Landlord management company ignoring me for 2 months — can they still charge an early termination penalty?
I'm a tenant in Amsterdam with a lease running until June 30. I lost my job in January and found a new one abroad, so I notified my property manager (Van der Linden Vastgoedmanagement) on March 19 that I needed to leave early.
Since then:
- I provided every document they asked for (offer letter, signed employment contract, translated versions)
- I proactively offered to find a replacement tenant
- I visited their office in person
- I've sent countless follow-up emails and spent 40+ minutes on hold this morning with no answer
They finally acknowledged on April 30 that an early termination addendum could be arranged, but mentioned a penalty. I replied the same day with a reasonable proposal. That was 12 days ago. No response since.
My question: given that I gave nearly two months' notice, offered a replacement tenant (so there's no vacancy gap), and they've been dragging their feet the entire time — can they legally still charge me a full early termination penalty? It feels like any "damage" they claim is entirely self-inflicted.
Has anyone dealt with the Huurcommissie over something like this? Any advice from people with Dutch rental law experience would be massively appreciated. Thanks all