Temporary rental of vacant property

The Vacancy Act provides the option to temporarily rent out vacant residential space in a building or in a home intended for sale, demolition, or redevelopment.

In other words: if your home is for sale and is vacant (this is verified against the GBA), you can submit an application.

Please note! To be eligible for a “ licence ” under the Vacancy Act, the property must be vacant from the time of the application through the time the “ licence ” is granted.

If the property is rented out before the lease term expires, the tenant is protected under rent control, and a “ licence ” issued under the Vacancy Act can no longer change that.

How does it work?

When you submit an application, you will receive a confirmation of receipt.

Within two weeks of receipt, it will be checked whether the application is complete. If any documents are missing, you will receive a letter stating which documents you still need to provide. If you fail to submit the requested information within the specified timeframe, your application may not be processed. In that case, your file will be closed.

You can apply for the “ licence ” for the following vacant buildings:

  • A home that is up for sale and has never been lived in.
  • A home that is up for sale and in which the owner lived during the 12 months before it became vacant.
  • A home that is up for sale and has not been rented out for more than 3 years in a 10-year period.
  • A rental home that is being demolished or renovated.
  • A building that was not constructed for residential purposes (for example, an office, school, or group housing building).

How long will you receive a licence?

  • Home for sale: 5 years
  • Rental home being demolished or renovated: 2 years (extension up to a maximum of 7 years)
  • Residential space in an office, school, or group housing: 2 years (extension up to a maximum of 10 years)
  • Residential space for which you have an exemption from the zoning plan: for the duration of the exemption (maximum of 10 years).

What to do?

Please note! Is your current “ licence ” (Certificate of No Objections) for your home that’s for sale valid for less than 5 years? If so, you do not need to renew it. Your “ licence ” is still valid for 5 years. You can ask the municipality of Voorschoten to confirm this by sending an email to leegstandvergunning@voorschoten.nl

What do I need?

You do not need to make an appointment to submit an application to the “ licence .”

To submit a complete application, you must provide a number of documents (Checklist):

- The original Application Form “ licence ” for the Temporary Rental of Vacant Residential Property under the Vacancy Act, fully completed and signed by all owners.

- authorisation from the co-owner(s) via the online form.

- Copy of the Deed of Delivery of the temporary rental property or proof of ownership of the property to be rented out.

- Supporting documents indicating when the property was listed for sale; this could include, for example, the " enrolment " from a real estate agent.

- Evidence that the property is actively listed for sale.

Costs

2025:

The municipal fees are calculated based on the WOZ value of the property as of January 2023, in accordance with the 2024 Municipal Fees Ordinance of the Municipality of Voorschoten. The percentage is set at 0.04% of the sale value of the property, with a minimum amount of € 70.00 and a maximum of € 445.00

To extend a one-year term, for a “ licence ” (short-term rental) of a vacant residential unit as defined

in Article 15, paragraph 9, of the Vacancy Act € 70.00

Once you have submitted the details of the property to be rented out, the fees will be calculated and you will receive a request for payment.

Voorschoten Municipal Fees Ordinance

Additional information

The processing time for your application is eight weeks. By submitting your application completely at once, you will shorten the turnaround time.

Detailed information can be found on the website of the Rent Tribunal.

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