How it appears in listings
You will see it as kale huur, "huurprijs (kaal)", "huur excl." or "excl. servicekosten". English-language sites translate it as "base rent", "basic rent" or "rent excluding costs". The opposite is an all-in price or "huur incl.", where service charges and sometimes utilities are folded into one monthly amount.
The literal meaning is "bare rent". It has nothing to do with a kaal opgeleverde woning, a home handed over without floors or curtains (see gestoffeerd). A furnished flat also has a kale huur.
In law, the rent (huurprijs) is the price owed for the use of the living space alone (art. 7:237 BW). Everything else is a separate cost with its own rules.
What it means for you
- Your monthly bill is higher than the kale huur. Add servicekosten and, if you pay them through the landlord, g/w/e.
- Your deposit is capped on the kale huur. The landlord may ask at most twice the kale huur as borg, not twice the total you pay each month.
- Legal rent checks use the kale huur. The liberalisatiegrens (€1,228.07 for contracts starting in 2026) and the points maximum are compared with the kale huur at the start of the contract. If a listing only shows an all-in price, ask for the split.
From kale huur to what you pay
An example for an apartment. The service costs and the utilities advance are the medians for apartments listed on RentHunter between July and October 2026.
| Per month | |
|---|---|
| Kale huur | €1,200 |
| Servicekosten | €60 |
| G/W/E advance | €150 |
| Total you pay | €1,410 |
In this example the maximum deposit is €2,400 (2 × €1,200), not €2,820. And because a starting kale huur of €1,200 is below the liberalisatiegrens of €1,228.07, the contract is not in the free sector.
Kale huur and huurtoeslag since 2026
From 1 January 2026, huurtoeslag is calculated on the kale huur only. Before 2026, some service costs for shared areas counted too; that rule is gone. The rent counted is capped at €932.93, or €498.20 if you are under 21.
With a kale huur of €1,000, the allowance is calculated as if your rent were €932.93, and the €67.07 above it gets no support. A higher rent no longer rules you out on its own: income, assets and the other conditions decide.
Frequently asked questions
The listing says €1,400 incl. What is the kale huur?
You cannot tell from the listing. Ask the landlord for the split between kale huur, servicekosten and g/w/e, because your deposit cap and every legal rent check use only the kale huur.
Is my deposit based on the total rent?
No. The maximum is 2 months of kale huur, so service costs and utilities are left out.
Does kale huur include gas, water and electricity?
No. Kale huur never includes utilities or service costs. A price that includes them is an all-in rent.
