Every HousingAnywhere booking outside the Netherlands includes a one-time Tenant Protection fee. This fee is part of the service provided by HousingAnywhere and helps protect you if something goes wrong with your booking. Tenant Protection is automatically included in eligible bookings and cannot be opted out of.
In this article:
What does the Tenant Protection fee cover?
Renting a home online, without seeing it in person first, can sometimes feel uncertain. Tenant Protection is designed to give you additional peace of mind when booking through HousingAnywhere.
If a serious issue occurs with your booking, we may be able to help according to our Tenant Protection and cancellation policies. For example, this may apply if:
The advertiser cancels your confirmed booking.
The advertiser cannot provide access to the accommodation you booked, for example, because of a double booking.
There is a confirmed attempted fraud.
The accommodation is officially determined to be significantly different from the advertisement or has unacceptable living conditions.
Tenant Protection does not mean that the fee is automatically refundable whenever you experience an issue with your booking. Each case is reviewed based on the circumstances and the applicable cancellation policies.
How much is the Tenant Protection fee?
The Tenant Protection fee is a one-time fee charged when you confirm your booking. The amount is shown to you before you complete the booking and may vary depending on the booking. It ranges between 25% - 40% of your first month’s rent.
There is no Tenant Protection fee for listings in the Netherlands. However, to start a conversation with an advertiser about a listing in the Netherlands, you need to purchase one of our subscription plans first.
When do I pay the Tenant Protection fee?
You pay the Tenant Protection fee together with the first month’s rent when you confirm your booking. It will be clearly displayed in the booking payment overview. You can see the example below.
Is the Tenant Protection fee refundable?
The Tenant Protection fee is generally non-refundable. It is a one-time fee for using HousingAnywhere’s secure rental platform and payment system, as well as the protection and support available during the booking process and the 48-hour move-in inspection window.
The fee is not a deposit or an amount that can be claimed back simply because you did not need to use Tenant Protection. The service is provided throughout the booking, even if everything goes smoothly and you do not need to contact our Customer Support Team.
Tenant Protection fee will not be refunded:
At the end of your rental, you simply did not experience any issues or did not need to contact Customer Support.
If you successfully move in and do not report an eligible issue within the 48-hour move-in inspection window.
If you submit a "Cancel Rental" request without a valid reason under our cancellation and refund policies.
If you do not submit a "Cancel Rental" request at all and more than 48 hours have passed since your registered move-in date on HousingAnywhere, as this means that no eligible accommodation issue was reported within the required timeframe.
If you change your mind, your plans change, or you no longer want to live in the accommodation.
If you cannot move in because of travel delays, illness, or other personal circumstances.
If the accommodation is not suitable because of your personal preferences, including preferences relating to the neighbourhood, housemates, gender, or lifestyle.
If the accommodation is not as clean as you expected, but there is no other issue that qualifies as a Material Difference.
If there is noise, minor damage, normal wear and tear, cosmetic differences, or other minor defects that the advertiser can reasonably fix.
If you are unhappy with the accommodation because of your personal medical circumstances.
If you do not move in or do not occupy the accommodation without an eligible reason under our refund policy.
If you accept an alternative accommodation offered by the advertiser in accordance with our policies.
When can the Tenant Protection fee be refunded?
The Tenant Protection fee may be refunded only when your situation meets one or more of the valid refund conditions in our Terms and Conditions, and the official Cancel Rental form is submitted on our platform, no later than the end of your move-in window. Examples include:
The advertiser cancels your confirmed booking before your move-in date, provided the cancellation is not caused by you.
The accommodation is unavailable when you arrive, for example, the accommodation is already occupied by someone else, the property does not exist, or the advertiser has not provided the required access despite you completing all required check-in steps.
The accommodation is materially different from the listing, and the issue is significant enough that the accommodation cannot reasonably be used as intended and cannot be remedied within the applicable timeframe (e.g. you received a one-bedroom apartment instead of the two-bedroom apartment you booked).
The accommodation advertised as a private room is actually a shared room.
An essential feature or vital amenity explicitly promised in the listing is missing, such as running water, electricity, heating, or air conditioning, and the issue cannot be remedied within the applicable timeframe.
The accommodation is provided at a completely different address from the one advertised.
The advertiser provides a material downgrade compared with what was booked and cannot remedy the issue, such as providing a significantly different type or size of accommodation.
The advertiser introduces undisclosed house rules that materially restrict your use of essential facilities, such as significantly restricting access to the kitchen or washing facilities.
The advertiser is in breach of the booking agreement, for example, by charging a higher price than the price advertised or failing to provide a service or condition explicitly agreed before booking confirmation.
Force majeure prevents you from moving in, where the circumstances meet the requirements set out in our Terms and Conditions and are not attributable to you.
If your case qualifies for a refund under the applicable policy, the refund may include the first instalment, Tenant Protection fee, and other eligible payments made through HousingAnywhere in connection with the booking.
How to request a refund?
If you experience a serious issue with your accommodation and want to claim a refund, you must submit a "Cancel Rental" request through the conversation with the advertiser before your move-in window ends.
Submitting the request within the required timeframe is important because it allows HousingAnywhere to review the situation and determine whether your booking qualifies for a refund under the applicable policy.
Decide how to proceed during your move-in window
If you experience issues during your move-in window, report them to the advertiser and decide whether you can continue your stay. If the issues are minor and can be resolved, you can continue your booking while the advertiser addresses them. If you do not submit the official "Cancel Rental" request within the applicable timeframe, HousingAnywhere will assume you have chosen to continue the booking and will proceed with the payout to the advertiser.
If the issues are major, remain unresolved by the advertiser, and prevent you from staying, you must submit the official "Cancel Rental" request in your HousingAnywhere conversation before the move-in window ends. This places the payout on hold and allows our Cancellation Team to investigate, attempt to resolve the issues with the advertiser, and determine your refund eligibility if the accommodation cannot reasonably be used.
Important: Reporting an issue via phone, chat, or email does not automatically cancel your booking, place the payout on hold, or guarantee a refund. |