Setting up utilities in a Dutch rental: energy, internet, water and insurance
You have the keys. This is what to set up in your first week, in order, so you are never without power or internet and never pay for someone else's usage.
Checked against official sources on
On the day you get the keys
Photograph the meters for electricity, gas and water, with the date visible. The readings on handover day split the bill between you and the previous tenant.
Photograph every room and anything damaged. Send the photos to your landlord by email, so you can prove the state of the home when you claim your deposit back.
Check your contract for what the service costs cover. If energy or internet are included, skip those steps below.
Energy: electricity and gas
You choose your own supplier. The power is usually still on when you move in, but sign your own contract in the first days and give the meter readings from handover day, so everything you use from then on is billed to you at a price you chose.
Fixed price for 1 to 3 years: predictable, but leaving early can cost a cancellation fee if prices have dropped since you signed.
Variable price: can change, usually monthly or quarterly. You can leave with 1 month's notice and no fee. A sensible choice if you may move again within a year.
Dynamic price: follows the hourly market. Cheap when you can run the washing machine at night or charge an electric car at the right time.
A new supplier arranges the switch for you, and you have a 14-day cooling-off period to cancel it. Your old supplier sends a final bill within 6 weeks.
Compare every energy supplier for your address
Prices depend on your postcode and your expected use. A comparison site shows fixed, variable and dynamic contracts side by side, with any welcome bonus.
Prefer a second opinion? Overstappen.nl compares energy contracts too.
Internet
Order internet as soon as you have a signed contract and an address, because installation can take a week or two. Which providers and speeds you can get depends on the address: fibre, cable or DSL. A comparison site checks this by postcode. If the previous tenant had cable or fibre, the connection is usually still in place.
Compare internet and TV packages on Pricewise. Need a phone number on day one? A prepaid SIM from Lebara works before you have a Dutch bank account; SIM-only deals like Simyo usually need one.
Water
You cannot choose your water company: each region has one. Register with it when you move in, give the meter reading, and it bills you directly. In many apartment buildings water is in the service costs instead.
Municipal and water board taxes
Once you are registered at the address, the gemeente sends a yearly bill for waste collection (afvalstoffenheffing) and, in many gemeenten, sewerage (rioolheffing). The waterschap (water board) bills for water management. Amounts differ by gemeente. You can usually pay in monthly instalments, and people on a low income can ask for exemption (kwijtschelding).
Contents and liability insurance
Neither is required by law, but both are common and cheap. Contents insurance (inboedelverzekering) covers your own belongings against theft, fire and water damage: the landlord's insurance covers the building, not your things. Liability insurance (aansprakelijkheidsverzekering, often called AVP) pays when you accidentally damage someone else's property, like a leak that ruins the downstairs neighbour's ceiling.
Compare policies on Independer for contents and liability, a comparison site licensed by the AFM. DutchCalc does not compare or recommend individual insurers.
Then check two things that can save you money
Can you get huurtoeslag? Since 2026 there is no maximum rent, so more people qualify than before.
Is your rent legal? Many homes have a maximum rent under the points system, and you have 6 months from the start of the contract to challenge it.
We earn a fee when you sign a contract through some of these links. It never changes what we write or which options we show.
Questions people ask
Are utilities included in Dutch rent?+
In a room or a short-stay furnished flat, often yes, through service costs. In most self-contained homes, no: you sign your own energy and internet contracts, and the water company and the gemeente bill you directly. Check the contract for which service costs you pay.
Fixed, variable or dynamic energy contract?+
A fixed contract locks your price for 1 to 3 years, but you pay a cancellation fee if you leave early and prices have dropped. A variable contract can change price, usually every month or quarter, and you can leave with 1 month’s notice and no fee. A dynamic contract follows the hourly market price, which suits people who can shift their use.
Do I pay a cancellation fee if I move out?+
Only on a fixed-term contract that has not ended yet, and only if your contract says so. Moving does not exempt you. There is no fee on a variable or dynamic contract. Ask your supplier for the expected fee before you switch: the calculation stays valid for 2 months.
Can I choose my water company?+
No. Each region has one drinking water company with the exclusive right to supply it. You register with that company when you move in, and it bills you directly.
Is liability insurance mandatory?+
No, but most Dutch households have it, and some landlords and employers expect it. It covers damage you accidentally cause to other people or their things. Contents insurance (inboedelverzekering) covers your own belongings at home; your landlord’s insurance does not.