Your Rental Home

Saving energy can be very simple and doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Examples include closing your doors, taking shorter showers, and turning off appliances. If you add up all these measures, they’ll make a big difference on your energy bill! For more information, visit the page on energy conservation or the websites of Regionaal Energieloket ( ) and Milieu Centraal( ).

As a tenant, it can be difficult to make improvements to your home. This is because the landlord will have to pay for most of them: insulation, a heat pump, or solar panels are the landlord’s responsibility. So it’s important that your landlord gets something in return.

You can persuade your landlord by negotiating the rent. For example, suggest that you’ll pay the maximum rent increase for a few years. When the next tenant moves in, your landlord will be able to charge more for the house anyway, and the property will also increase in value thanks to the sustainability measures. On the other hand, as a tenant, you can recoup this money because your energy bills will be lower if, for example, your home is insulated. Solar panels provide your landlord with a 7% annual return, and you can make arrangements with him or her regarding their use. As a tenant, you naturally enjoy other benefits of a more sustainable home because you have better living conditions—such as less moisture or heated floors.

It may help to point out the availability of grants to your landlord. You can even calculate the project’s costs and returns. In many cases, the results will be more favorable than your landlord expects: making a home more sustainable has become significantly less expensive in recent years.

By making your property more sustainable, you’re creating real estate that’s ready for the future. The value and quality will increase significantly, making it more attractive to tenants. By insulating your home, you’ll save a lot of energy and improve the Energy Index (EI) and energy rating. This will lead to an increase in your home’s value. For tenants, a well-insulated home is a comfortable and healthy place to live. Moreover, the tenant can save significantly on gas usage. Given rising gas prices, that’s a nice bonus.

For private landlords, there are two subsidy programs available to make homes more sustainable. First, as a private landlord, you are eligible for the ISDE subsidy if you purchase a solar water heater or heat pump for your property. You must then submit a business subsidy application. Additionally, the Subsidy Program for Making Rental Properties More Sustainable and Maintaining Them (SVOH) was established in April 2022. This subsidy program offers private landlords the opportunity to apply for a subsidy to make their rental properties more sustainable, provided the rent is below the liberalization threshold (€879.66 in 2024).