Splitting all-in rent: what it is, what it delivers, and how to do it

What is all-inclusive rent?

With all-inclusive rent, your contract states one price for everything. You do not know which part is rent and which part is intended for energy, internet, cleaning, or furniture.

That has two consequences, says the Rent Commission. You cannot verify whether the annual rent increase is correct, because it may only be calculated on the basic rent. And you cannot see if the statement for service charges and energy is correct, because you do not know what you have paid in advance for these.

There is a third disadvantage. Without the basic rent, it is impossible to assess whether your home or room is too expensive according to the point system.

How do you know if you are renting all-in?

Check your rental agreement and the attachments, not your bank statement. What matters is whether the amounts were agreed upon separately, not whether you transfer them all at once.

Pay attention to these three points:

• Save the advertisement and your messages with the landlord. They show what was agreed upon at the start. That helps if the landlord later claims that there was a verbal division.
• A retrospective overview is not an agreement. If the landlord sends a specification or spreadsheet after your complaint, that does not prove that that distribution applied from the first day. Ask whether it is an old agreement or a new proposal.
• Do not search only for the word “inclusive”. Also, “upholstered”, “furnished”, or “all-in” without a separate amount indicates a single undivided price.

Who is the splitting procedure open to?

The procedure at the Rent Commission is intended for tenants in the social housing sector and the mid-market rental sector, for both homes and rooms. If you rent an independent dwelling in the private sector, you cannot, in principle, use this route. Partially different rules apply to contracts from before July 1, 2024.

Not sure which sector you fall into? With all-inclusive rent, this is difficult to determine, as the basic rent is missing. A high total amount does not mean you are renting in the private sector.

What are the benefits of splitting?

In your proposal, the basic rent must be at least 55% of the all-in price and the advance payment at least 25%. Together, that is 80%. If you propose exactly those percentages, you will pay 20% less afterwards.

Example 1: an apartment of €1.000 all-in

That saves €2.400 per year.

Example 2: a room of €600 all-in

That saves €1.440 per year.

Example 3: the same room after a point count

After the division, there is a basic rent, which you can have assessed against the points system. Suppose that, according to the points, the room may cost a maximum of €250.

From €600 to €400. The advance payment does not decrease along with the basic rent.

These are calculation examples. The outcome in your case depends on your contract and your home.

When can not splitting be more advantageous?

Splitting an all-inclusive rent is not automatically the best choice. Do you pay a relatively low total amount that includes, for example, high energy costs? In that case, it may be more advantageous to retain the existing all-inclusive agreement.

As long as there is a truly unsplit all-in price, not splitting has two important advantages:

• No ordinary annual rent increase. The basic rent is not determined separately. The landlord may therefore not simply apply an annual rent increase percentage to the entire all-in amount.
• No separate billing of included costs. No separate advance payment has been agreed for the service and utility costs already included in the all-in price. Therefore, higher actual costs do not result in a standard annual additional payment on top of that price. Conversely, lower actual costs do not automatically entitle you to a refund.

After the split, the financial picture changes.

Following a legally valid division, the basic rent may be increased in accordance with the applicable rules. However, service charges and utilities will be settled: the permitted, substantiated actual costs may be higher or lower than the advance payment made. An advance payment of 25% is therefore not a maximum for the final costs.

Huurteam Nederland therefore first assesses your contract and compares both situations. We look at the current total amount, the included services, the expected actual costs, and the possible basic rent after splitting and point calculation. If not splitting proves to be more favorable for you, we will take this into account in our advice.

Note: A single monthly transfer or the word “inclusive” does not automatically mean you are renting all-in. If the basic rent and advance payments have already been agreed upon separately, these benefits do not apply. Costs falling outside the all-in agreement, such as your own energy contract, are also excluded from this comparison. Furthermore, not splitting the rent is no lasting guarantee: in certain other proceedings, the Rent Commission may split the price on its own initiative if it requires the basic rent for its ruling. Have this assessed in advance.

Sources: Case law regarding rent increases for all-inclusive rent, Case law regarding settlement under an all-in price en Rent Commission regarding division in another procedure.

Split all-in rent in 5 steps

Step 1: Send your landlord a proposal

This may be done by email or by letter. According to the Rent Commission, it must contain:

• the all-in price you pay now;
• the basic rent you propose (minimum 55%);
• the advance payment for service charges and gas, water, and energy that you propose (minimum 25%);
• the date on which the split is to take effect. This is at least two months after the day on which you send the proposal.

Also state which services are currently included in the price, such as internet or cleaning. This prevents the landlord from claiming these as extra costs later. Keep proof of postage. The Rent Commission has a Model letter for the division proposal.

Step 2: wait for the response

If the landlord agrees, the split takes effect from the date in your proposal. Ask for written confirmation of both amounts, the effective date, and the associated services. A verbal "is fine" will lead to disputes later.

In the meantime, continue paying the full amount.

Step 3: No agreement? Start a case with the Rent Commission.

If the landlord refuses, you can start a case immediately. If the landlord does not respond, you can do so up to six weeks after the start date you proposed. After that, you are too late and must make a new proposal.

You submit the request via MyRentCommission with your DigiD, using the form “Splitting all-in rental price”. Attach your contract and your proposal.

Step 4: the verdict

The Rent Commission checks whether your proposal meets the 55% and 25% requirements. The ruling states the basic rent, the advance payment, and the effective date. The landlord must comply with this but can lodge an objection or take the case to the sub-district court. The case will then be reviewed again.

Step 5: Ask for a refund of what you overpaid

The Rent Commission does not collect money. If the start date is in the past, you must request the difference back from the landlord yourself. Do this in writing, with an overview per month.

