Fixed-term tenancy ending: check the notification

Start with the statutory tenancy type

Read the original agreement and ask why temporary letting was permitted. Indefinite duration is the general rule since 1 July 2024. The Rijksoverheid explains exceptions. Record conclusion date and accommodation. Interim letting, Leegstandwet agreements and ordinary statutory fixed terms are not interchangeable. Identify the regime before applying a general notification period.

Collect older agreements and extensions

Agreements concluded before 1 July 2024 can involve transitional provisions. Keep every earlier document for the same home, even where later headings differ. Identify extensions and continuation arrangements. Another piece of paper does not prove a new lawful fixed term. The fixed-term guide structures this assessment before you evaluate the latest end message.

Understand the notification’s purpose

For usual statutory fixed-term agreements, landlords must give timely written notice of expiry. Government guidance identifies a window of one to three months before the end date. This reminder differs from ordinary termination of protected indefinite rent. Special arrangements can require other steps. A message using the word termination does not necessarily follow the same rules in every case.

Preserve sending and receipt evidence

Keep letters, envelopes, emails and messages in their original form. Record actual receipt and addressees. A printed sending date does not establish delivery. Several contractual tenants can require separate assessment. The Juridisch Loket guidance addresses shared tenancies too. Provide complete correspondence when receipt or reach is disputed rather than isolated screenshots.

Check early, late or missing notification

An incorrect notification can affect continuation, depending on the regime and events. Avoid concluding solely from a calendar app or one party’s wishes. Compare the agreement, expiry and receipt data and obtain timely advice. Do not confirm departure merely to end the discussion while you still want to establish whether the tenancy legally continues.

If you want to remain

Ask whether the landlord agrees to continuation and what document is proposed. Check whether your existing position is already indefinite. Another trial-year offer deserves scrutiny. Identify changes to duration, rent and other terms. Discussing possibilities is not necessarily surrendering protection. Preserve proposals and distinguish requesting information from consenting to an actual new arrangement.

Earlier departure is a different question

If you want to leave before expiry, check notice rights under the particular agreement. The tenant-notice guidance distinguishes diplomatic clauses. Assessing an expiry notification does not determine earlier departure conditions. For an agreed early end, specify the final payment date. Returning keys early does not automatically change the financial end date.

Prepare handover once the end is established

Organise final inspection, readings and key return. Clarify the deposit and post-departure contact information. Keep any later service account distinct from an unexplained global final balance. Practical arrangements during an expiry dispute should avoid unintended consent. Have wording assessed if inspection or key return is combined with signing termination.

Respond to proceedings or urgent pressure

A disputed expiry can lead to court. Follow a summons even if you previously objected by email. The Rechtspraak explains routes. Seek legal help promptly for an eviction date or exclusion. An outstanding advice request does not automatically suspend proceedings or enforcement. Explain current urgency at every contact.

• Agreement date and statutory exception
• First contract and all extensions
• End date and notification window
• Message and actual receipt data
• Position of each contractual tenant
• Reply, continuation proposal and procedural documents