Expat Issues

There are a variety of problems which occur if you rent your apartment. Here are a few which we can help you with. If you have a different problem, you can always contact us to see if we can help. Mr. Van Voorst tot Voorst has extensive experience working together with the Huurcommissie, city governments, landlords, and tenants to solve rental problems for both landlords and tenants in both commercial and residential disputes. 

• Security deposits – landlords often refuse to give immigrants/expats their money back because it is hard to pursue the expat once they have moved back home. Let us help you get the money you deserve.
• Rent calculations, overcharging, and Huurcommissie applications – Rental rates are carefully calculated and regulated. There are ways you can dispute your rent and figure out if you are being charged a fair amount.
• Neighbor disputes – The population density in the Netherlands is quite high, so inevitably you may have a dispute with your neighbor. Contact us to see how to best solve a problem and what your legal routes are if the neighbor refuses to cooperate with reasonable requests.
• Unfair charges – We can dispute unfair charges and analyze your contract to see what your obligations and rights are as a tenant. 
• Evictions – It is difficult to evict a tenant in the Netherlands as there are tons of protections for tenants. Many foreign residents are victim to unlawful evictions, so make sure you are not one of them.
• Abusive landlords – Rental laws also help protect tenants from abusive landlords. For example, there are strict privacy rules and regulations for what rules a landlord can establish, when they can visit your apartment, and the access they are allowed to your home. If you feel like your landlord has violated your rights, please contact a lawyer asap.
• Administrative fees – Administrative fees can be confusing, as there are legal fees but also illegal ones. Check with us to see if you have been tricked into paying an unlawful fee.

Contracts are complex and confusing. Stipulations can make or break your case. We can make a contract for you, check existing contracts, or ensure a contract you must sigh (or have signed) follows the national law. Remember, contracts must adhere to national law and any stipulation a person includes which does not follow the law is therefore unlawful. 

Here are a few of the contract types we can help with:

• Employment contract law and disputes
• Unlawful termination
• Rental contracts
• Wrongful contract dissolution
• Employees’ rights
• Employers’ rights

At some point in time you may be entitled to government benefits. It is important to check with a lawyer to see which ones you are entitled to and how to access them.

Sometimes all it takes to resolve a dispute is a phone call or a letter from a lawyer. We are happy to help you with this effective solution.

Mr. Van Voorst tot Voorst has worked closely with the IND in terms of visa approvals, work permits, The Dutch American Friendship Treaty (DAFT), and other immigration processes. He is qualified to offer his expertise on a variety of IND processes.

Landlords assume an element of risk when renting their property to tenants. The vast majority of tenants are respectful, but sometimes there can be problems. Mr. Van Voorst tot Voorst has experience with the following aspects of renting your property:

• Destruction of property and compensation for said destruction
• Unlawful residency
• Tenants refusing to pay rent
• Breaking contracts
• Contract dissolution
• Disputes with the city council