A calculation example: the ruling comes in September and the split takes effect on April 1. You paid €1.000 for five months instead of €800. You are claiming back 5 × €200 = €1.000.

The deadlines in one overview

Put both dates in your calendar for the day you send the proposal. If you are still negotiating with the landlord, the six-week period continues as usual.

The landlord makes a counter-proposal. What should you look out for?

Landlords often respond with their own breakdown or a new contract. In that case, do not just look at the new total amount.

• The distribution. A high basic rent and a low advance payment seem favorable, but the rent increase is calculated on the basic rent.
• The effective date. Does the split apply from now on or also to the past months?
• The services. Does it state what is covered by the advance payment and how it is settled?
• A new contract. A new lease agreement is not required for a split. Do not sign if the duration, deposit, or other conditions also change.
• Final discharge. If the proposal states that you “have no further claims against each other”, you may waive a repayment.

Is there already a case pending before the Rent Commission?

In that case, you do not need to request a separate breakdown. If you have requested a rent reduction with a new contract or a rent reduction based on points, the Rent Commission will split the all-in price in that procedure.

What happens to the advance payment?

The advance payment for service charges only applies from the effective date of the division. There is no advance payment for the period prior to that, and therefore no final settlement. Consequently, you cannot reclaim service charges from previous years; only the costs from the moment of division.

The advance payment is a prepayment. At the end of the calendar year, the landlord must send a final settlement, no later than June 30 of the following year. Only then can you have the costs checked and, if necessary, start a service charge procedure with the Rent Commission. Until then, you continue to pay the advance payment as usual, even if it seems higher than what the landlord actually spends.

Did you pay €150 per month during those nine months, totaling €1.350, and can the landlord demonstrate €900 in costs? Then you will receive €450 back. If the costs were higher, you will have to pay the difference. Note the meter readings on the start date so that you can verify the first settlement.

Does the advance payment consist only of gas, water, and electricity?

In that case, you may not need to wait for the final settlement. If your home has individual meters, you can ask the landlord in writing to reduce the advance payment. If the landlord does not agree or does not respond within three weeks, you can have the advance payment reviewed by the Rent Commission. If the advance payment includes other costs, such as furniture, internet, or cleaning, the review is conducted via the annual settlement.

You can read more on our page about the service charge statement.

Help from Huurteam Nederland

We review your contract and inform you whether you rent on an all-inclusive basis and if the procedure is open to you. We then calculate your monthly payments after the breakdown and determine whether the basic rent can be reduced further based on the points. If you wish to proceed, we will draw up the proposal, monitor the six-week deadline, and conduct the procedure with the Rent Commission. After the first year, we check the settlement and, if necessary, initiate the service charge procedure, or the procedure for the advance payment sooner if it only concerns gas, water, and electricity.

Get your all-inclusive rental reviewed or view our all-inclusive rent splitting service en our rates.

Frequently asked questions about splitting all-in rent

Is all-inclusive rent prohibited?

No. You may agree on an all-in price, but as a tenant, you have the right to have it split.

Is rent “including gas, water, and electricity” always all-in?

No. If the contract states a separate amount for gas, water, and electricity in addition to the basic rent, the price is already split.

Can I start paying less myself already?

No. Pay the agreed amount until the landlord agrees in writing or the Rent Commission has issued a ruling. Otherwise, you will accrue rent arrears.

May I suggest a discount of more than 20%?

No. A proposal with less than 55% basic rent or less than 25% advance payment does not meet the conditions of the Rent Commission. Further reduction of the basic rent is handled via the points system.

Is a 25% down payment what I ultimately pay?

No. The 25% is the advance payment. What you actually owe is shown in the annual statement.

Can my landlord increase an all-in rent?

As long as there is a truly unsplit all-in price, the landlord may not implement a standard annual rent increase. The basic rent is then not determined separately. You can object to the annual rent increaseFirst, have it checked whether you are truly renting all-in and whether splitting the lease is advantageous for you; lodging an objection does not mean you have to immediately request a split yourself.

Can my landlord split the all-inclusive rent without my permission?

Your landlord cannot unilaterally convert an existing all-in price into a basic rent and separate advance payments. He may make a proposal, but you are not obliged to agree to it. Splitting by mutual consent is, however, possible.

The landlord does not have an independent splitting procedure like the tenant does. Nevertheless, in certain other proceedings, the Rent Commission can split the all-in price on its own initiative, including in response to a rent increase request from the landlord. That is a decision by the Rent Commission, not a unilateral change by the landlord.

Refusing a proposal therefore does not guarantee that the rent will never be split. Have Huurteam Nederland assess the proposal and the financial implications before you agree.

Sources: Gelderland District Court regarding a division proposal from the landlord en Amsterdam District Court on the possibilities and limits of division.

Do I need to take out an energy contract myself after the split?

No. The split only changes the price agreement. Who supplies the energy remains the same until you agree otherwise.

What does splitting mean for my rent allowance?

Since 2026, only the basic rent counts for the housing allowance. After splitting the rent, this is fixed and your allowance may change. Report the new amount to the Tax and Customs Administration, who will explain. what has changed regarding allowances in 2026.

Can I still split the mortgage if I have already moved?

The standard procedure involves proposing a future date and is therefore suitable for an ongoing tenancy. The Rent Commission has a separate procedure for situations following a move. Preferably, have your case assessed before you leave.

The landlord is not making repayments after the ruling. What now?

The Rent Commission cannot enforce this for you and refers you to the Juridisch Loket. Huurteam Nederland can also help you collect the amount.

Does this also apply to business premises?

No. Splitting via the Rent Commission is only possible for residential properties.

Checked on [date] by [name], [position] at Huurteam Nederland. The amounts in the examples are calculation examples.