FAQ

Social rental homes

As of 1 January 2023, the maximum net rental price for a social rental home is €808.06. If you would like to respond to a social rental home, your maximum annual income cannot be higher than €44,035 for a single-person household and €46,743 for a multiple-person household. This is the collective income of your household, and children are not taken into account.

Middle-income homes

Portaal also has a range of homes for middle incomes. We refer to this as the 10% arrangement. You can respond to these homes via WoningNet if you have a maximum annual income of between €44,035 and €50,000. This income limit could vary per region due to local agreements. Please note: if your maximum annual income is lower than €44,035 or higher than €50,000, you will be rejected for a middle-income home.

WoningNet will mention in the advert whether the home in question falls under the 10% arrangement.

If you have an income under the 'capping limit', the maximum rental price will be €693.60 for a multi-person household. The maximum for a single-person household will be €647.19. If you pay a lower rental price, you will continue to pay the lower amount.

You are personally responsible for paying your rent on time. Rental arrears can result in a lot of problems, so always try to pay on time.

If you are truly unable to do so, contact our customer service desk as soon as possible. Do not wait until you get yourself into trouble. We can look for a solution together. You could also visit the website Geldfit. The site contains tips and information that can allow you to manage your financial affairs. Geldfit is free and anonymous (the website can be translated using the button in the top-right corner).

NB: In a few municipalities, Portaal has made agreements with the municipality to share information about the debts of tenants. The aim of this is to improve debt-related support, and to prevent you from getting deeper into trouble. In parts of Arnhem, parts of Utrecht and parts of Nijmegen, and in Nieuwegein, you may be contacted by someone who works for Portaal or the municipality, or by a district or neighbourhood team. It is NOT a good idea to wait until you receive this visit.

Please contact our customer service desk immediately if your income has suddenly decreased considerably, whereby you are no longer able to pay the rent. You may be able to rely on the Commissie Huurmaatwerk ('rent customisation committee). The committee examines what Portaal can do to help you.

The committee is intended for tenants with a low income and people with payment problems. You can contact the committee if your income decreases due to, for example, a divorce, unemployment or the death of a partner. Tenants that pay more than €693.60 as rent and have a gross income that is lower than €44,035 per year can submit a rent reduction request to the committee.

If you have a private sector rental home (rental price from €808.06), you can request a temporary reduction in the rental price. You must be able to prove that your income has decreased (whereby you are now entitled rent subsidy) and that you have payment problems.

If you have viewed the offered home and would like to rent it, you must start by accepting this home. Once you accept the home, you must make sure we receive the documents that we require.

Which documents do I need to qualify for a social rental home?

If you respond to a social rental home, we will need you to provide certain documents. The required documents will be mentioned in the proposal letter/e-mail that we sent you. Make sure that you have all of them. You can send us these documents in PDF format or as copies of the original documents.

Please note:

• In the interest of your privacy, we ask you to remove/cross out your BSN (citizen service number) on all the documents.
• You will not be considered for the home if details are incomplete or inaccurate, and/or if we do not receive the details on time.
• We can always ask for the original documents or for additional information.
• We will inform the police if false declarations are made.

We will always try to help you as effectively as possible. However, some aspects of our service could still disappoint you. If so, you can submit a complaint. This will give us a chance to improve the service that we offer.

You can report your complaint to our customer service desk via MijnPortaal (in Dutch), telephone or e-mail. The responsible manager or employee will examine your complaint. We will then respond as soon as possible.

The household income is the collective income of the tenant and all other people who live at the address.

The household income is the amount mentioned on your tax assessment under the heading ‘Collective income’. It is also mentioned in the annual statement received from your employer or the authority that pays your benefits.

You can also calculate your household income yourself. Multiply the amount on your most recent payslip or benefits overview under pre-tax salary (= taxed salary) by 12 (for example: taxed salary = 1336.24 x 12 = 16035 = household income). You must always round off this amount.

You can also use the calculation tool on the website of the Tax Authority (in Dutch).