The Hague Housing Inspection Bureau

The Hague Housing Inspection Bureau (Haagse Pandbrigade) checks the safety of buildings and properties in the city. It also investigates whether owners, tenants and landlords of the buildings and properties are complying with the building and housing regulations.

Working method

The Hague Housing Inspection Bureau (Haagse Pandbrigade) will conduct its own investigation or will carry out a check after the occupants file a complaint. The employees of The Hague Inspection Bureau are unable to check or solve all complaints. This is why they mainly take action when there are serious problems and dangerous situations.

The Hague Housing Inspection Bureau checks buildings and properties for:

  • illegal housing (such as overcrowding and unlawful subletting)
  • illegal use (activities which are not allowed in the building, including renting it out too often to guests as a holiday rental)
  • overdue maintenance
  • illegal construction work
  • domestic nuisance (for example, noise from your neighbours)

If the building does not comply with the rules, the municipality can take the following measures:

  • require the owner to stop the illegal activities
  • require the owner to carry out the necessary maintenance work
  • shut down the construction work
  • close and seal off a building

If the situation is less urgent, The Hague Housing Inspection Bureau will check the building at a later moment. Or you will get advice on what you can do yourself.

The Hague Housing Inspection Bureau also checks whether landlords are abiding by the rules of the Purchase Protection Act and the Good Landlordship Act.

File a complaint

Report abuses by landlords

Are you looking for or are you living in a rental property of a private landlord? And do you believe that the landlord has discriminated against you or has threatened you? Is he asking an excessively high deposit or unreasonable service costs?

File a complaint via Report abuses by landlords.

Report illegal housing or use of a building

  • Are there too many people living in a property (overcrowding)?
  • Are there people living somewhere it is not allowed?
  • Are rooms being rented out illegally?
  • Is a property being rented out too often as a holiday rental?
  • Is a commercial property or a shed being used as housing?
  • Is a residential property being used as a business or a shop?

Report this to the municipality via Report illegal housing or use of a building.

Report overdue maintenance on a rental property

Dangerous situations can arise due to overdue maintenance. Is a building badly in need of maintenance and is the owner not taking any steps to rectify this?

Report this to the municipality via Report overdue maintenance on rental property.

Report illegal construction work

Is something being built, renovated or demolished in your nearby surroundings without being granted a permit to do so?

Report this to the municipality via Report illegal construction work.

Report domestic nuisance

Are you experiencing serious problems with your neighbours? For example, a neighbour dispute, violence and intimidation, unreasonable noise, bullying, nuisance caused by animals, or filth and negligence? Or neighbours who are burning wood? And are you unable to find a solution together?

Report this to the municipality via Report domestic nuisance.

After your report

The employees of The Hague Inspection Bureau are unable to check or solve all complaints. This is why they mainly take action when there are serious problems and dangerous situations. Read more about this in the uitvoeringsbeleidsplan Handhaven met ambitie (RIS306210) (in Dutch).

The municipality uses all the reports it receives to see which problems there are in the city and where they occur most often. It can then take action in these places. Each year it decides which issues are most important. Read which issues these are in the Jaarplan Vergunningverlening Toezicht & Handhaving Den Haag 2022 (in Dutch).

More information

Published: 23 December 2021Modified: 21 July 2023