14 to 28 days, and IamExpat says 28 days is usual, sometimes 14.

When you want to leave, IamExpat and DutchReview mention 14 days, while Alvast's terms set 28 days for both sides. The figure below compares notice periods across contract types.

From notice to refund

Here is what typically happens between receiving notice and getting your deposit back.

DutchReview notes that managers often help well-behaved residents find another place, but that is goodwill, not a duty. Start keeping a shortlist of next options from the day you move in, not the day notice arrives.

About the "five-year maximum"

Several outlets say antikraak stays are capped at five years. The loan rules in the Civil Code contain no such limit. The figure may be borrowed from Leegstandwet permit periods, such as five years for a home for sale. In practice, the 2023 ANP report put the average stay at eight months. Do not plan on staying long.

8. Can you register your address (BRP)?

For internationals, address registration is not a formality. Your BSN (citizen service number), bank account, health insurance and salary payments all depend on it.

Yes, and you must

Registration in the BRP (Basisregistratie Personen, the municipal personal records database) follows where you actually live, not what kind of contract you have. As Binnenlands Bestuur reported from a 2019 ministerial answer, registration does not depend on the consent of anyone already registered there. Actual residence is what counts.

Article 2.38 of the Wet BRP, the municipal records law, requires anyone expecting to spend at least two-thirds of the next six months in the Netherlands to report in person to their municipality by the fifth day after arrival. The Hague International Centre also says to register "within five days of your arrival", and its page on longer stays explains that registration is compulsory for stays of more than four months.

That does not mean you will be registered within five days. Utrecht asks you to book your registration appointment within five days and says it can then take up to four weeks before the registration is recorded in the BRP. Treat the deadline as the date to book the appointment; the registration and your BSN come on the appointment day. Moves within the country must also be reported by the fifth day.

What can go wrong

Antikraak buildings were usually offices or schools. Some are not zoned for housing, and the municipal desk may ask questions. Some contracts also include clauses that try to limit registration. The table below covers common situations.

Ask the manager in writing, before you sign, whether you can register at the address. A property where registration is a problem is a real risk if you depend on a residence permit or a BSN.

9. Benefits, insurance and residence permits

Does living antikraak affect your benefits, insurance or immigration status? This is where many misunderstandings arise.

Rent benefit (huurtoeslag)

According to the Belastingdienst, rent benefit is for people who rent a self-contained home, with their own front door, kitchen, toilet and shower, and who are registered at that address. From 2026 there is no hard rent ceiling, but the benefit is calculated with a maximum rent of €932.93 (2026 changes).

Rent benefit is a benefit for rent (huur). A loan fee is not rent, so qualifying is unlikely on a bruikleen agreement. A Leegstandwet temporary lease is a tenancy, so you may qualify if the home is self-contained and your income and assets are within the limits. Many antikraak buildings have shared kitchens and showers, which rules out self-contained status.

Insurance

Alvast's terms require residents to hold liability insurance (aansprakelijkheidsverzekering), and the manager disclaims responsibility for damage to residents' belongings unless caused deliberately or by gross negligence. Contents insurance (inboedelverzekering) is your own call. In an unusual building, check with the insurer what is covered.

Health insurance (zorgverzekering) and healthcare benefit (zorgtoeslag) do not depend on your housing contract. If you are registered and meet the other conditions, nothing changes.

Residence permits

As the IND page for highly skilled migrants shows, the main permit conditions concern your employer and salary, not your type of housing contract. But a BSN and permit collection depend on a registered address. The risk is not the contract, it is a gap in your address if you have to leave on 28 days' notice with nowhere to go.

10. House rules and safety

Antikraak comes with rules that ordinary rentals do not have. The aim is to keep the building visibly occupied and in good shape.

Typical rules

DutchReview and IamExpat list the following. They vary by manager and building, so read your contract.

