Early signalling: what does this mean for you as a landlord?

The short version

Has a tenant of your property fallen into rent arrears? As a landlord you are legally required to report this to the municipality. This is called vroegsignalering (early signalling). The aim is to allow the municipality to offer timely assistance to tenants with debts — before the situation escalates to an eviction procedure.

You do not need to work this out or arrange it yourself. Van den Bosch handles this in full for you as your signal partner — from working through the correct steps to submitting the notification to the municipality.

Why is it mandatory?

Since 1 January 2021, the Municipal Debt Counselling Act (WGS) has been tightened. Landlords of residential property have since been legally required to notify the tenant's municipality of rent arrears once certain conditions are met.

The rationale behind the legislation: people with debts wait too long before seeking help themselves. By requiring landlords and other fixed-cost providers to send a notification, the municipality can intervene earlier. This helps to prevent larger debts and evictions.

The obligation applies to landlords of residential property — both private landlords with one or a few properties and larger property managers.

When must a notification be submitted?

Several requirements must be met before a notification may lawfully be sent. You must first have taken a number of steps — this is referred to as sociaal incasso (social collection):

  1. You have had personal contact with the tenant about the arrears.
  2. You have informed the tenant about debt counselling available through the municipality.
  3. You have sent at least one written reminder.
  4. In that reminder you have offered to pass the tenant's details to the municipality, and the tenant has not refused this.

If the arrears are still at least 30 days old after these steps, the notification may — and must — be submitted.

Van den Bosch ensures these steps are completed correctly and with clear documentation. We record everything in writing so you can always demonstrate that you have met your obligations — even if the matter later reaches court.

What does Van den Bosch do for you?

When you place your file with us, we take the following off your hands:

  • Social collection process — reminders, personal contact, informing the tenant about debt counselling, all documented in writing.
  • Assessment — we verify that all statutory requirements are met before a notification is submitted.
  • Notification to the municipality — we submit the early signal via the official digital notification portal (xxllnc / RIS) to the correct municipality, with the required information.
  • Follow-up — we monitor whether the municipality reports back that the tenant has accepted assistance. If so, we temporarily suspend the collection process.
  • Parallel collection — until confirmation is received that the tenant has accepted help, the collection process continues uninterrupted. No time is lost.
  • Documentation — everything we do is recorded. You can always review what was done and when.

What does the process look like?

  1. Rent arrears arise
    The tenant does not pay. You (or we, if you have engaged us) take action: reminder, contact, payment arrangement proposed.
  2. Social collection process (~3–4 weeks)
    We work through the legally required steps: written reminder announcing the notification to the municipality, personal contact, information about debt counselling.
  3. Notification to the municipality
    Is the arrear still present after the reminders (at least 30 days old)? We submit the notification. The municipality receives the tenant's contact details and the amount of the arrears.
  4. Municipality contacts the tenant (4 weeks)
    The municipality has 4 weeks to make an assistance offer to the tenant. Our collection process continues during this period.
  5. Tenant accepts help → temporary suspension
    If the tenant accepts the municipality's offer, the municipality notifies us. We then suspend the collection process for 30 days to allow the municipality and tenant to work towards a solution.
  6. Tenant does not accept help → collection continues
    If we receive no confirmation, the collection process continues without interruption. There is no obligation to wait.

What do you need to provide?

To open a file you will need at minimum:

  • Name and address of the tenant (including postcode and house number)
  • Overview of the rent arrears (amount and period)
  • Telephone number and/or email address of the tenant (if available)
  • Copy of the tenancy agreement
  • Evidence of any reminders already sent (if you have already taken steps)

Do you already have a rent arrears file but have not yet taken any steps? That is not a problem — we will start from the beginning and document everything correctly.

What if I do nothing?

The law does not impose a direct fine on landlords who fail to submit the notification. The risk is nonetheless real: courts can take WGS compliance into account when assessing an eviction claim. If a landlord cannot demonstrate that they met their notification obligation, the court may refuse to grant the requested termination of the tenancy. This costs not only time, but potentially the case itself.

Proper documentation is therefore not only a legal duty but also your protection.

I only let one or two properties — does this apply to me too?

Yes. The law makes no distinction between large landlords and private individuals with a single property. Even if you let one apartment, the notification obligation applies when a payment arrear arises. For private landlords in particular, outsourcing this is advisable: the administration, dealings with municipalities and the digital notification portal are time-consuming if you do not handle them on a daily basis.

Read more on the page Private landlords and early signalling.

Would you like to hand this over to us?

Call us for a brief conversation: 030 – 87 88 524. Or send an email to info@adviesenincasso.nl. We will look at your situation and advise on what needs to be done.

You can also register a file straight away via the online registration form.

Further information

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