Short answer: buying a house goes in four phases. First you find out how much you can borrow and what exactly you're buying: the title deed, the cadastral map, the state of maintenance. Then you make an offer, and once it's accepted you sign the purchase agreement (koopakte), after which you have three days to change your mind (bedenktijd). After that a clock starts: within the deadlines of your conditions (ontbindende voorwaarden) you arrange the building survey, the valuation and the mortgage, and you pay the deposit (waarborgsom) or arrange a bank guarantee. Finally you sign the deed of transfer (leveringsakte) at the notary (notaris) and get the keys. The biggest difference with an apartment: with a house, all maintenance is yours, and there is no owners' association (VvE) saving up for it.
Phase 1: before you make an offer
How much can you borrow?
Have a mortgage adviser work out how much you can borrow before you start viewing. They look at your income, your other loans and your housing costs. If the house is on leasehold land (erfpacht), the ground rent (canon) counts as a housing cost: with an NHG mortgage the lender must include the ground rent in your financing costs, and also a revision of it within 12 months after the binding mortgage offer.
In 2026 a mortgage with National Mortgage Guarantee (Nationale Hypotheek Garantie, NHG) is possible up to € 470,000, or € 498,200 if you also finance energy-saving measures. You pay a one-off guarantee fee of 0.4% of the loan.
Keep your own savings available for the buyer's costs (see below) and for the deposit, or have your bank check whether a bank guarantee is possible.
What are you actually buying?
With a house you also buy the land, with everything attached to it. So look beyond the rooms:
- Title deed and cadastral map: where do the boundaries run, and do they match the fence? Estate agents who are members of the NVM put documents like these in the sales information, together with the seller's questionnaire, the list of items staying or going (lijst van zaken), the energy label and sometimes already a building survey.
- Leasehold: do you pay ground rent, and when is it revised? See Leasehold, easements and chain clauses.
- Easements and chain clauses (erfdienstbaarheden and kettingbedingen): does the neighbour have a right of way across your garden, or are you not allowed to build above a certain height? That's in the title deed, not in the listing.
- Maintenance: roof, window frames, foundations, sewer pipes. With an apartment you share those costs through the VvE. With a house you pay them alone, and usually all at once.
The seller must tell you about the defects they know of. As a buyer you have your own duty to investigate (onderzoeksplicht): what you could have seen or asked about, you'll find it hard to blame the seller for later.
Phase 2: offer and purchase agreement
Your offer goes through the seller's estate agent. Put your conditions in it straight away: financing, a building survey, and possibly the sale of your current home. How the bidding process works and what the agent can and can't tell you is explained in Bidding on a house.
A "yes" from the seller is not yet a sale. If you buy a home as a private buyer, the purchase must be made in writing (article 7:2 of the Dutch Civil Code). Only once you have both signed the purchase agreement is it fixed.
After signing you receive the agreement or a copy, and from the next day your three-day cooling-off period runs. At least two of those days must not be a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday; otherwise a day is added. During those days you can withdraw from the purchase without giving a reason and without a penalty. If you buy the same house from the same seller again within six months, you don't get a new cooling-off period. More in The cooling-off period.
Actually read the purchase agreement during those three days. With a house, pay particular attention to:
- the dates of your conditions and of the transfer;
- the amount of the deposit and the penalty;
- clauses that shift risk to you, such as an age clause (ouderdomsclausule), an asbestos clause (asbestclausule) or a clause stating the seller did not live in the house themselves (niet-zelfbewoningsclausule) (see Age and asbestos clauses);
- what it says about leasehold, easements and chain clauses;
- whether the purchase agreement will be registered with the Kadaster (land registry).
That registration protects you between signing and the transfer. If the purchase is registered, a later sale to someone else, an attachment (seizure) or the seller's bankruptcy cannot be used against you (article 7:3 of the Civil Code). The protection lapses if the house has not been transferred to you within six months of the registration. During the cooling-off period, registration is only possible if a Dutch notary drew up and co-signed the agreement.
Phase 3: after the cooling-off period
Now the deadlines in your purchase agreement count.
Deposit or bank guarantee. Usually 10% of the price, paid to the notary or provided as a bank guarantee, before a date set in the agreement. At the transfer the amount is deducted. See Deposit or bank guarantee.
