One of the perks of living in Holland is that our government, although slow as a snare, is almost always willing to help us (or at least people like me: everything except ‘rich and famous’) out. So here I am, writing from my little-nut-really-mine-apartment, that I can pay thanks to the people from Den Haag (The Hague). This is called ‘huurtoeslag’ (subsidized renting). Let me explain what it is and if you are also one of those lucky ones who gets sympathy from our government.

The government  explains huurtoeslag like this:  “huurtoeslag is financial addition you can apply for if your rent is too high compared to your income. It doesn’t matter if you rent your house through a housing corporation or on the free market.”

Now don’t expect you can move into a penthouse and let the government pay for it. There are (we are still in Holland) some rules and relative poverty is required:

–          You have to live in Holland legally

–          Your rent must be lower than 647,53 euro’s a month. If you are younger than 23, rent must be lower than 357,37 euro’s.

–          You can’t make more than 21.450 euro’s a year when you are alone, and 29.125 euro’s is you live with someone. If you are older than 65, your salary has to have a limit of 20.200 euro’s when you are alone, and 27.575 euro’s when you live together.

–          You can’t have more than 20.661 euro’s in savings or investments

–          You have to rent an independent living space (meaning your own front door, room, kitchen and toilet)

How much you will receive from the government depends on different aspects, but usually it will be between the 100 and 300 euro’s. You can calculate your own situation here: http://www.toeslagen.nl/reken/toeslagen/

Good luck!