Paying €30–40 a Month Just to Message a Landlord: Paid Rental Sites vs Funda and Pararius in the Netherlands (2026)

If you have searched for a home in the Netherlands, you may have met this screen: you find a promising listing, click "respond" or "request a viewing", and instead of a message box you get a choice of monthly plans. Signing up was free and the listing was visible. But to actually reach the landlord or agent, you have to pay first.

This article starts from an NL Times report of 21 October 2026, based on research by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. It found rental sites that charge €30–40 a month just to contact a realtor, while the same home could be enquired about for free on Funda and Pararius.

Using that report as a starting point, we checked the Consumentenbond (Dutch consumer association) and ACM (consumer authority) investigations, the government's rules on agency fees, the latest Pararius rent figures, and guides from eight English-language outlets for internationals. The goal is a simple map: when you are searching for a rental home in the Netherlands, what is worth paying for, and what you never have to pay. For landlord customs and tenant rights after you move in, see our earlier piece, "Weird but legal: what Dutch landlords can do, and what protects tenants". This article focuses on the step before that: the search, the platforms and the costs.

Main sources for this article

• NL Times, "Property sites charge home seekers to even make contact with realtor" (21 October 2026, the starting point)
• Consumentenbond, "Woningverhuursites, wees duidelijk over de kosten" (2 May 2025, survey of 13 sites)
• ACM's investigation of rental websites (6 July 2021) and its consumer guide on the costs of searching for a rental home
• Rijksoverheid (central government) Q&A on agency fees and the 2026 rent categories
• Pararius Huurmonitor Q3 2026 (7 October 2026, reported by NL Times and IamExpat)

1. What was reported

Paying just to say hello

The De Telegraaf investigation, as summarised by NL Times, used a studio in Tilburg as an example. The base rent was €656 a month. The studio was listed on Huurwoningen.nl and Rentumo, both of which said you could easily respond to arrange a viewing.

In practice, responding meant creating an account and buying a subscription before you could send any message to the realtor or landlord. According to the paper, Huurwoningen.nl charges about €30 a month and Rentumo €40 a month. Neither site, it said, explained what the money actually covers.

The same studio was also listed on Funda and Pararius, where you could request a viewing without paying anything upfront. Same home, different front door, very different price.

The report did not claim the paid sites broke the law. Its point was that people are paying for access they could have had for free, often without realising it. NL Times notes that desperate home seekers may subscribe without hesitation because it seems to offer a chance at a home in a very tight market. That distinction between "legal but poor value" and "illegal" matters, and we return to it in section 5.

A single month at €30–40 can feel like a small price. But a Dutch rental search often takes months, not weeks. Three months costs €90–120, six months €180–240, and if you sign up to two or three sites at once, the costs stack while the listings largely overlap.

2. This is not new: the Consumentenbond and ACM findings

2025: most of 13 sites were unclear about costs

On 2 May 2025 the Consumentenbond published the results of a review of 13 rental websites. To respond to listings, it found, you usually need a subscription costing €19.95 to €39 a month. Those costs often appeared only late in the sign-up process, or not at all. After the Consumentenbond raised its concerns, 8 of the 13 sites made changes or said they would.

DutchReview covered the survey and reported that more than 40% of panel members did not know what they were paying for, and that 87% did not find a home through these sites. We could not find those two figures in the Consumentenbond's own announcement, so treat them as reported figures. The Consumentenbond also flagged sites that take a subscription and then send you to another site where you have to pay again to respond.

2021: the ACM opened an investigation

Back on 6 July 2021, the ACM (Autoriteit Consument & Markt, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets) announced it was investigating rental websites that may mislead consumers. Its consumer desk had received many complaints: listed homes were no longer available or did not exist, and users could not reach the agent.

The ACM described these platforms as online search services. They collect listings from third parties, such as rental agents, and let users filter them. They do not mediate between tenant and landlord. Before you take out a paid plan, the ACM said, a site must explain how its listings are compiled and whether direct contact with the agent is possible. It shared information with the national internet fraud reporting centre because such sites can also be used for fraud.

