Rental points count: how the woningwaarderingsstelsel works

The woningwaarderingsstelsel (WWS) gives a self-contained rented home points. The total number of points determines the maximum rent. That count is called the WWS points count.

The Huurcommissie explains the rules in its policy guide for self-contained housing. There are 12 categories. A surcharge can also be added to the maximum rent, for example for a monument or for a new build in the mid-rent sector.

The rent limits change every year on 1 January, and other rules change too. Last checked: November 2026. This is not legal advice: if in doubt, always check the Huurcommissie's sources.

These are the 12 categories, in groups:

• Floor area: rooms (1 point per m²) and other spaces (0.75 points per m²).
• Heating and cooling, kitchen and sanitary facilities.
• Energy performance and WOZ value.
• Outdoor spaces (no more than 15 points), shared spaces and facilities, and shared parking spaces.
• Facilities for people with a disability, and special facilities.

The Wet betaalbare huur (the Dutch Affordable Rent Act) has applied since 1 July 2024. Since then, mid-rent has also been regulated. With a new contract, a home with 144 to 186 points falls in the mid-rent sector.

Charging more than the maximum rent is not allowed, except in the free sector. That starts at 187 points.

In 2026, the maximum rent at 143 points is €932.93: the upper limit of social rent. The upper limit of the mid-rent sector is €1,228.07 at 186 points. From 1 January 2027, those amounts become €959.71 and €1,263.32.

A tenant can have the initial rent (the rent at the start) assessed within 6 months. If the rent is too high, the Huurcommissie lowers it retroactively to the start. The ruling is binding.

If a landlord loses a procedure, they pay €500 in fees (leges): the costs of the procedure. If they lose the same kind of procedure again within 3 years, the fee rises to €700, then €1,400 and then €1,750.

Since 1 January 2025, municipalities can enforce with the Wet goed verhuurderschap (the Dutch Good Landlordship Act). They check that landlords follow the WWS for homes below 187 points. The tenant must be told at the start how many points the home has. That also applies if the rent is not regulated.

The Huurcommissie measures internally: from wall to wall, at 1.50 m height, including built-in cupboards. A room gets 1 point per m². Another space gets 0.75 points per m².

That is a different measuring rule from NEN 2580. The usable floor area in the BAG (the Dutch national register of addresses and buildings) corresponds to NEN 2580. So a NEN 2580 measurement report is not automatically the floor area for the WWS.

So measure each space separately. For each space, note whether it is a room or another space.

For more on the usable floor area according to NEN 2580, read the pages below. The calculator is for the usable floor area, not for the WWS points.

For labels from 1 January 2021 (NTA 8800), a fixed number of points applies per label class. The first figure is for a single-family home, the second for a multi-family home.

A label is valid for no more than 10 years and must have been registered before the reference date. A simplified label from 2015 to 2021 gives no points. Without a valid label, you count points based on the year of construction. That usually gives fewer points.

Since July 2026, a label registered after the reference date can still count. That is only possible in an assessment following a proposal to reduce the rent. The label must then be in EP-online before the ruling. There must have been no energy measures between the reference date and registration. The landlord must report this.

A monument with label E, F or G gets 0 points instead of negative points. The landlord must then prove the monument status.

There is also a draft decree for rented homes with label E, F or G. They must have at least label D by 1 January 2029. The draft was sent to both Houses of parliament on 10 July 2026. The decree has not yet been adopted.

These are the points per label (single-family home / multi-family home):

• A++++: 62 / 58. A+++: 57 / 53. A++: 52 / 48. A+: 47 / 43.
• A: 41 / 37. B: 34 / 30. C: 22 / 15. D: 14 / 11.
• E: -4. F: -9. G: -15. That applies to both types of home.
• Without a valid label: from 41 / 37 for a year of construction of 2002 or later, to -15 for 1976 or older.

The WOZ points consist of two parts. If there is no WOZ value, you use 85% of a registered valuation, or the minimum WOZ value of €85,806.

The WOZ points count for no more than 33% of the total, with exceptions. Since the Wet betaalbare huur, that cap only applies from 187 points. Before, it applied from 142 points.

If a home reaches 187 points or more without that cap, but fewer with it, it gets at least 186 points.

These are the steps for the reference date 1 January 2026:

• Part 1: the WOZ value divided by €16,954.
• Part 2: the WOZ value divided by the number of m², and that divided by €268.
• The number of m² is the floor area of rooms and other spaces. Include type I parking spaces, at a standard 12 m² per space.
• Add both parts together and round to a quarter point.

A points count must be verifiable. The tenant can have it assessed, and the burden of proof often lies with the landlord. Think of the energy label and the monument status.

A surcharge is added to the maximum rent. A national monument (rijksmonument) gets 35%, a municipal or provincial monument 15%. In a protected townscape or village (beschermd stads- of dorpsgezicht), it is 5%, for a home built before 1965 without another monument surcharge. With a contract from before 1 July 2024, a national monument gets 50 points.

A new build in the mid-rent sector gets a 10% surcharge if construction started before 1 January 2028. That surcharge applies for 20 years after the home is first occupied.

The Huurcommissie offers the Huurprijscheck free of charge. With it, you make a points count as a PDF. The check is available for self-contained and non-self-contained housing, and for residential caravans and pitches. It is also available in English.

This belongs in a good points count:

• Points per category, with the floor area per space at 1.50 m height.
• A valid energy label from EP-online, or the year of construction if the label is missing.
• The WOZ value and the calculation of the WOZ points, with the 33% cap.
• Surcharges with evidence, such as the monument status or the construction start.
• A PDF with the tenancy agreement.

The points count for rented homes is listed in Keursnel as coming soon. You cannot choose it yet. There is no date, and which features will come has not been decided.

What you can already use is in the building inspection. It retrieves, among other things, the year of construction and the usable floor area from the BAG. Note: that BAG floor area is not the floor area for the WWS.

With a paid plan, the report uses your firm's house style. Do you make points counts and would you like to do so in Keursnel later? Let us know via the contact page. Tell us which homes you count and what needs to be in your report.

You can already use this in the building inspection:

• Photos with arrow, circle, frame, text and measuring line, with the time taken from the file.
• Team and roles: for each team member, you set which inspection types they may do.
• Built to work without internet: changes and photos go to the server later.
• A report with a checksum, which no longer changes after delivery.
• A secret share link per report version, which you can revoke.