Buyer's due diligence checklist for the Netherlands
Due diligence checklist for buying a homeChecklist onderzoek voor aankoop woning
The documents and checks a buyer should complete before signing the purchase agreement for an existing home: Kadaster extracts, zoning rules, energy label, owners' association documents, building condition, tenancies and costs.
Use it from the first viewing until you sign the purchase agreement (koopovereenkomst). Ask for the seller's documents through the selling agent. Run the public searches yourself; most cost a few euros or nothing. Make the outcome of the checks you cannot finish in time a resolutive condition in the agreement.
Reviewed October 28, 2026. Not legal advice. Have a notary or lawyer check your case before you sign.
Key facts
- Applies to
- European Netherlands. Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba have their own civil code and are not covered.
- Seller's VvE statement
- The notary attaches to the transfer deed a VvE statement of the seller's debts, the reserve fund and the association's debts.
- Buyer's VvE liability limit
- The buyer is not liable for more than the VvE statement shows (BW 5:122 lid 5 and 6).
- VvE reserve fund
- Each year, per a maintenance plan at most 5 years old covering at least 10 years, or at least 0.5% of the rebuilding value (BW 5:126 lid 2).
- Unpaid VvE contributions
- Buyer and seller are jointly liable for contributions due in the current and the previous financial year (BW 5:122 lid 3).
- Energy label
- Required on sale. It may not be older than 10 years. A sale advertisement must state the label class and the energy performance indicator.
- Sale does not end a lease
- A buyer of a let home takes over the landlord's rights and duties under the lease (BW 7:226).
- Buy-to-let protection
- If the municipality applies it, an affordable home needs a permit to be let for 4 years after the transfer (Huisvestingswet 2014, art. 41).
- Transfer tax
- 2% for a main residence, 8% for other homes (Wet op belastingen van rechtsverkeer, art. 14).
- Starter exemption
- Buyers under 35 are exempt once, up to a home value of €555,000 in 2026 (Wet op belastingen van rechtsverkeer, art. 15).
- NHG limit
- A mortgage with the National Mortgage Guarantee is possible for a purchase of at most €470,000 in 2026.
The checklist
Ownership and title
Kadaster ownership extract for the addressEigendomsinformatie (Kadaster)
Kadaster mortgage informationHypotheekinformatie (Kadaster)
Cadastral mapKadastrale kaart
It shows the parcel boundaries and numbers. Compare it with fences, garden and parking on site.
Copy of the seller's title deedAkte van levering (eigendomsakte) verkoper
It lists easements, qualitative obligations and chain clauses that pass to you. Copy them into the purchase agreement.
Leasehold conditions, if the land is on erfpachtErfpachtvoorwaarden en canon
Check the ground rent, whether it is bought off, the end or revision date and the use restrictions.
Zoning, permits and public-law rules
Municipal environment plan for the parcel, and older zoning plans while the municipality converts themOmgevingsplan (Regels op de kaart)
Municipal buy-to-let protection and rental permit rulesOpkoopbescherming, huisvestingsverordening
Soil information for the parcelBodemloket
Official orders, permits and disputes: ask the seller in the questionnaire, and the municipalityAanschrijvingen, vergunningen, geschillen
Look for repair orders, enforcement files or permit disputes. The seller must disclose what the seller knows.
Building and energy
Building survey by an independent expertBouwtechnische keuring
It finds defects and estimates repair costs. Make a survey a resolutive condition if it cannot be done before signing.
Foundation, asbestos and lead pipesFundering, asbest, loden leidingen
These are common hidden costs in older homes. Ask the seller and include the answers in the agreement.
Valid energy labelEnergielabel (EP-Online)
Seller's questionnaire and list of itemsVragenlijst en lijst van zaken
The questionnaire records what the seller tells you about defects. The list fixes what stays in the home.
Flat: owners' association (VvE)
Deed of division and rulesSplitsingsakte en splitsingsreglement
They define your private part, the shares in the costs, use restrictions such as letting or pets, and who maintains what.
Minutes and annual accounts of the last 3 yearsNotulen en jaarstukken VvE
They show planned works, disputes, arrears and decisions on extraordinary contributions.
Maintenance plan and reserve fundMeerjarenonderhoudsplan (MJOP) en reservefonds
Monthly contribution and the seller's arrearsServicekosten VvE en verklaring van de VvE
Occupation, money and tax
Leases or other occupationHuurovereenkomst, gebruik door derden
WOZ value of the homeWOZ-waarde (WOZ-waardeloket)
The municipal valuation is a check on the price and the base for some local taxes.
Transfer tax rate and starter exemptionOverdrachtsbelasting, startersvrijstelling
Mortgage offer, valuation and NHGHypotheekofferte, taxatierapport, NHG
Formalities
A due diligence list is a checklist by nature. The notary checks title, mortgages and seizures before the transfer. The buyer checks condition, rules of use and costs before signing.
- Under Dutch law, the seller must disclose what the seller knows, and the buyer must investigate.
- A buyer who did not check what a normal buyer checks may lose a claim for defects.
- The seller's agent usually provides a questionnaire (vragenlijst) and a list of items (lijst van zaken). Read them before you bid.
- Before the transfer, the notary checks the ownership, mortgages, seizures and the identity and capacity of the parties.
- For a flat, the notary obtains a statement from the owners' association (VvE).
- The notary does not inspect the building.
Common mistakes
- Trusting the listing for plot size or boundaries. The cadastral map shows parcels, not exact measurements. Compare it with the title deed and the site.
- Missing a leasehold (erfpacht). Ground rent, its revision date and the conditions can change the cost a great deal. The Kadaster ownership extract shows it.
- Buying a flat without reading the VvE minutes and maintenance plan. Large planned works and a low reserve fund mean extraordinary contributions soon after.
- Skipping a building survey because the seller signs an age clause (ouderdomsclausule). The clause shifts the risk of hidden defects to you.
- Ignoring foundation risk in areas with wooden piles or peat soil. Ask the seller, the VvE and the municipality what they know. Consider a foundation condition.
- Assuming you can let the home later. Check the municipal buy-to-let protection, rental permits and the omgevingsplan before you buy to let.
Legal basis
- Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7, artikel 17 (conformity of the property sold)
- Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7, artikel 226 (sale does not end a lease)
- Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 5, artikel 122 (liability for VvE contributions, VvE statement at transfer)
- Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 5, artikel 126 (VvE reserve fund)
- Huisvestingswet 2014, artikel 41 (buy-to-let protection, opkoopbescherming)
- Wet op belastingen van rechtsverkeer, artikelen 14 en 15 (transfer tax rates and exemptions)