Do I have to leave my rental property?

Questioner

Hello. I have a question regarding renting. I have a rental contract for one year and it expires on 1-4-22. It was verbally discussed that I could stay there until the house would be sold. Now the landlord indicated that I have to leave on 1-8 for a new tenant. I strongly suspect that this is a bit of a coincidence since my contract ends in April, and the landlord must then give me a permanent rental contract. If I can stay there until 1-8-22 and the contract ends on 1-4-22, am I not in an automatic extension even though the landlord already indicated that I have to leave? She did not say on 1-4, but on 1-8. Are there things I should take into account? Should I take precautionary measures?

Lawyer

A temporary lease expires on the date stated in the contract (Article 7:228 of the Dutch Civil Code). If you continue to rent the property after 1 April 2022 with the landlord's permission, this will in principle be a lease for an indefinite period (Article 7:230 of the Dutch Civil Code). This is different if there is evidence of a different intention. In this case, the question is whether it is sufficiently clear that the lease would only be extended for a few months. It is also important to know exactly what the contract contains in terms of provisions. In addition, the landlord promised you that you could continue to live there for as long as you wanted. Was this after the lease was signed? You could then possibly argue that there was already a lease for an indefinite period. A lease does not have to be in writing. You can contact me without obligation via my profile to discuss the case further or if you require legal assistance.