Rent allowance is money that you can get from the government, so that you pay less rent. Not everyone is entitled to it, but if that is the case, it is of course a shame not to use it. The Tax and Customs Administration has established that in 2022 many tenants who were entitled to it did not apply for rent allowance: this concerned 1 in 10 households. The service therefore calls on tenants to check whether they are eligible and to apply for it. Research by Nibud shows that in 2022 recipients of rent allowance paid an average of € 572 per month in rent and received € 217 rent allowance.
Test calculation at the tax authorities
You can check your eligibility on the website of the Tax and Customs Administration and make a test calculation at surcharges.nl/kaniktoeslagget. The conditions that the Tax and Customs Administration applies for rent allowance are as follows:
- You must be 18 years or older.
- You must rent an independent living space: a house with its own entrance door that can be locked from two sides and with its own kitchen and toilet.
- Your rent may not be too high: your rental and service costs may not exceed € 763.47 per month in 2022. Except if you are under 23 years old. Then the maximum amount is € 442.46 per month.
- Your income should not be too high.
- Your assets may not be too high: housing benefit for 2022 is possible if you did not have more than € 31,747 in equity on 1 January of that year.
Many homes at DUWO with rent allowance
DUWO has many self-contained homes, where rent allowance is possible. We regularly draw tenants' attention to this. The advertisements in the housing offer on ROOM also indicate whether the possibility of rent allowance is available. That is why we use it a lot, both among Dutch and international students. If for some reason you have not done so, you can still do so until September 1, 2023.