Five years of the same warnings suggest this model is not going away. The practical defence is knowing how to recognise it and route around it.

3. Free portals vs paid sites: what is the difference?

Different business models

Funda and Pararius are the largest property portals in the Netherlands. The Hague International Centre describes them as the main search engines for rentals and purchases. Their income comes mainly from estate agents (makelaars) who pay to list properties, so tenants enquire for free.

Many paid sites are aggregators. They collect listings from other portals and agents and make money from tenant subscriptions. As the ACM points out, they are search services, not intermediaries, so the ban on agency fees (section 5) does not directly cover them.

The table is not saying paid sites are bad. It is saying that there is usually a cheaper route to the same home. Some paid platforms, such as room sites where private landlords post directly, carry listings you may not find elsewhere, and can be worth paying for.

When it becomes a problem

Paying for faster alerts or a combined search is a legitimate choice. The trouble starts when:

• the price or renewal terms only appear at the very end of sign-up
• the site promises easy contact, but the agent never replies
• listings are already let, or never existed
• after paying, you are redirected to another site that also charges

4. Five checks before you subscribe

Look for the same home on a free route

If a paid site shows you a home you like, use the street, size and photos to look for it on Funda, Pararius and agents' own websites. As the Tilburg example shows, it is often there. If you can identify the agent, contact them directly by phone or through their site. The ACM explicitly notes that you can go straight to a rental agent (verhuurmakelaar), who often lists homes for free, arranges viewings and handles contact with the landlord.

Read the terms that matter

If you still decide to subscribe, check the following first. These are the points the ACM's consumer guide highlights, rearranged as a checklist.

According to the ACM, you can withdraw from an online subscription within 14 days without giving a reason, and get your money back. If a site misled you, for example by claiming far more listings than it has, presenting old listings as current, claiming you can easily contact landlords when you cannot, or being unclear about cost or duration, you may be able to annul the contract and recover what you paid. The ACM provides sample letters for both. Save screenshots of the pricing page, the terms and your confirmation email: they are your evidence of what was promised at the time.

5. Agency fees: the double-charging ban

The landlord's agent may not charge you

Subscription fees are easy to confuse with bemiddelingskosten (agency or brokerage fees). On those, the rules are clear.

According to the Dutch government's Q&A, if an agent is already working for the landlord and offering the home on the landlord's behalf, they may not charge you, the tenant, an agency fee. This applies even if the landlord pays the agent nothing. It covers social housing, free-sector homes and rooms.

Crucially, the name does not matter. The government lists administratiekosten (administration fees), inschrijfkosten (registration fees), contractkosten (contract fees) and verhuurkosten (letting fees) as examples. The ACM adds that all costs up to signing the contract are covered, whatever they are called. The Hague International Centre also states that "key money" charges are illegal.

If it is on the agent's website, the agent works for the landlord

How do you know whether an agent is working for the landlord? According to the government housing policy site Volkshuisvesting Nederland, the Dutch Supreme Court (Hoge Raad) ruled on 16 October 2015 that agents who post homes on their website on a landlord's instructions are, in principle, mediating for the landlord.

The ACM lists four signs that an agent also acts for the landlord:

If in doubt, ask. The ACM says agents must tell you if they have an assignment from the landlord.

The exception: when you hire the agent

You only pay an agency fee if you hired an agent to search for you and they found a home that was not already in their portfolio. Xpat.nl notes that in this case the fee is typically one month's rent plus 21% VAT (BTW). Relocation agents used by employers often fall into this category, and many employers cover the cost.

The ACM also allows agents to charge for optional extra services, such as arranging a parking permit or handyman work, as long as the price is disclosed in advance and your choice does not affect whether you get the home.

How the rules developed

The ban on double agency fees for self-contained homes (with their own front door, kitchen, bathroom and toilet) has existed since the early 1990s under civil law. The big change came with the Wet goed verhuurderschap (Good Landlordship Act) on 1 July 2023, which gave municipalities the power to enforce it.

