You get the keys to your new Dutch rental and you are delighted.
Right up until you start wondering how many copies of that key are still out there: with the previous tenant, with
their ex, with the neighbour who watered the plants.
The short answer to the question that brought you here: as a tenant you may usually have the cylinder of
your own front door replaced, as long as you keep it reversible. Who pays the bill depends on why the lock is
coming out.
Below: what you are allowed to do, who pays for what, what it costs, and what to do when the keys go missing.
Written for people renting here who are doing all of this in their second language.
May a Tenant Replace the Locks?
Broadly: yes. You are entitled to see to your own safety, and swapping a cylinder is something you can undo without
leaving a trace. The door stays the door; only the heart of the lock comes out.
There is one rule to take seriously, though: keep it reversible. In practice that means three
things.
- Keep the original cylinder and its keys somewhere you will still be able to find them in three
years. A labelled bag in the meter cupboard beats a drawer full of cables. - Refit it when you leave, so you hand the place back the way you received it.
- Do not drill, saw or mill anything. If you want a different type of lock or an extra surface lock,
you are altering the door itself, and for that you ask your landlord in writing beforehand.
Renting from a housing corporation or a letting agency? Their own rules about locks and keys are often written into the tenancy agreement or the house rules. Read that section, and email your landlord if anything is unclear. A three-line message now saves you a discussion at the final inspection, and it gives you something in writing to point at.
One practical note for anyone whose lease is in Dutch: the words to look for are sloten (locks),
sleutels (keys), huisregels (house rules) and oplevering (handing the property back).
Who Pays: Tenant or Landlord?
This is the rule of thumb that gets you through most situations.
- Normal wear and defects are the landlord’s. Has the key been stiff for months, is the cylinder
worn out, does the lock no longer work properly? Report it as a defect and the landlord arranges the repair. Report it
in writing, so you have a date to point back to later. - Small repairs and your own wishes are yours. Want a heavier cylinder because it makes you feel
better, or does the lock have to come out because you lost your keys? That is your bill. - After a break-in, look at the insurance first. Damage to the door and the frame usually falls to
the landlord and their buildings cover, while many contents policies reimburse the repair of the lock and door
furniture. Always file a police report: without a report number, no insurer pays out.
These are guidelines, not statute. Check your tenancy agreement, because it can contain different arrangements, for
example a service subscription that already covers small repairs. And agree it with your landlord before you
have work done, if you expect them to contribute. Submitting a receipt afterwards rarely works.
More on the insurance side, including a checker for your own situation, is in
does home insurance cover a locksmith?
Lost Your Key in a Rental?
Losing a key is a bit more annoying in a rental than in a house you own, because that key sometimes also opens the
communal entrance or the bike store. This is the route we recommend.
- Tell your landlord. Especially with a corporation or a building with several residents, where the
same key fits more doors than you would think. - Replace the cylinder if the finder could trace your address. Was there an address label on the
ring, or did the keys disappear together with your wallet or bag? Then replacing is the safe route. - Keep the old cylinder for the handover, exactly as above. A cylinder whose key has gone missing
still belongs in that bag in the meter cupboard.
About Spare Keys
Here is the honest version, because it saves people a wasted phone call. We do not cut keys. If you are safely indoors and simply want a spare cut, a local shoemaker or key service will do it faster and cheaper than we ever could, and we would rather tell you that than take your money.
Two things we can do. If your lock is a certificate lock, such as M&C or Nuki, original new keys can be reordered through the manufacturer: call or WhatsApp us with the certificate to hand and we will place the order and then deliver or post them to you. The manufacturer sets the terms, so we cannot promise you a price or a delivery time in advance. And if you are having the cylinder replaced anyway, extra keys can come with it, as long as you say so when you book.
What Does It Cost in a Rental?
Exactly the same as in a house you own, because your tenancy agreement changes nothing about the work at the door.
And exactly the same as a Dutch tenant pays, which is the whole point of our
Expat Fair-Price Guarantee.
| What | Step | Total and what it means |
|---|---|---|
| Start rate | €75 | Call-out, travel and VAT. Never a job on its own: it is the base that every daytime and evening total below builds on. |
| Opening a door | +€75 | €150 total, daytime. The start rate plus the opening itself. |
| New cylinder SKG★★ | +€75 | €150 total, daytime. Cylinder and fitting are inside that step. |
| New cylinder SKG★★★ | +€125 | €200 total, daytime. Cylinder and fitting are inside that step. |
| Evening or night | +€75 | One-off, added on top of the daytime total. Opening a door becomes €225 total. |
| Weekend, daytime | +€0 | No surcharge. A Saturday during the day costs the same as a Tuesday during the day. |
| Extra half hour | +€75 | Only if the job runs longer than the half hour already included, always agreed with you first. Added to the daytime or evening total. |
Our engineers come to you, anywhere in the Netherlands, so you do not have to
go anywhere with a cylinder in your coat pocket. Every amount is on the
prices page.
Is your landlord contributing? Ask for confirmation by email in advance and have the invoice made out in the right
name. That saves a lot of back and forth later.
Which Situation Is Yours?
You have just moved into a rental
No rush, but sensible. Ask your landlord first whether the lock was already replaced after the previous tenant and
how many keys were issued. If that number does not add up, or the answer stays vague, have the cylinder replaced: the €75 start rate plus €75 for an SKG★★ cylinder, so a €150 total during the day. Keep the original cylinder for
the handover.
You have lost your key
Could the finder work out your address, from a label on the ring or because your bag went at the same time? Then
replace the cylinder the same day and tell your landlord. If the key went missing inside the flat, it cannot leave the
building and you have time to keep looking.
You have been broken into
File a police report first and ask for the report number; you can do this in English at
politie.nl. Then have the cylinder replaced,
even if it is evening: an evening or night job adds a one-off €75 surcharge to the daytime total. Report the damage to your
landlord and to your contents insurer, and keep the invoice. A door that has been forced should also be checked over
for the closing mechanism itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
May I change the locks in my rented home?
In most cases yes, as long as you keep the change reversible. Keep the original cylinder and refit it when you leave. For work on the door itself, such as drilling for a different type of lock, you need your landlord’s written permission first. Check your tenancy agreement too, because it can contain its own rules about locks.
Who pays for a lock replacement in a rental?
As a rule of thumb: normal wear and defects are the landlord’s, small repairs and your own wishes are yours. If you lost the keys, you pay. After a burglary it usually runs through the insurance and the landlord. Your tenancy agreement can depart from this.
Do I have to give my landlord a key to the new lock?
A landlord may not simply walk into your home, so handing over a key is not automatic. If your tenancy agreement does contain an arrangement about keys or about access for maintenance, that arrangement applies. Discuss it in advance and you avoid an argument at the final inspection.
New to the Netherlands and want the whole picture, including how we price and how not to get caught out? Start at
our locksmith service for expats, or read
how to spot a rogue
locksmith.
