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Your house is for sale but not selling? Rent it out in the meantime

Lately we hear this question much more often from owners in Eindhoven. They have already bought their next home, the old one is on the market, and the mortgage, the homeowners association fee and the energy bills keep running.

With a tenant in the house, rental income covers those costs while the sale continues. 123Wonen Eindhoven handles the rental and iQ Makelaars Eindhoven handles the sale. It is the same team at the same office, so you have one point of contact for both.

Get a free calculation for your situation ›

House in Eindhoven rented out while it is for sale

+31 40 304 0400

eindhoven@123wonen.nl

/Eindhoven

What an empty house costs you every month

As long as the house is empty and for sale, you are paying for two homes. You do not get those costs back when you sell.

Double housing costs

Interest and repayment on two mortgages, or interest on a bridging loan. On top of that come the homeowners association fee (VvE), municipal taxes and fixed charges for gas, water and electricity.

A house nobody lives in

Many insurance policies limit cover when a home stays empty for a longer period. Someone also has to collect the post, keep the garden tidy and check for leaks.

Pressure on the asking price

The longer a house is online, the more buyers wonder why. Owners who can no longer carry the costs are more likely to accept a bid that is too low.

A tenant takes the pressure off

If the rent covers most of your monthly costs, you can wait for a buyer who pays what the house is worth. You no longer need to accept the first bid that comes in.

We set out both sides for you in advance: what the house can earn in rent and what it costs you each month.

Ask for a rental price estimate ›

The team of 123Wonen and iQ Makelaars Eindhoven

Buyers have more choice than a year ago and take their time. Larger and detached houses in particular stay on the market longer.

24%

more homes for sale than a year earlier (national)

41 days

average time to sell in Eindhoven

76 days

time to sell a detached house in Eindhoven

asking price reductions in Eindhoven in 30 days

Sources: NVM quarterly figures Q3 2026, existing owner-occupied homes; huisverkopen.nl, October 2026; Hendrix Huybregts Makelaars, Eindhoven housing market Q1 2026; Huispedia, 28 October 2026

Two ways to rent out while you want to sell

Temporary rental under the Vacancy Act (Leegstandwet)

The house stays on the market

With a permit from the municipality you may rent out a house that is for sale on a temporary basis. Normal tenant protection does not apply. When you find a buyer, you end the lease with the legal notice period and hand the house over empty.

The permit is granted for five years at once
You agree the rent freely, outside the points system
The house must genuinely be for sale, at a realistic price
A private owner can do this for at most two homes

How to apply for the vacancy permit ›

Rental with a permanent contract

Rent now, sell to an investor later

You take the house off the market and rent it out for an indefinite period. If you sell later, the tenant stays, because in the Netherlands a sale does not end a lease (koop breekt geen huur). iQ Makelaars sells rented homes to investors.

No permit needed and no maximum term
The rent follows the points system, unless the home falls in the free sector
An investor bases the offer on the rental income, usually below the price for an empty home
When you sell, we provide the complete rental file

	Vacancy Act	Permanent contract
House stays for sale	Yes, that is a condition	Possible, but the tenant moves along to the buyer
Term	Five years at most	Indefinite
End of the lease	You give notice with the legal period	Only on a legal ground for termination
Rent	Freely agreed	Points system or free sector
When you sell	Delivered empty	With the tenant, to an investor
Suits you if	You want to sell as soon as a good buyer appears	You can also keep the house for longer

Please note: a bill before the Dutch parliament would limit temporary rental of homes for sale to two years and make the points system apply to it. This is not law yet. We follow the process and explain in our conversation what it means for your home.

Which route suits your home?

Leave your details and we will call you back. We compare the expected rent with your monthly costs and tell you whether temporary rental or a permanent contract works out better in your situation. Free and without obligation.

+31 40 304 0400

eindhoven@123wonen.nl

/Eindhoven

What the lease must contain

A lease under the Vacancy Act has to follow a few fixed rules. If the permit is not mentioned, the tenant gets normal tenant protection after all.

Rule	What it means for you
Mention the permit	The lease is in writing and names the vacancy permit and the period it is valid for. So only sign once you have the permit.
Minimum term	The lease runs for at least six months.
Notice period for the landlord	At least three months, by registered letter or by bailiff notice.
Notice period for the tenant	At most one month. A longer period in the lease is not valid.
Rent	For an owner-occupied home for sale, the permit sets no maximum rent. You agree the rent freely with the tenant.
End of the permit	The lease ends automatically when the permit expires. If you let the tenant stay after that, a normal lease for an indefinite period arises.