If you have paid an agency fee you should not have, you can reclaim it for up to five years (Rijksoverheid, ACM, ACCESS). Write to the agent requesting a refund, using the ACM's sample letter if helpful. If they refuse, contact Juridisch Loket, the free legal advice service.

Is a paid site's subscription an agency fee?

This is the question many readers will have. Under the ACM's reading, a site that only collects and displays listings is not mediating, so its subscription is a consumer service fee, not an agency fee. That is why the issue has been handled as a question of misleading information under consumer law rather than under the agency-fee ban.

It is different when the agent itself, or a service actually acting for the landlord and arranging viewings, charges tenants a "contact fee" or "registration fee". That may well be a disguised agency fee. If you cannot tell which applies, ask Juridisch Loket.

6. €1,914 average rent and the three-times-income rule

Average free-sector rent: €1,914

Part of what pushes people toward paid sites is how hard the private market has become. In their Q3 2026 rent monitor, published on 7 October 2026, Pararius and Huurwoningen.nl reported that new tenants in the free sector (vrije sector) paid an average of €1,914 a month, up from €1,869 a year earlier.

Rent per square metre averaged €20.92, up 4.4% year on year. Amsterdam was the most expensive at €28.56 per square metre, and among the five largest cities, Rotterdam (+5.0%) and The Hague (+4.8%) saw the biggest increases.

A note on the numbers: NL Times reported a 4.4% year-on-year rise in average rent. Pararius's own release and IamExpat put the rise in average rent at 2.4%, with 4.4% being the rise per square metre. €1,869 to €1,914 is about 2.4%, so we use Pararius's figures here.

The table shows that rents are rising and the cheapest homes are disappearing fastest.

Gross income of three times the rent

Dutch landlords and agents usually require gross (bruto) monthly income of at least three times the rent. On that basis, Pararius calculates that an average free-sector home requires €5,742 a month, or around €68,900 a year according to IamExpat.

The free-sector threshold for contracts starting in 2026 is a rent of €1,228.07 a month. Even at that rent, the three-times rule means a monthly income of about €3,684.

The rule is a practice, not a law

The three-times rule is landlord practice, not law. The Good Landlordship Act requires landlords to set, publish and follow a transparent, non-discriminatory selection procedure, and to explain to rejected applicants why someone else was chosen, but it does not set an income multiple. Government guidance lists what landlords may ask for, including net income, proof of income and your current rent.

They may not ask about ethnic or cultural background, religion, political views, sexual orientation or health. Refusing someone simply for being international, or advertising "no internationals", may amount to discrimination; DutchNews reported in June 2026 that lawyers had flagged such wording in student room ads.

For newcomers, the income test is often less about salary than paperwork. Expatica notes that landlords may ask for proof of employment, a Dutch bank statement and a credit record. Have your employment contract, recent payslips and an employer's statement (werkgeversverklaring) ready before you start viewing, so you can apply on the same day.

7. Why there are fewer homes: the Affordable Rent Act

Regulation of mid-market rents, and landlords selling

The backdrop is the Wet betaalbare huur (Affordable Rent Act), in force since 1 July 2024. It extended the points system, which scores a home on size and facilities and sets a maximum rent, to the mid-market segment (middenhuur).

For contracts starting on or after 1 January 2026, the categories are:

With more homes under rent control, many private landlords decided letting no longer paid and sold homes when tenants moved out. Pararius director Jasper de Groot says more than 76,000 rental homes have left the market since the act took effect, adding that a law meant to deliver more affordable rentals is achieving the opposite (IamExpat, 8 October 2026).

The numbers

DutchNews, citing Kadaster (land registry) data, reported that investors sold 17,300 homes in the first quarter of 2026 alone, reducing rental supply by 6,140 homes. In Q3 2026, about 1,585 more homes were let than came onto the market, the biggest gap since 2024.

The connection to paid sites is direct. The scarcer the homes, the more tempting it is to pay for a perceived head start. Desperation is the entry point for both overpriced subscriptions and outright fraud.

8. How to spot rental scams

Paid sites and scams are different, but look similar

A site with unclear pricing is not the same as a scam. But both ask you to pay before you get anywhere, which can make them hard to tell apart.

