Stadswonen Rotterdam takes good care of its properties, and we hope that you’ll do the same. When it comes to the maintenance of our residential buildings and units, we draw a distinction between everyday and scheduled maintenance. Since we work with a management structure at Stadswonen Rotterdam, the assigned roles and responsibilities may vary from one building to the next. We have recorded the different agreements made in this context in our maintenance guides. 

Stadswonen Rotterdam’s role

Stadswonen Rotterdam bears responsibility for the general technical condition of the units and the residential buildings. This means that all maintenance work associated with this responsibility is paid by the landlord, Stadswonen Rotterdam. To guarantee the proper upkeep of the buildings and units, we have adopted a 25-year maintenance plan. This ensures that all necessary preventative maintenance can be executed in a timely manner.

Your role as a tenant

As a tenant, you are required to keep your private unit and any communal areas you make use of in good order. According to legislation, the tenant is responsible for all minor and/or everyday maintenance in his or her unit. Further information on these matters can be found in Besluit kleine herstellingen (Decree on Minor Repairs Decree, link to external page), relating to Article 7:240 of the Dutch Civil Code.

Any maintenance or repair work that becomes necessary due to negligence, lack of hygiene, vandalism or incorrect use on your part or that of your guests will be executed at your expense.

Minor Repairs Fund for buildings within the management structure

In buildings and units that are managed on the basis of a management structure, most minor and/or everyday repairs have been ‘settled in advance’ via periodic payments to a Minor Repairs Fund (Kleine Herstellingenfonds). Since most units are occupied for a relatively short term before the tenant in question moves on, it would be unreasonable to expect him or her to bear the full cost of maintenance for objects and facilities that have already been used by preceding tenants for a lengthy period of time. These expenses are therefore spread across a longer period by settling them within a Minor Repairs Fund. In residential buildings with 30 or more units, this Fund is managed by the residents’ committee. The committee is authorised to execute or order the execution of minor maintenance work on the tenants’ behalf. In addition, a variety of simple and other repairs can also be handled by the building’s in-house technical committee. The latter arrangement can save a substantial amount in hourly wages and call-out fees otherwise paid to third parties. In the case of smaller buildings, with 29 or fewer units, Stadswonen Rotterdam is responsible for managing the Minor Repairs Fund and executing the associated repairs.

Servicing Fund

There are a number of maintenance jobs that, according to law, are the tenant’s responsibility, but that the tenant is unable or not allowed to execute for whatever reason. Examples include the unclogging of drains and rain pipes and 24/7 call-out servicing for lifts or central heating systems. These kinds of activities are paid from the Servicing Fund. This fund is managed by Stadswonen Rotterdam.

’Furnishings for Communal Areas’ Fund

Stadswonen Rotterdam also manages the ‘Furnishings for Communal Areas’ Fund. This fund is used to cover the costs of minor repairs and the maintenance and replacement of inventory found in the building’s communal areas. As a rule, the standard inventory provided by Stadswonen Rotterdam consists of floor covering, curtains, a hotplate with four heating elements (either gas or electric) and a small, free-standing refrigerator. In some cases we have supplied a different inventory; which inventory has been supplied exactly in your building or units has been itemised in your tenancy agreement.

Cleaning

The Cleaning budget is reserved for the cost of cleaning communal areas in the building, such as the entrance area, corridors, staircases, lifts and halls. Additional, incidental cleaning costs in the residential building are also covered by this budget.

Internet

Most of our residential buildings are connected to a high-speed fibreglass internet network, which we have named KennisGlas. You can connect the internet with this manual. 

It is not possible to get cable internet (CAI) in Stadswonen Rotterdam’s residential buildings. This is due to the fact that the installed cable is unsuited for this purpose.

Television

All our units have a working cable outlet for television and radio. The subscription fee for this connection is included in your standard service charges. With us, you watch digital television via provider Ziggo. Read these instruction on how to configure your TV for digital reception.

Telephone connection

The standard Stadswonen Rotterdam tenancy agreement does not include a telephone connection. This means that, if so desired, you are free to apply to KennisGlas (website in Dutch) or a landline provider (e.g. KPN) for a telephone connection.

