How it appears in listings
You see "tijdelijk huurcontract", "huurcontract voor bepaalde tijd", "contract voor 1 jaar" or "max. 24 maanden", and in English "fixed-term" or "temporary contract". The opposite is "onbepaalde tijd" (indefinite). A listing can say "bepaalde tijd" even when the law does not allow it: if you are not in one of the groups below, the end date does not count and the contract is indefinite.
Of the listings on RentHunter between July and October 2026 that state a contract type (about half of all listings), 50.1% offer an indefinite contract and 49.9% a fixed or temporary one. We report fixed and temporary together because the split between those two labels is noisy, and a label is what the landlord writes, not proof that the contract is valid.
What it means for you
- Not in a listed group? Your contract is indefinite. An international student who moves here to study qualifies. An expat employee normally does not.
- The landlord must warn you in time. In writing, no earlier than 3 months and no later than 1 month before the end date. Otherwise the contract continues for an indefinite period. For a contract ending on 31 August 2027, that window runs from 31 May to 31 July 2027.
- You can leave early, and a renewal makes it permanent. You may end a temporary contract before its end date. A new contract with the same landlord straight after counts as an indefinite one.
Who can still get one
Since 1 July 2024, a temporary contract of at most 2 years is only allowed for the groups in a government decree:
- students who move temporarily to another municipality, or from abroad, to study
- tenants who must leave their home for urgent works or renovation
- people leaving a shelter or in a social emergency
- second-chance tenants
- surviving relatives of a deceased tenant
- separated parents who want to live near their children
- temporary workers on the Wadden islands
- status holders leaving a COA location
Temporary contracts signed before 1 July 2024 run until their end date.
Not to be confused with
Some arrangements fall outside this rule: a lease with a diplomatenclausule, a room with a hospita, rental under the Leegstandwet, and special contracts for students, PhD candidates and young people under 28. Antikraak is not a lease at all.
Frequently asked questions
My landlord offers a 1-year contract. Is that legal in 2026?
Only if you belong to one of the groups in the decree, such as a student who moved for study. Otherwise the contract is treated as indefinite, with full huurbescherming.
What happens if the landlord forgets to warn me before the end date?
The contract continues for an indefinite period.
Are temporary contracts coming back?
A draft law, the Wet passende huurcontracten, proposes more temporary contracts, for example for all students. It went to public consultation in summer 2026 and is not law: the rules above apply.
