In Rijswijk, with its many apartment complexes along the Hague edge and in neighbourhoods such as Innen and Oud-Rijswijk, not all costs may be passed on to tenants as service charges. Permitted items include cleaning of stairwells, lift maintenance in flats such as those on Sir Winston Churchill-laan, insurance of common areas and garden maintenance in complexes near het Delftse Hout. According to Article 7:232 of the Dutch Civil Code (BW), these costs must be reasonable and actually incurred, which is particularly relevant in Rijswijk due to the municipality's strict enforcement of rental disputes via the Huurcommissie in the Haaglanden region.
Non-permitted costs include replacement costs for major repairs, such as a new central heating boiler in individual dwellings, costs of the private dwelling itself (not shared parts), profit margins and charges for unused facilities such as unused parking spaces in Rijswijk garages. The Supreme Court (Hoge Raad) has ruled that landlords may not pass on costs that they bear themselves, a principle that often arises locally in discussions about Owners' Association (VvE) contributions in complexes around Rijswijk Stadtcentrum.
Check your rental agreement for a precise description of service charges, especially with housing associations such as Vidomes or Haag Wonen that are very active in Rijswijk. In case of doubt: demand a specification with invoices. Excessive costs may lead to repayment via the district court (kantonrechter) in The Hague. In practice, in Rijswijk we see discussions about 'reservations' for future maintenance, such as roof repairs in older flats; these are only permitted if explicitly laid down in the contract. Local tenants' associations such as Huurteam Haaglanden recommend an annual check, also due to the pressure on the housing market here. For apartments, VvE decisions count, but only the actual costs – watch out for double calculation of advances in Rijswijk complexes. This way you prevent unnecessary expenses and maintain fair play in the local rental relationship. (348 words)