Income requirements for a rented property

Your gross monthly income must be at least 3.5 times the monthly rent if you’re renting on your own. If there are two of you renting, your combined income must be 4 times the rent. For every property on our website, you’ll see the required income level straight away under ‘Can I rent this property?’.

This standard applies to everyone. That’s only fair, and it ensures that your new home remains affordable in the long term.

Have you already got a property in mind? If so, work it out the other way round. Multiply the monthly rent by 3.5 if you’re renting on your own, or by 4 if you’re renting as a couple.

For example, suppose you want to rent a property for €1,250 a month:

• Renting on your own: you must earn at least €4,375 gross per month (€1,250 x 3.5).
• Renting as a couple: you must earn a combined gross income of at least €5,000 per month (€1,250 x 4).

How you calculate your gross monthly income depends on your circumstances. Below, you will find the calculation that applies to you. You can find out which documents you need to provide further down under ‘Which documents do you need to provide?’.

We calculate your gross monthly salary based on the fixed hours specified in your employment contract. Any thirteenth month’s salary specified in your contract is included. Holiday pay and bonuses are not included.

Do you receive a regular irregular hours allowance? If so, you may add the average over the past 12 months to your salary. After that, the standard rule applies: at least 3.5 times the monthly rent if you are a single tenant, and 4 times the monthly rent if you are a joint tenant.

You can also rent from us on a temporary contract. In that case, your contract must have at least 6 months remaining. We also require a statement from your employer confirming their intention to renew your contract. You calculate your income in the same way as you would for a permanent contract.

Yes, as a self-employed person or sole trader, you can simply rent a property from Vesteda. We will look at your profits over the past two years. Add up the net annual profit before tax for those two years and divide the total by 24. That is your gross monthly income.

Here’s an example: your net annual profit was €48,000 in 2024 and €54,000 in 2025. Together, that’s €102,000. Divided by 24, your gross monthly income is €4,250. If you’re renting on your own, you can rent a property for up to approximately €1,214 per month.

For self-employed people, a deposit of two months’ rent applies. You can read more about this in our tenancy terms and conditions.

Are you retired? If so, we’ll apply a more favourable calculation. You may increase your gross income from state pension (AOW) and occupational pension by 30 per cent. That increased amount is treated as your gross monthly income.

Here’s an example: you receive a combined gross monthly income of €2,600 from the AOW and your pension. Adding 30% brings this to €3,380. If you’re renting on your own, you can rent a property costing up to approximately €965 per month (€3,380 / 3.5). Without that increase, the limit would have been €742.

Are you coming to the Netherlands for work? If so, we warmly welcome you. You calculate your income in the same way as any other employee, but you will need to provide a specific set of documents. You can find these under ‘Which documents do you need to provide?’.

• Diplomatic clause: would you like a diplomatic clause included in your tenancy agreement? Please state this clearly when you request a viewing. If we agree, we will include the clause in the tenancy agreement.
• 30% scheme: do you make use of the 30% scheme? Please also state this when you request a viewing.
• Security deposit: Do you have a residential address abroad? In that case, a security deposit of two months’ rent applies. Read more in our tenancy terms and conditions.

To assess your income, we require a number of documents. Please submit everything as PDF files. Select your situation below.

You have a permanent contract

• valid proof of identity (as a secure copy)
• a copy of your 3 most recent payslips
• a copy of 1 recent bank statement showing your latest salary payment
• employer’s statement
• copy of your bank card and IBAN for direct debit

You have a fixed-term contract

• valid proof of identity (as a secure copy)
• a copy of your 3 most recent payslips
• a copy of 1 recent bank statement showing your latest salary payment, on which your name and account number are visible
• employer’s statement (no older than 3 months) confirming the intention to renew
• copy of bank card and IBAN for direct debit

We handle your personal data with care. That is why we ask you to bear a few things in mind.

• Make a secure copy of your passport or ID card. Cover up your citizen service number (BSN). Write ‘Copy for Vesteda’ and the date on the copy. You can easily make a secure copy using your smartphone with the government’s KopieID app.
• Please note the QR code. Dutch passports and ID cards issued after 30 August 2021 feature a QR code instead of the BSN. Your BSN can be read via this code. You should therefore also cover up the QR code.
• Your employer’s statement must be no more than 3 months old and must include your employer’s landline number. This is because we will contact your employer to verify the details.

Are you renting with your partner? In that case, we’ll add your incomes together and apply the 4-times-the-monthly-rent rule. This is subject to the condition that you form a long-term household together. You can prove this with, for example, bank statements, telephone bills, photos or WhatsApp messages. You’ll then both be named on the tenancy agreement.

Would you like to share a property with someone who isn’t your partner? This is only possible in estates designated for this purpose. Read more about this on our page about sharing a property.