Temporary rental contract after July 2024 without explicit student clause — legally valid?

Housing

I’m trying to understand whether my rental contract in is legally temporary or if it could actually qualify as indefinite under the Dutch rental laws.

Facts:

  • I signed a 24-month rental contract for an apartment.
  • Contract start date: Semptember 2024.
  • The rental aggreement explicitly says it is a temporary contract under Article 271 and ends on September 2026.
  • However, this contract was signed AFTER the Wet vaste huurcontracten entered into force on 1 July 2024.
  • As far as I understand, after that date rental contracts should generally be indefinite unless a specific statutory exception applies.

Important detail:

  • I am enrolled at a university, BUT:
    • the contract nowhere states that this is a student tenancy,
    • nowhere mentions a student exception,
    • nowhere says the temporary duration is linked to my studies,
    • and the apartment is not described as student housing.
  • At the time I rented the apartment I had already been living in the Netherlands for around a year and was working full-time.
  • The landlord assessed me mainly through full-time employment payslips.
  • I had also sent a university registration document by email during the application process, but this was outside the contract itself.

From what I’ve read:

  • the student exception under the new law must be explicitly reflected in the contract,
  • otherwise the default should be an indefinite contract.

So my questions are:

  1. Does merely being a student make the temporary contract valid, even if the contract itself never mentions a student exception?
  2. Can external emails/documents (like my university registration) compensate for the lack of wording in the contract?
  3. Has anyone seen similar Huurcommissie/court cases yet under the new law?
  4. Would this realistically be worth bringing to the Huurcommissie?

I just want to understand whether the temporary clause is actually valid under current Dutch law, and possible prepare for looking for a new home.

Posted May 8, 2026, 3:47 PM UTC

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