REPORTING A MALFUNCTION OR REPAIR
At White House Development, we want to ensure that your rental experience is as smooth as possible. We believe in direct communication and are always ready to assist you. On this page, you will find details on how to report a malfunction or repair and additional information to enhance your tenant experience.
Would you like to report a malfunction or repair? You can use our self-service portal via Bloxs 24/7. Simply submit a report by logging in with your personal details and indicate how we can assist you. Where applicable, we immediately provide potential solutions or answers. You can find them below.
Upon receipt, your digital report will be processed immediately. With Bloxs, you can also check the status to ensure you are always up-to-date on the progress. In the case of urgent and emergency malfunctions, we kindly ask you to contact us by phone at 0182 22 10 14.
FAQs about the rental agreement and your responsibilities as a tenant
You pay your rent via direct debit. This means that you authorize Brookland to deduct your rent for the upcoming month on the 1st of each calendar month from your bankaccount.
If your rental amount changes, we ensure that the amount being deducted is automatically adjusted. You always pay the rent in advance, meaning that the rent for the first day of the upcoming calendar month should be in our bankaccount.
It is not permitted to pay the rent during the ongoing rental month. If you do, there will be additional charges. If your bankaccount number changes, you can contact Brookland. We will send you a form in which you authorize the owner to deduct the rent from your new bankaccount.
When entering into a rental agreement, a price is agreed upon by the landlord and the tenant. In many cases, this price consists of the basic rent and an advance amount for service charges. The basic rent is used for the use of the living space.
The service charges consist of the fees for the supplies and services for the common areas of the complex. This includes, for example:
– provision of electricity and water
– cleaning of the common areas
– window cleaning
– elevator maintenance, etc.
The exact costs represented in this are mentioned in your rental agreement (article 6). For the service charges, the tenant pays a monthly amount in advance. These monthly advance amounts are reconciled by the landlord with the actual costs incurred at the end of the year.
Utilities and other service charges
The supplies of gas, electricity, and water, for which the tenant has a separate meter in the home, are called utilities. All other supplies and services are referred to as other service charges.
Do I need to register the supply of gas, water, and electricity for my rental property myself?
As a tenant, you are responsible for concluding supply contracts for gas, water and electricity. For gas and electricity, you can apply to a utility company of your choice. The water supplier depends on the region you live in.
If you wish to terminate your tenancy, this will be possible after the minimum rental period has passed, taking into account the notice period, which is one calendar month.
For instance, if you wish to terminate your tenancy so that you are no longer obligated to pay rent and can vacate the property by May 1st, your notice letter should be sent by March 31st at the latest, postmarked (and stamped by PostNL). April 30th is the last day you are allowed to use the property.
Furthermore, terminating the tenancy in the middle of the month is not possible. The termination must always be in writing and sent by registered mail in accordance with the tenancy agreement. In your notice letter, please include your name, address, place of residence (of both the new and old property), phone number, and bank account number.
Besides, you should clearly indicate the date from which you wish to terminate the tenancy. The notice letter should be sent by registered mail, addressed to P.O. Box 173, 2170 AD in Sassenheim, to ensure its arrival.
After we have received your written notice to terminate the tenancy, we will send you a confirmation of receipt within 5 business days. In it, we will inform you of the latest date by which you need to vacate the property and until which date you are liable to pay rent.
If you pay your rent via direct debit, this will be stopped after the last due installment is collected. We will also notify the real estate agent of the termination.
The real estate agent will conduct an inspection of the property with you to check the condition of your home for compliance with the agreements and rules as stated in your tenancy agreement. Naturally, we want to ensure that the new tenants find their new home in perfect condition, just as you did when you moved in.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, you are required to return the property at the end of the tenancy in the condition described in the delivery report at the start of the tenancy, taking into account any subsequent work carried out by the landlord and normal wear and tear.
You must vacate the rented property, clean it properly, and hand over all keys, key cards, etc. As the tenant, you are obliged to remove at your own expense all items you have installed, attached, or placed in or on the property (or taken over from the previous tenant), unless the landlord has indicated differently in writing at some point.
Additionally, you are responsible for repairing any damage to the rented property caused by the removal of these items. Unwallpapered walls and ceilings must be returned in white color.
*Newly built homes are delivered with glass fiber wallpaper in RAL9010. It is not advisable to put wallpaper over the glass fiber wallpaper due to potential damage that may occur during removal.
At the final handover of the property, the real estate agent prepares an inspection report of the residence.
This report is then submitted to Brookland for review. If no damages are identified during the final handover that need to be repaired by the landlord and the rental payments have been met, the deposit will be refunded to you within a maximum of 1 month.
