The expat and your rental property
Before debating the “why” question, it’s probably wise to define what an “expat” is.
Here is my very best attempt at a definition: An expat (expartiate) is typically a non-native (i.e. not Dutch in this case) business professional working in The Netherlands on temporary assignment. An expat often has specialist professional skills (e.g in finance, IT, advertisng, marketing) that may not be available in the local labour market. They are typically well educated and have a higher than average disposable income.
If you are a property owner, there are a number of reasons to consider focusing on renting to an expat tenant in The Netherlands. There are rental brokers that focus exclusively on serving the expat rental client and engaging such a broker can help in finding a tenant with a suitable profile.
Here are a couple of reasons to consider an expat rental tenant:
- They usually have a higher rental budget than a Dutch tenant. Often this budget is paid for, or at least subsidized by, their employer and therefore an expat may be willing to pay a little more for a good quality property matching her profile.
- If, as owner, you are looking to rent your property for a year while on walk-about in Australia then you want certainty regarding being able to return to your property a year later. Expats come and go. In some cases, you are offered more certainty with an expat renting for a year before moving on to another assignment in Paris than a Dutch client who may seek to claim their considerable rights under Dutch rental law.
- Expat tenants typically like to have a diplomatic clause in their contracts allowing them to terminate the rental agreement (with notice) if their employer posts them to, say, Lisbon. This clause – almost never used – also offers the landlord a safety valve as the clause usually works both ways. Should you, as landlord, return early from your assignment in London, then you would be able to reclaim your property earlier providing sufficient notice is provided.
Perfect Housing can assist with screening and securing you an expat tenant on temporary assignment here in The Netherlands. Advice is offered pricing your property, the (local) government rules regarding renting, and on how to prepare your property for rent.
Rent via Perfect Housing
Via partners, Perfect Housing offers full property management services involving collecting rent, chasing late payments, and conducting routine repairs and maintenance.
If you have a property for rent in The Netherlands (from studio to luxary villa), for periods of 6 -36 months – please make contact for an orientation discussion.
