You keep seeing Van Herk Makelaars pop up in listings somewhere around Rotterdam. Could be a big national thing, could be one guy with a real estate license and a WordPress site. Hard to tell from the outside.
Spoiler: they’re a real agency, been around for a while, and they actually know the Rotterdam area. Full story below.
Van Herk Makelaars is a rental agency operating out of Rotterdam. They’ve got offices and they manage properties on behalf of landlords in South Holland. Rotterdam, Capelle aan den IJssel, Krimpen aan den IJssel, Gouda, Schoonhoven. Been doing this for years. Not a national platform, not an app, an actual agency with actual people. Useful if you’re renting in their area, not so much if you’re not.
🏠 So who actually is Van Herk?
The basic setup: private landlords who own rental properties but don’t want to deal with the day-to-day of it hand things over to Van Herk. Finding tenants, doing viewings, sorting out the paperwork, dealing with maintenance calls at 9pm. Van Herk takes care of it and the landlord mostly stays out of the picture.
From your side as a renter, it means you’re mostly dealing with the agency rather than whoever owns the place. Which is honestly fine. Usually better than trying to get hold of a private landlord who responds to maintenance requests sometime between now and never.
What makes them a bit different to the bigger platforms: they’re a regional agency. Rotterdam and the surrounding area is their whole thing. The staff know the market there, have relationships with landlords who’ve been with them for years. It’s a different experience from sending an inquiry into a national portal and waiting to see what algorithm spits back at you.
🗺️ Which areas does Van Herk cover?
Rotterdam is the main base. From there they spread into a handful of municipalities nearby. What most people don’t realise until they look is that the outer areas aren’t just cheaper — the commute into Rotterdam is short enough that it rarely matters in practice:
| Area | Avg studio rent | Avg 1-bed rent | Commute to Rotterdam CS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotterdam (central) | €950 – €1,400 | 1.200 € – 1.800 € | — |
| Καπέλε αν ντεν Ίσελ | €800 – €1,150 | €1,000 – €1,500 | 15 min (metro line B/C) |
| Krimpen aan den IJssel | 750 € – 1.100 € | €950 – €1,400 | 20 min (bus + ferry) |
| Gouda | 750 € – 1.100 € | €900 – €1,300 | 20 min (direct intercity train) |
| Schoonhoven | 650 € – 950 € | €800 – €1,200 | 35 min (bus + train) |
Capelle aan den IJssel is worth a proper look if you’re on a tighter budget. A lot of people skip it without really thinking about it, but metro and tram connections into Rotterdam are good enough that it doesn’t feel like you’re living far out. Rental prices there are lower than in the city and the housing stock is actually decent. Krimpen is similar. Students and people starting their first job end up in both places more than you’d expect.
Gouda and Schoonhoven have smaller markets. Less inventory, but also fewer people competing for what’s there.
💶 What do rentals through Van Herk actually cost?
Rotterdam is cheaper than Amsterdam. Not dramatically, but you’ll notice it, especially if you’ve been looking at listings in Amsterdam for a while and your expectations have been slowly destroyed.
| Τύπος ακινήτου | Μηνιαίο ενοίκιο | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Στούντιο | €950 – €1,400 | Most common starting point |
| Διαμέρισμα ενός υπνοδωματίου | 1.200 € – 1.800 € | Bulk of the listings in Rotterdam and Capelle |
| Family home | €1,600 – €2,600 | More common in Krimpen and Schoonhoven |
| Furnished apartment | add 10-20% | Higher monthly but easier to move into |
| Shared housing/room | 650 € – 950 € | Rarely managed through agencies like Van Herk |
Something to check before getting attached to a price: what’s actually included. Furnished in Dutch rental listings means furniture. It doesn’t automatically mean utilities, internet, appliances. Always ask explicitly what’s covered before you start doing mental maths on your monthly budget.
💡Capelle aan den IJssel and Krimpen aan den IJssel consistently offer more space for less money than central Rotterdam.
If the commute works for you, it’s a genuinely good option. Most people who end up there stop thinking of it as a compromise pretty quickly.