Should any repairs for the landlord be noted during the final handover and/or the rental payments have not been made, the outstanding amount will be deducted from the deposit, and the remainder will then be refunded to you within a reasonable time, up to a maximum of 2 months.
It’s nearly impossible that you’ll never notice anything from your neighbors. Noise nuisance is a common source of irritation. What one person finds disturbing might not bother another person at all. Therefore, it’s hard to precisely define what constitutes real nuisance.
We expect you to first communicate the situation to your neighbors. Let your neighbors know that you’re bothered by their noise; they might not be aware that it’s causing you disturbance.
If your neighbors do not take any action, you can contact Brookland. As the property manager, we can act as mediators.
If the nuisance is caused by ongoing work and this work is being conducted outside the permitted hours (as per house rules), please report your complaint to Brookland via the Tenant Portal. We will investigate the necessary measures to resolve the noise disturbance.
FAQs about malfunctions, maintenance, and orders
- I have an urgent report outside office hours, what should I do?
- What maintenance tasks am I expected to handle?
- What can I do when the drain of the shower/sink is clogged?
- I don't have hot water and/or heating in my residence, what can I do?
- I wish to replicate my key. What's the procedure?
- I would like to make a change to my residence, is that allowed?
If this is the case, you should always contact our office by phone at 0252-240746, after which you choose option 1 in the selection menu. You will then be connected to our control room, which can initiate the necessary actions. Non-urgent reports can be submitted through the Tenant Portal.
As a tenant, you are responsible for minor maintenance. You can consult the “Overview of minor repairs” for this. Damage caused by vandalism, negligence, or improper use to Brookland’s properties is always at the tenant’s expense.
The unclogging of the indoor sewer’s drain (up to the communal sewer) is considered a minor repair and is therefore your responsibility as a tenant. You can unclog the drain in the following ways:
• Regularly remove hair/dirt from the shower drain, the filter, and the siphon/U-bend of the sink. Check this first when there’s a blockage.
• Use a rubber plunger or a plumber’s snake.
• If these measures aren’t sufficient, you can attempt to clear the blockage using a drain cleaner.
If the blockage persists, it seems the problem might be further down the drainpipe. You can now contact Brookland, and we will send out a plumber.
Please note: if it turns out that the blockage was caused by debris in the initial part of the drain, we will have to charge you for the incurred costs.
If you don’t have hot water in your home, or the heating isn’t working, before contacting Brookland, please check the following:
• First, check if the central heating boiler is in error mode. If this is the case, you can reset it (please refer to the manual for this).
• If the boiler is showing an error, you can refer to the error table in the manual and follow the corresponding instructions.
• Check if there’s enough pressure in the boiler (usually between 1.5 and 2 bar). It might be necessary to refill the boiler.
Every central heating boiler is different; refer to the manual specific to your boiler model or search online for instructions on refilling your boiler. If the issues are not resolved with these steps, Brookland will arrange for a heating technician to assist.
All access keys must be ordered through Brookland. To order additional keys, you need to send in the ‘Key Declaration for Rental Properties’ form. Once we receive the form, we will order the required key(s). The costs for ordering additional keys fall under ‘small repairs’ and are therefore always at the tenant’s expense. We will provide the costs for making the key(s) in advance. Please allow a delivery time of 1 to 3 weeks.
Part of the electricity in my home has gone out, what can I do?
In the event of a partial power outage, you can follow these steps:
- Turn off all circuits using the switches (this can be done all at once via the ground fault circuit interrupter).
- Turn the ground fault circuit interrupter back on. If this fails, the ground fault circuit interrupter may be defective. In this case, call Brookland;
- After turning the ground fault circuit interrupter back on, unplug all plugs from the outlets.
- Now, turn on all circuits one by one. If the ground fault circuit interrupter stays on now, it means the problem is not in the installation, but probably arises from one of the appliances.
- Plug in all appliance plugs one by one, preferably group by group, until the ground fault circuit interrupter trips again. You have most likely found the cause of the fault.Never use tools in the fuse box during a power outage. Contact Brookland if in doubt.
According to your tenancy agreement, especially chapter 4 of the General Provisions attached, this is permitted as long as you can restore it without damage to its original state when terminating the tenancy. For instance, painting a wall a different color is allowed, provided you leave the walls white (RAL9010) upon termination of the tenancy.
Do you want to make a modification that cannot be reversed without damage at the end of the rental period? In that case, you’ll need our approval. If this applies, or if you’re unsure whether you need permission for a modification, please contact Brookland.