IamExpat lists the usual eligibility conditions: aged over 18, speaking Dutch, English or German, and no children or pets. DutchReview adds that some properties do not allow children, and pregnancy may lead to the agreement ending. For families, the options are very limited.

Safety

Former offices and schools are not built as homes. DutchReview advises checking heating and bathrooms before moving in.

There has been tragedy. NL Times reported in March 2016 that a 20-year-old woman was electrocuted in the shower of an antikraak home in Boxtel in January 2013. An earlier shock had been reported, and the repair was done by someone with limited electrical knowledge. The court found the municipality, the vacancy manager and its maintenance arm significantly negligent and fined each €60,000.

Under the quality mark standards, certified managers must check that a building is wind- and watertight, has essential facilities and is fire-safe before anyone moves in, and must reassess each building at least twice a year. You can check whether a manager is certified on the list of certified managers.

11. Who antikraak suits, and who it doesn't

Antikraak is not for everyone. For the right person, it can cut housing costs dramatically. The table below sets out how it fits different situations.

It suits people who will trade predictability for price. If your life depends on a stable address, for schooling, permits or a home office, look elsewhere.

12. Where to get help

Not every rental help desk can deal with antikraak. If your agreement is a loan, the Huurcommissie (rent tribunal) has no role, because there is no rent to assess. Knowing the right order saves time.

Step by step

Start by putting your complaint in writing to the manager. Certified managers must explain their complaints procedure before you sign. If that does not work, use the Keurmerk Leegstandbeheer reporting form. Reports about uncertified managers are accepted too.

If the problem is still unresolved, the complaints committee can step in. It decides on the basis of the law, its rules and fairness, and its decision is binding. Disputes with uncertified managers are only handled if both sides agree.

For legal questions, such as whether your loan is really a lease or whether a notice was valid, contact Juridisch Loket on 0800 8020 for free advice. If you have a lease, the Huurcommissie can review the rent. The final step is the kantonrechter (sub-district court).

Woonbond, the national tenants' union, offers advice and template letters to members. If there is a safety hazard, such as faulty wiring or a fire risk, report it to the manager and to your municipality's building and housing department at the same time.

13. Three scenarios (fictional)

The people below are invented to illustrate common situations. They are not real people or companies.

A master's student in Delft

A student moves into a former office on a loan agreement at €250 a month including energy. Before signing, she asks the manager in writing whether she can register there, and she registers the day after moving in. She keeps her belongings to ten boxes, expecting to move at least once before graduating in 18 months.

A couple on a two-year research contract

A couple arriving for a research post in The Hague consider antikraak to save money. The building does not allow children, and she is pregnant. As DutchReview notes, pregnancy can be a reason to end the agreement. They choose a regular rental instead.

An employee paying a high fee

An employee in Rotterdam pays €420 a month on a "loan" and gets no breakdown when he asks. Juridisch Loket explains that a fee well above actual costs may mean the arrangement is really a lease. He gathers his contract and payment records and books a consultation with a tenancy lawyer.

14. Mistakes to avoid

Most antikraak problems come from treating it like an ordinary rental. The table lists the common ones.

15. Checklist before you sign

• I know whether the contract is a bruikleenovereenkomst or a huurovereenkomst
• For a Leegstandwet lease, the permit, its period and the maximum rent are stated
• I have a written breakdown of the monthly fee
• I have added up registration, admin, deposit and safety-pack costs
• I know the notice period in both directions
• The manager confirmed in writing that I can register at the address
• I understand the rules on absence, guests and holidays
• I checked heating, shower, wiring and smoke alarms at the viewing
• I checked whether the manager holds the Keurmerk Leegstandbeheer quality mark
• I have arranged liability and contents insurance
• I could move within 28 days, and I have a shortlist of next options