Sometimes, things in your home or in the communal areas will get broken. Breakages which you are responsible for fixing, at your own expense, do not have to be reported. The Maintenance Guide contains a section-by-section overview of who is responsible for carrying out different types of repairs and paying for them.

If you have a breakage which is our responsibility to fix, report it via the Stadswonen Portal, via WhatsApp, or by calling us:

• The Stadswonen Portal: log in, choose ‘ request repairs‘ and fill in the form.
• WhatsApp: send a message to 0229-255039. Save this number in your contacts to quickly and easily start a conversation as and when you need to.
• Call us: you can report breakages 24/7 by calling 010 24 56 700. For non-urgent repairs, we’ll arrange a time to do the work. Urgent matters such as gas or water leaks or storm damage will be dealt with immediately.

Decorating and alterations

You’ll naturally want to furnish and decorate your room, studio or apartment to your own taste, maybe in particular colours or with different curtains. You are allowed to make small cosmetic alterations of this kind. Please note that on departure you must return the accommodation to us in exactly the same state you received it, including the originally provided floor covering and curtains.

If you want to make more significant alterations or add fixtures, you need to ask for permission via the Stadswonen Portal.

We will respond in one of the three following ways:

• Permission, with the fixtures allowed to remain after you vacate the accommodation.
• Permission, on the condition that the fixtures are removed when you vacate the accommodation.
• Permission is denied.

Maintenance and repairs to any fixtures and fittings introduced by you are your own responsibility.

Options for separating and disposing of waste differ from building to building. If your building doesn’t have its own waste separation facilities, you should still be able to take glass, paper & cardboard, textiles and sometimes organic waste (food) to containers in the neighbourhood. This map shows an overview of all waste containers in Rotterdam for general household waste, paper, glass, textiles and organic waste. Enter your post code to find where the various containers are located in your area.

Disposing of large and unsuitable items

Do you need to dispose of larger items that don’t fit in a garbage bag or in a container? Or of furniture, electrical items, building materials or chemicals (including paint), which should not be put in the usual containers? You can still dispose of all this for free, either by bringing it to a recycling centre or arranging for the municipality to collect it. The municipality of Rotterdam’s website shows where recycling centres are located. If you need your waste to be collected, you can make an appointment for that on the website. Another option is to hire an electric cargo bike or trailer, for free, to dispose of waste.

Which parking options you can find in the vicinity of your home differs from building to building. In some cases you need to apply to the Municipality for a permit. This is your responsibility.

• Residential building with parking facility – free parking.  Please get in touch with us if you would like to rent a parking space in your complex. If there’s a waiting list, we will notify you as soon as you’re at the top of the list and a spot becomes available. Until that time you will have to park your vehicle on the public road.
• Residential building with parking facility – paid parking.  Please get in touch with us if you would like to rent a parking space in your complex. If there’s a waiting list, we will notify you as soon as you’re at the top of the list and a spot becomes available. Until that time you will have to park your vehicle on the public road. You will need a parking permit for this. You may only apply for a parking permit if the car is registered in your name and you are registered as a resident with the Municipality.
• Residential building without a parking facility – free parking on the public road.  Park your vehicle on the public road.
• Residential building without a parking facility – paid parking on the public road.  Park your vehicle on the public road. You will need a parking permit for this. You may only apply for a parking permit if the car is registered in your name and you are registered as a resident with the Municipality.
• Renting a parking space at a different Woonstad Rotterdam residential building.  In some of our buildings, parking spaces become available on a regular basis. These spaces can also be rented by tenants from other buildings. 

The nature of its residential buildings generally makes it easy for Stadswonen Rotterdam to take advantage of collective, efficient energy facilities. For example, we generate a share of our electricity ourselves; in a number of buildings, tenants flush their toilets with rainwater; and our most recent residential developments like the Cite building incorporate a variety of cutting-edge sustainability features.

Good news for the environment – and your wallet

We’ve already laid the groundwork, in other words. As a Stadswonen tenant, it’s easy to step up your sustainability. ‘Do your own bit’ for the environment. You can keep a close eye on how much water and energy you use. You can separate your waste at the source. And you can encourage your housemates and neighbours to join in. After all, the building’s general service costs (including energy costs) are passed on proportionately to its residents via their service charges. This means that when your neighbours or housemates save energy, you ultimately benefit too.