Building survey (bouwkundige keuring). With a house this is the most important step after signing, because every defect is at your expense. Ask for a survey that also covers the crawl space. Your condition only works if the agreement says when you may withdraw, for example if repair costs exceed a certain amount, and before which date.
Valuation and mortgage. The lender wants a validated valuation report (gevalideerd taxatierapport). If it shows overdue maintenance that needs to be fixed soon and costs more than 10% of the market value, an NHG lender also asks for a building survey report. If you want to renovate and borrow for it, that money goes into a construction deposit (bouwdepot). Which documents the bank and the notary want to see is set out in Documents for your mortgage and the notary.
Conditions. If the financing falls through or the survey is disappointing, you must withdraw before the date in the agreement, in writing and in the way the agreement prescribes. Too late is too late. If you withdraw after that anyway, the penalty is almost always 10% of the price. See Conditions in the purchase agreement.
Phase 4: transfer at the notary
Shortly before the transfer you walk through the house with the seller or the agent: the final inspection (eindinspectie). Is it empty, in the agreed condition, and has everything on the list of items been left behind? With a house you also check the garden, the shed and the attic.
At the notary you sign the deed of transfer (leveringsakte) and usually also the mortgage deed. The purchase agreement was the deal; the deed of transfer makes you the owner. The notary registers it with the Kadaster and pays the seller. See Purchase agreement vs deed of transfer.
Buyer's costs in 2026
| Cost | What |
|---|---|
| Transfer tax (overdrachtsbelasting) | 2% if you will live there yourself, 8% if it won't be your main residence |
| First-time buyer exemption (startersvrijstelling) | 0% if you meet all the conditions |
| Notary and Kadaster | deed of transfer, mortgage deed, registration |
| Valuation | the validated report for the bank |
| Building survey | with a house, practically always |
| Mortgage advice | advice and arrangement |
| NHG | 0.4% of the loan, if you take NHG |
In 2026 you get the first-time buyer exemption if, at the transfer, you are 18 or older and under 35, will live in the house yourself for a longer period, have not used the exemption before, and the home is worth no more than € 555,000. The garden, shed and garage count towards that value. If the house is on leasehold land, the Tax Administration (Belastingdienst) adds the capitalised ground rent. If that takes you over the limit, you pay 2%.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a building survey for a house?
Not by law, but you do have a duty to investigate, and with a house you alone pay for the roof, the foundations and the pipes. Include a survey condition in your offer and in the purchase agreement, with a date.
How long is the cooling-off period for a house?
Three days, from the day after you receive the signed purchase agreement. At least two of those days are not a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday; otherwise a day is added.
Does my purchase agreement have to be registered with the Kadaster?
It doesn't have to be, but it protects you against a double sale, an attachment or the seller's bankruptcy until the transfer. Check in your purchase agreement whether it's arranged and who pays the costs.
Does leasehold count for the first-time buyer exemption?
Yes. For a house on leasehold land, the capitalised ground rent counts towards the value of the home. That can take you over € 555,000, even if the purchase price is below it.
What is the difference between buying a house and buying an apartment?
The process is the same. With an apartment you buy an apartment right and become a member of a VvE, which arranges and saves for the maintenance of the building. With a house you arrange and pay for that yourself. If you're buying an apartment, also read the VvE documents, for example with ApartmentCheck's VvE check.
Sources
- Dutch Civil Code Book 7, articles 2 and 3 (purchase in writing, cooling-off period, registration of the purchase; accessed 27 October 2026; in Dutch)
- Rijksoverheid: How much time to reconsider do I have after buying a home? (accessed 27 October 2026; in Dutch)
- Belastingdienst: Transfer tax rates (accessed 27 October 2026; in Dutch)
- Belastingdienst: When can you get the first-time buyer exemption? (accessed 27 October 2026; in Dutch)
- NHG: What is the NHG limit in 2026? (in Dutch)
- NHG: Terms and standards 2026-1 (guarantee fee, valuation, building survey report, ground rent, construction deposit; in Dutch)
- NVM: Transparent Bidding Protocol for Residential Property (sales information; accessed 27 October 2026; in Dutch)
- Notaris.nl: Watch out for (hidden) defects (in Dutch)
- Notaris.nl: If the purchase of the house falls through (in Dutch)