Your landlord is terminating the lease: do you have to leave?
What would you like help with?
Do not sign your consent or vacate the property before it is clear whether the termination is valid. Do respond in time and keep all communications.
Detailed explanation, checklist and sources
A landlord generally cannot unilaterally terminate a residential lease without a legal ground and the correct procedure. Your type of contract and situation are decisive.
General information about Dutch law · Review date not recorded · How we work
On this page
You usually have tenant protection
With an indefinite-term lease, the landlord may terminate only on a legal ground, such as serious breach of contract or urgent own use. Selling the property does not normally automatically terminate the lease.
You do not have to simply agree
If you do not agree in writing, the landlord generally cannot remove you from the property themselves. The landlord must then ask the court to terminate the lease. A termination letter is therefore not the same as a court judgment.
Take care with temporary leases
Different rules may apply to a valid temporary lease. Often, the landlord must notify you in writing within a statutory time window that the contract is ending. Since the rules on permanent leases were changed, temporary leases now mainly exist only in exceptional situations.
Your checklist
Prepare your next stepFill in and save · Word
Tick what you have checked or collected. Note what is missing and take your overview to a meeting.
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What do you still need for your next step?
Item 1 / 5 · Where do you stand with this item?
Full lease agreement and any extensions
This overview follows your own answers. It does not assess your rights or guarantee that your file is complete.
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View all details, notes and timeline
Your timeline and evidence
List events and contacts. Note where you keep the evidence; no upload is needed.
What goes in my timeline?
Record what happened, when, the response and where to find the letter, message or photo. Mark uncertain dates.
Is my evidence sent?
No. You only note where it is kept. No files are uploaded or sent automatically.
How do I save my timeline?
Your entries are not saved automatically. Choose Save and continue later to store this preparation, including your timeline, in My overview. Wait for confirmation and save new changes again. You can also download a Word file without an account.
Up to 20 events. Choose a different position for an event to change the order.
0 / 5 · Checked or collected
For each event, note the date, what happened and where the evidence is kept. Example: 3 October — letter received — correspondence folder.
Describe the solution you would like, such as an explanation of a deduction and repayment of the outstanding amount.
For example: which document is missing, who can provide it and what should I do first?
Record the date and its source. If unknown, note this and check promptly. This tool does not calculate or monitor deadlines.
After your conversation
These are your own notes. Confirm agreements with the other person; these notes do not prove their agreement.
This is your preparation, not a submitted request, objection or legally reviewed document. A tick records only your own progress. Check the procedure and deadline in the original letter.
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Clear entries
Download anything you want to keep first. Clearing cannot be undone.
- Full lease agreement and any extensions
- Termination letter, reason and date received
- Whether you have agreed in writing
- Evidence regarding payments, nuisance or another stated reason
- Messages about sale or urgent own use
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to leave because the landlord is selling the property?
With an ongoing lease, the general rule is that sale does not break the lease. Sale in itself is generally not a valid reason to make you leave immediately.
Can the landlord change the locks?
A landlord may not evict you from the property on their own authority. Forced eviction normally requires a court decision and enforcement in accordance with the legal procedure.