In September 2026, IamExpat reported a rise in scams where fraudsters copy real photos and video tours from legitimate portals, repost them on TikTok and Instagram, move the conversation to WhatsApp, and ask for a deposit or reservation fee. Pararius said it forwards victims' police reports to TikTok but that action is far too slow. DutchNews reported in June 2026 that the national student union LSVb had received 263 requests for help on its housing hotline so far that year, including students who paid large deposits and were then defrauded.

Warning signs

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) ran a campaign with the Fraud Help Desk in 2021 warning that the typical victim pays based only on a description and photos, without ever viewing the home. The Hague International Centre likewise advises never paying a deposit from overseas or before you have physically viewed a property.

How to check

• Reverse-search the photos: the same pictures in a different ad is a red flag
• Check the owner with Kadaster: a small fee shows who legally owns the property
• Check the agency with KVK: the Chamber of Commerce register lists registered businesses
• Ask for a live video call inside the home if you are searching from abroad
• Check the account name: if your bank warns the name does not match, stop

If you have already paid, call your bank immediately, report it to the police and to the Fraud Help Desk (Fraudehelpdesk), and report the profile to the platform.

9. Your situation changes the best approach

Searching from abroad, or already here?

The right strategy depends a lot on where you are in the move and what kind of home you need. The table below summarises the main differences.

The Hague International Centre recommends a short-stay option first, because it lets you register with the municipality while you look for longer-term housing. Several outlets note that many landlords want to meet in person, which makes searching from inside the country easier.

Social and mid-market housing

Most newcomers will be in the free sector, but mid-market homes do exist. For social and some mid-market rentals, municipalities may require a housing permit (huisvestingsvergunning), and many agencies will not hand over keys until you can show you have applied. Waiting lists for social housing can run for years, and Expatica notes that close to 75% of the rental market is social housing, which is largely out of reach for new arrivals.

10. Step by step: from first search to signed contract

The sequence

1. Set your budget: confirm your gross monthly income is at least three times the rent, and prepare your employment contract, payslips or employer's statement
2. Secure a first base: short-stay housing where you can register
3. Search free routes first: save searches and turn on alerts on Funda, Pararius and agents' own sites
4. Contact agents directly: even for homes you found on paid sites
5. View the home: in person, or at least by live video call
6. Check before you sign: is the agent acting for the landlord, are you being charged a fee, is the deposit within two months' bare rent?
7. Check the rent within six months: use the Huurcommissie's huurprijscheck to count the points

What costs money, and what does not

Most costs in a Dutch rental search are either not payable or capped by law. The only open-ended costs are paid-site subscriptions and the fee of an agent you hire yourself. Keeping that in mind makes decisions easier.

11. What not to do

12. Where to get help

National services

Different problems go to different places.

The ACM does not resolve individual disputes, but reports help it identify companies that break the rules. To get money back, write to the company yourself first, then contact Juridisch Loket.

In The Hague

Private tenants in The Hague can talk to the city's rent advisers (huuradviseurs) about rent, contracts and maintenance. Call the municipal number 14070 and ask for the huuradviseurs, or book an appointment on the city's website. They can check whether your rent is too high and inspect the home if needed.

Threats, discrimination or unlawful charges by landlords or agents can be reported to the city's meldpunt goed verhuurderschap, anonymously if you prefer. Under the Good Landlordship Act, municipalities can fine landlords and agents who break the rules. The Hague International Centre also provides guidance on house hunting and lists real estate and relocation agents. In the Amsterdam area, ACCESS points tenants to !WOON for free tenancy advice.

