Cost of buying a house in the Netherlands

What are buyer’s costs?

The meaning of buyer’s costs, in Dutch often abbreviated as k.k., is the costs that must be paid to become the owner of a property. Buyer’s costs, also referred to as purchase costs, must always be paid when you buy a house and officially consist of transfer tax and notary fees for the deed of ownership.

However, all additional costs associated with buying a house (such as notary fees for the mortgage deed and the costs for mortgage advice) are sometimes also referred to as buyer’s costs.

What percentage are buyer’s costs in 2025?

Of course, you want to know how much the buyer’s costs will be approximately. On average, you will pay about 4 to 6 percent of the property value in buyer’s costs. For a property valued at €400,000, this amounts to between €16,000 and €24,000.

Which costs you need to take into account is explained below.

Additional costs when buying a property

When buying a property, many additional costs must be considered. In everyday language, all costs involved in purchasing a house are labelled as buyer’s costs. Besides the transfer tax and notary fees, these costs include, among others:

Estate agent fees

You pay an estate agent for guidance in buying or selling a house. These costs are also referred to as estate agent commission. The commission is usually a percentage of the final purchase or sale price. You can negotiate with different estate agents regarding the commission rate, as fees may vary.

Bank guarantee

When purchasing a property, you sign a purchase agreement. In most cases, the seller requires that you, as the buyer, deposit a security deposit or provide a bank guarantee after signing the purchase agreement. This gives the seller more certainty that you will proceed with the purchase. A security deposit is usually 10 percent of the agreed purchase price and must be paid within two weeks of signing the purchase agreement. If you do not have the money or do not want to deposit it yourself, you can have a bank guarantee issued. The bank then guarantees this amount.

Valuation costs

To obtain a mortgage for an existing property, a valuation report is usually required. You will have your property valued and pay valuation costs for this. The costs for a valuation report are not fixed, and prices vary between valuation agencies and estate agents. In some cases, the fees are negotiable.

Advice and brokerage fees

You pay advice and brokerage fees to the mortgage adviser. These include costs for mortgage advice, the actual arrangement of the mortgage, and any related insurances.

New-build properties and buyer’s costs

If you buy a new-build property, transfer tax does not apply. The property is also automatically registered in your name. The notary costs are included in the purchase price. Therefore, when purchasing a new-build property, you always buy it 'freehold' (vrij op naam), rather than with the usual buyer’s costs.

Buyer’s costs for first-time buyers

Due to the exemption from transfer tax for first-time buyers under the age of 35, buyer’s costs are lower for first-time buyers. If you are a first-time buyer on the housing market and younger than 35, you do not have to pay transfer tax for properties up to €525,000. Your buyer’s costs will then only consist of notary fees and any additional costs. This exemption can be used once and generally applies only to your first home purchase.

Can you finance buyer’s costs?

Since 2018, it has no longer been possible to borrow more than 100 percent of the property value for a mortgage. This means that in 2024, you can no longer finance the buyer’s costs through your mortgage. The buyer’s costs must therefore be paid from your own savings. If you do not have enough savings, a financial gift may be a possible solution.

Using surplus value to cover buyer’s costs

Do you have surplus value on your previous property? Then you can finance the buyer’s costs using this surplus value.

Are buyer’s costs tax-deductible?

A large part of the buyer’s costs is tax-deductible. The following buyer’s costs are eligible for a tax refund:

• Costs for the mortgage adviser
• Commitment fee
• Notary fees for the mortgage deed
• Land registry fees for the mortgage deed
• Valuation costs
• Costs for applying for NHG (National Mortgage Guarantee)

For more information, visit the website of the Tax Authorities.

Paying buyer’s costs in instalments

Buyer’s costs must always be paid when the mortgage is finalised at the notary’s office. Therefore, it is not possible to pay these costs in instalments.