Houses for Rent in Bergen

A rental house in Bergen, Noord-Holland, buys space and a garden: the average house measures 131 m², and 74% of listings mention a garden. Based on over 200 house listings tracked by RentHunter in Bergen since March 2024, a house averages €2,599 a month, with 80% of listings between €1,330 and €4,000.

Bergen is a municipality of 29,844 inhabitants next to Alkmaar, so a house to rent advertised as Bergen can stand in Bergen village, Bergen aan Zee, Schoorl, Groet or one of the three Egmonds. Of the listings, 12% target expats on a work assignment in the region.

What surprises newcomers is the furnished share: 58% of house listings are furnished, so furnished houses in Bergen are a real option for a relocation with only a suitcase. Gestoffeerd means something else, floors, curtains and lights but no furniture, so ask which of the two a listing means before you ship your own furniture.

Bergen draws house renters with woods and dunes at the door, two beach villages within the municipality and Alkmaar next door for work and shops. Compare with houses for rent in Alkmaar if city life near the station weighs more for your household.

Bergen sits between the Bergerbos woods and Nationaal Park Schoorlse Duinen, so most rental houses in Bergen are a short walk or ride from forest paths. With 74% of house listings mentioning a garden, children can play outside at home and walk into the woods at the weekend.

Bergen municipality has two beach villages, Bergen aan Zee and Egmond aan Zee, both within cycling distance of Bergen village. For a family, that turns the beach into an after-school trip rather than a day out.

Bergen became an artists' village a century ago through the painters of the Bergense School, and Museum Kranenburgh still shows their work. The village centre around the Ruïnekerk, the church with a ruined nave beside its restored choir, has galleries, restaurants and local shops within walking distance of the older streets.

Bergen house hunting usually narrows to three areas, Bergen village, Schoorl with Groet, and the Egmonds, each with its own distance to Alkmaar and the beach. Bergen has no railway station, so the ride by bus or bike to Alkmaar station shapes every commute.

Bergen village is the largest village of the municipality, with the widest mix of rental houses, from detached villas along wooded lanes at the edge of the Bergerbos to terraced family houses closer to the centre. Primary schools, shops and the Ruïnekerk are within cycling distance, and Alkmaar is close enough to cycle to work.

Schoorl and Groet, north of Bergen village, are the quietest part of Bergen municipality, with houses at the foot of the Schoorlse Duinen. The Klimduin in Schoorl, a bare dune that children climb and run down, lies right by the village. These villages suit families who put space and nature before shops; a car helps, as the trip to Alkmaar takes longer.

Egmond aan Zee, Egmond-Binnen and Egmond aan den Hoef form the southern part of Bergen municipality, with the beach at Egmond aan Zee and homes on quieter streets inland. Egmond-Binnen and Egmond aan den Hoef lie closer to Heiloo and Alkmaar than Schoorl does, which shortens the ride to a station.

1. Set a budget by bedroom count
   A Bergen house costs more with every bedroom: a 2-bedroom house averages €2,101 a month across 45 listings, a 3-bedroom €2,670 across 86 listings and a 4-bedroom €3,049 across 71 listings. The 3-bedroom family house is the most listed type, so that is where you find the most choice. Note that Dutch listings often count kamers (rooms) including the living room, so a house with four kamers usually has three bedrooms.
2. Search the whole municipality, not one village
   A Bergen house search should cover Bergen village, Schoorl, Groet and the Egmonds, because rental houses in all of them appear as Bergen in listings. If you work in the north of the province, add houses in Schagen; if a house stretches the budget, an apartment costs less, so check the apartments in Bergen as well. When an alert for a new house comes in, reply the same day with a complete file.
3. Check garden, heating and parking at the viewing
   At a Bergen viewing, check the state of the garden, the heating and the insulation, since energy bills weigh more in a 131 m² house. Ask where you park: 36% of listings mention parking, and near the beach villages the street fills up in summer, so ask whether a private space is available.
4. Have your file ready before the viewing
   Bergen landlords ask for the usual Dutch file: ID, employment contract, recent payslips and often a reference from your current landlord. Keep it as a single PDF so a landlord can choose you the same day, and ask from which date the house is available so you can time your notice.
5. Sign, then register with the gemeente Bergen
   Read the lease for its length, since leases are open-ended by default since 1 July 2024, and for who maintains the garden. Register with the gemeente Bergen within 5 days of moving in, by appointment for a first registration from abroad or online with DigiD for a move within the Netherlands.