16. Summary

• Most antikraak is a loan for use (bruikleen), with very little tenant protection
• A fee well above actual costs can make it a lease; the Supreme Court addressed the line in 2023
• A Leegstandwet temporary lease is a permitted tenancy: at least six months, at least three months' notice from the landlord, and a rent cap
• The 2024 rent reforms barely reach loan agreements
• Reported fees run from €80 to €350 a month; deposits of two months' fee occur, so compare total costs
• Expect 28 days' notice with no promise of a new place
• You can and must register your address; for disputes, go from manager to quality mark to Juridisch Loket

Sources

Law, case law and government

• Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7A — wetten.overheid.nl: loan for use, Articles 7A:1777–1790
• Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7 — wetten.overheid.nl: definition of a lease, Article 7:201
• Leegstandwet — wetten.overheid.nl: permits, terms, notice and rent caps for temporary leases
• Wet goed verhuurderschap — wetten.overheid.nl: landlord definition and duties, deposit cap
• ECLI:NL:HR:2023:828 — Hoge Raad: when a fee counts as rent
• Temporary letting under the Leegstandwet — Volkshuisvesting Nederland: property types and rent caps
• Wet vaste huurcontracten in force from 1 July 2024 — Rijksoverheid: open-ended leases and the Leegstandwet exception
• Can my landlord offer a temporary lease? — Rijksoverheid: exceptions to the fixed-term ban
• Which homes qualify for rent benefit — Belastingdienst: self-contained home requirement
• Rent benefit changes from 2026 — Belastingdienst: no rent ceiling, €932.93 calculation cap
• Highly skilled migrant — IND: permit conditions
• Huurcommissie: rent disputes under a lease
• Juridisch Loket: free legal advice
• Parliamentary questions and draft reply on loan agreements (2025): investors and bruikleen

Industry, managers and analysis

• What the Keurmerk Leegstandbeheer stands for: 28 days' minimum notice, twice-yearly checks, complaints
• Complaints committee — Keurmerk Leegstandbeheer: binding decisions
• Report a problem — Keurmerk Leegstandbeheer: reporting form
• Certified managers — Keurmerk Leegstandbeheer: list of certified companies
• VLBN: trade body for vacancy managers
• Terms for residents on loan and temporary lease — Alvast: deposit, notice, insurance, complaints
• Lease or loan: an important legal distinction — omgevingsweb.nl: case law overview
• Address registration needs no consent — Binnenlands Bestuur: BRP follows actual residence
• Never have so many lived antikraak — ANP report: about 30,000 residents, eight-month stays, €265 and €299
• Fiscale verzamelwet 2026 passes lower house — Accountancy van morgen: vacancy tax amendment and empty-home figures
• Woonbond: national tenants' union

Outlets for internationals

• Everything you need to know about anti-squatting in the Netherlands — DutchReview: starting point; rules, costs, managers
• Anti-squatting in the Netherlands (antikraak) — IamExpat: 2010 ban, notice, eligibility
• Antikraak: cheap rent in exchange for being a live-in guardian — IamExpat: €80–350, inspections, history
• Renting a home in the Netherlands — Expatica: fees from €150, weaker rights
• Short-term rental properties in the Netherlands — ACCESS: antikraak as a student option
• Amsterdam mayor, police urge senators to reject new squatting law — DutchNews.nl: squatting law debate
• City, property firm "negligent" in shower electrocution — NL Times: fatal accident and ruling
• Wet basisregistratie personen — wetten.overheid.nl: Article 2.4 (two-thirds of six months) and Article 2.38 (report by the fifth day after arrival)
• Municipal registration — The Hague International Centre: registering within five days of arrival
• Inschrijven vanuit het buitenland — Gemeente Utrecht: booking within five days, and up to four weeks until the BRP registration
• Staying for longer than four months — The Hague International Centre: registration duty

All sources were checked on 25 October 2026 (the Wet BRP and Utrecht's page on 30 October 2026). Manager terms, benefit rules and how the law is applied can change, so check the official sites and your contract before signing or applying.

Original article

Everything you need to know about anti-squatting in the Netherlands (aka 'antikraak') — DutchReview