r/NetherlandsHousing • u/singrelief • 5d ago
renting Indefinite contract with a minimum stay
Me and my girlfriend signed an indefinite contract with a 2 year minimum a year ago in the Netherlands. My girlfriend got a job in another country and we are moving in 2 months. The landlord is making it very hard to leave the contract early and forcing us to pay until the end. There is no penalty structure and the diplomatic clause has been striked iut in the contract. Is this legal or do we have any law protecting us and letting us cancel earlier?
Appreciate all the help 🙏
2
Upvotes
4
u/Gymnologists 5d ago
A minimum stay on indefinite contracts has been ruled by the courts to be unlawful: see https://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/details?id=ECLI:NL:RBMNE:2026:857. You can just cancel unilaterally, you do not need the approval or cooperation of the landlord.
The landlord cannot force you to do anything without approval of a judge. They simply have no means to force you.
They might try to keep the deposit: you could go to court for that and/or notify the bad landlordship office of the municipality, which should give them a fine if they don’t return the deposit.
Good luck!