📋 How to get in touch with Van Herk
Not a platform where you register and wait for matches. You browse their listings on their website, find something that fits, and apply directly to that specific property.
When you reach out about a listing, write an actual message. Not a template, not “Hi, I am interested in your apartment, please respond.” Something that sounds like you wrote it. Who you are, why you’re moving, when you need the place. Keep it short, two paragraphs is fine. Landlords see a lot of copy-paste inquiries and the ones that read like a person actually wrote them do get noticed.
If you want to ask about upcoming availability before anything is listed, calling the relevant office directly can sometimes be useful. Properties occasionally get placed before they’re posted online.
Opening hours vary by office. Check their website for current openingstijden.
✅ Have this ready before you apply
A lot of people find a listing they like and then lose it because they’re still tracking down documents. Sort this stuff out before you start seriously looking:
- Passport or valid ID
- Something showing why you’re in the Netherlands: enrollment letter, work contract, internship agreement, whatever fits your situation
- Proof of income: a few months of bank statements, payslips, or a scholarship letter
- Guarantor letter if your own income doesn’t reach 3 to 4 times the rent (very common for students, a parent or family member signing is the usual solution)
- Deposit funds ready to transfer: one to two months’ rent, and sometimes decisions move fast
- A short intro message you can adjust per listing
🚩 Common mistakes
Writing off Capelle and Krimpen straight away. Most people do this. The commute into Rotterdam is actually fine and the rent is noticeably lower. At least properly look at it before deciding it’s too far.
Sending generic messages. It doesn’t work well. Van Herk’s landlords are real people making real decisions about who moves into their place. A message that reads like an actual human wrote it makes a difference.
Not checking BRP registration. Ask before you sign anything whether you can register at the address with the municipality. You need this for a BSN and without a BSN you’ll hit walls with your bank account, healthcare, basically everything administrative. Always get the answer in writing.
Assuming “furnished” means all-in. It doesn’t. Gas, electricity, water, internet. Usually all separate. Always ask what’s included before building your budget around the listed rent.
Waiting before responding. Good listings in Rotterdam don’t hang around. If something comes up and Van Herk contacts you, same-day response is the norm.
❓Συχνές ερωτήσεις (FAQ)
Is Van Herk Makelaars a legitimate agency?
Yes. Real offices, proper staff, contracts that follow Dutch rental law. They’ve been operating in South Holland for years.
Does Van Herk have listings in Capelle aan den IJssel, Gouda, Krimpen and Schoonhoven?
Yes. All four, plus Rotterdam as their main base.
Where do I find Van Herk’s opening hours?
Their website. The openingstijden vary per office and get updated there.
Can Van Herk charge me a tenancy fee?
No. It’s been illegal in the Netherlands since 2023. Landlords can’t pass agency costs on to the renter. If anyone tries to charge you a bemiddelingskosten, report it.
Is Rotterdam a decent city to be in as a student or expat?
Yeah. Cheaper than Amsterdam, less hectic, genuinely interesting city with a lot going on. Rental market has gotten tighter over recent years but it’s nowhere near as rough as Amsterdam.
What about Schoonhoven or Krimpen specifically?
Worth it if you don’t need to be in the city. Less competition, more space for the same budget. Schoonhoven is the further of the two, so factor in the commute if that matters to you.
How fast do things move in this market?
Faster than you’d expect. Have your documents ready so you’re not scrambling if something comes up.
🏁 What to do next
Check Van Herk’s listings regularly if you’re looking in Rotterdam or nearby. Apply to specific properties, have everything ready, write a proper intro message.
One thing to keep in mind: Van Herk manages their own set of properties. A lot of rentals in Rotterdam, Capelle, Gouda and the surrounding area never go through an agency at all. Private landlords, smaller local platforms, direct listings that don’t make it onto agency sites. You’d miss all of that if you’re only watching Van Herk.
Renthunter pulls from over a thousand rental sources in the Netherlands and sends an alert the moment something new comes up in your area. No manual checking, nothing slipping by because you looked an hour too late.
👉 Set up a free alert at renthunter.nl and let it run alongside your Van Herk search.