13. Checklist

• My gross monthly income is at least three times the rent, and my documents are ready
• I have saved searches and alerts on Funda and Pararius
• I looked for paid-site listings on free portals and agents' sites
• Before subscribing, I checked price, minimum term, auto-renewal and withdrawal
• I saved screenshots of the pricing, terms and confirmation email
• I confirmed whether the agent acts for the landlord, and that no fee is being charged
• I have not sent any money before a viewing or live video call
• I have a reminder to run the huurprijscheck within six months of moving in

14. Summary

• Some rental sites charge €30–40 a month just to contact a realtor, while the same homes can be enquired about for free on Funda and Pararius
• The Consumentenbond's 2025 review found fees of €19.95–€39 a month across 13 sites, often poorly disclosed
• Paid search sites are legal, but the ACM requires them not to mislead. Online subscriptions can be withdrawn within 14 days
• Agents acting for the landlord may not charge tenants agency fees under any name; fees paid can be reclaimed for five years
• Average free-sector rent is €1,914 a month; the three-times rule implies €5,742 gross monthly income
• Pararius says over 76,000 rentals have left the market since the Affordable Rent Act
• Scams exploit the same pressure. Never pay for a home you have not seen

Sources

Government and regulators

• Moet ik bemiddelingskosten betalen voor een kamer of huurwoning? — Rijksoverheid: the agency-fee ban, renamed fees and the exception
• Difference between social, mid-market and free-sector rentals — Rijksoverheid: 2026 points and rent thresholds
• Indexation of rent limits 2026 — Rijksoverheid: 2026 maximum rents
• Rules for landlords and rental agents — Rijksoverheid: selection procedures, deposits, written information, municipal fines
• Rules against housing discrimination — Rijksoverheid: what landlords may and may not ask
• Ban on double agency fees for self-contained homes — Volkshuisvesting Nederland: history of the ban and the 2015 Hoge Raad ruling
• Kosten bij het zoeken naar een huurwoning — ACM: subscription checks, 14-day withdrawal, signs an agent acts for the landlord
• ACM investigates rental websites that mislead consumers — ACM: the 2021 investigation and the "search service" framing
• Huurprijscheck — Huurcommissie: maximum rent by points
• Bemiddelingskosten — Juridisch Loket: reclaiming agency fees
• Online campaign warns against rental fraud — Openbaar Ministerie: typical rental fraud patterns
• Advice for tenants — Gemeente Den Haag: rent advisers, 14070, Haagse Pandbrigade
• Report landlord misconduct — Gemeente Den Haag: the municipal report point
• Request advice from the Huurteam — Gemeente Den Haag: rent team advice

Research and data

• Woningverhuursites, wees duidelijk over de kosten — Consumentenbond: 13 sites, €19.95–€39 a month, 8 sites changed
• Duurste huurwoningen nu vaakst verkocht — Pararius Huurmonitor Q3 2026: €1,914 average rent, €20.92/m², the three-times rule

Outlets for internationals

• Property sites charge home seekers to even make contact with realtor — NL Times: the starting point; the Tilburg example and fees
• Private sector rent increase outpaces inflation; €1,914 per month — NL Times: Q3 2026 rents and supply
• Average home in the Netherlands now requires monthly income of 5.742 euros — IamExpat: 2.4% rise, 76,000 homes lost, income needed
• Fake room listings on TikTok target students in Netherlands — IamExpat: social media scam patterns
• Don't fall for this Dutch rental subscription scam — DutchReview: coverage of the Consumentenbond survey
• Renting in the Netherlands: the ultimate guide — DutchReview: overview of the rental search
• Housing in the Netherlands: a guide for expats — Expatica: main portals and documents landlords ask for
• Private landlord property sell-off peaks, home shortage worsens — DutchNews.nl: Q1 2026 sales and supply
• International students face more housing fraud, union warns — DutchNews.nl: LSVb hotline figures
• Consumer authority targets website housing scammers — DutchNews.nl: coverage of the 2021 ACM investigation
• Am I required to pay a commission fee? — ACCESS: exceptions, five-year refunds, where to get help
• Rules of renting in NL — Xpat.nl: typical fee when you hire an agent
• Renting a house or apartment — The Hague International Centre: main portals, key money, paying before viewing

All sources were checked on 23 October 2026. Site prices, rent categories and fee rules can change, so check the official sites before you subscribe, sign or claim.

Original article

Property sites charge home seekers to even make contact with realtor — NL Times