Vacancy rental from start to finish

This is how vacancy rental usually goes, from the moment you move out until the handover to the buyer.

You move and register at your new address

Only when nobody is registered at the old address anymore is the house empty in the eyes of the municipality.

Apply for the permit and the bank permission at the same time

Both requests can run side by side, so you do not lose time.

Look for a tenant while the municipality decides

Presentation and screening can already start. You only sign the lease once the permit is in, because the lease has to mention it.

The tenant moves in, the sale continues

The house stays for sale. Agree in the lease how viewings for the sale will work, to avoid discussion later.

There is a buyer

You give notice of at least three months, by registered letter or bailiff notice. Plan the transfer date around that. After the final inspection you hand over the house empty.

No buyer within five years

The lease then ends automatically on the day the permit expires. After that you can rent out the house with a normal lease or leave it empty. A new vacancy permit for the same house is only possible after five years without one.

Who rents a house through vacancy rental?

A lease that can end as soon as the house is sold does not suit every tenant. It does suit the people we most often rent to in Eindhoven.

Expats and knowledge migrants at ASML, the High Tech Campus and Philips often come for an assignment of one or two years. International military staff at Eindhoven Air Base are here for a posting of several years. American entrepreneurs who move to the region under the DAFT treaty usually rent for about two years before they buy.

We screen every candidate on employer, income and references, including references from abroad.

What else to arrange besides the permit

Your mortgage lender

Almost all mortgage terms forbid renting out without permission from your bank. Ask for permission before you sign a lease, and state that it concerns rental under the Vacancy Act.

Your insurance

Inform your insurer about the rental, so that your buildings insurance stays valid.

Your tax return

Renting out affects your tax return, including the mortgage interest deduction on the rented house. Discuss this with your tax adviser beforehand.

The rules may change

A bill before the Dutch parliament would limit temporary rental of homes for sale to two years and make the points system apply to it. Owners would also have to show that the house is hard to sell. This is not law yet. This page describes the rules as they apply now.

Renting out and selling, one team

With a vacancy permit the sale simply continues. 123Wonen Eindhoven and iQ Makelaars Eindhoven share the same address: 123Wonen handles the rental, iQ Makelaars the sale.

123Wonen Eindhoven, rentals

The rental until the sale

Help with the permit and the permission from your bank, a lease under the Vacancy Act, and screened tenants from our international network.

Let us arrange the application

iQ Makelaars Eindhoven, sales and purchases

The sale that continues

iQ Makelaars sells homes in Eindhoven, Den Bosch and Tilburg, to owner-occupiers and to investors.

Go to iQ Makelaars

Frequently asked questions

When may I rent out the house?

Only once you have the permit, because the lease must mention the permit and its period of validity. Gemeente Eindhoven has up to eight weeks to decide. In practice we often see the decision come in sooner.

Can I extend the permit?

No. A permit for an owner-occupied home for sale is granted for five years at once and cannot be extended. A new permit for the same house is only possible after five years without one.

What do I do when I find a buyer?

You give notice of at least three months, by registered letter or bailiff notice. Plan the transfer date around that period, so you can hand over the house empty.

Do I need a vacancy permit for a permanent lease?

No. The permit is only needed if you want to rent out temporarily without normal tenant protection. With a permanent lease the tenant also stays after a sale. If your house falls under buy-to-let protection, you do need a separate rental permit for that.

Is vacancy rental the same as a temporary lease?

No. The regular temporary lease of up to two years was abolished on 1 July 2024 by the Permanent Leases Act (Wet vaste huurcontracten). Vacancy rental is a separate exception in the Vacancy Act and still exists, but only with a permit from the municipality.

I sometimes read that the notice period is two months. Is that right?

Not for your situation. Two months only applies to rented homes that are being sold, for example by a housing association. For an owner-occupied home for sale, the notice period for the landlord is at least three months.

Must the house stay for sale while I rent it out?

The permit is meant for a house that is intended for sale. So keep the house on the market while you rent it out. If you want to keep the house and rent it out for longer, a normal lease suits you better.

What does the application cost?

Gemeente Eindhoven charges € 130 in 2026. You pay the fee even if the permit is refused or you withdraw the application. Other municipalities set their own fees.

Can I arrange this while living abroad?

Yes. The application is a written procedure, and we handle the viewings, the tenant screening and the contact with the municipality locally. Communication is in English.

Help with your vacancy permit

Leave your details. We will contact you, check whether your house qualifies and arrange the application, the permission from your bank and the lease. In the comment field, please mention since when the house has been for sale and when you bought it.