Letter templates for writing to a Dutch homeowner
I am Jiri, an estate agent in Maastricht. These are the letters I would write if I were house hunting here as a newcomer: short, visibly from a person, and asking for nothing more than a conversation. Each comes in English and in Dutch, line for line the same, so you know exactly what you are saying.
Why they are written this way, and what Dutch owners expect, is in writing to a Dutch homeowner.
- Letter to a Dutch homeowner whose house is not for sale: a template in English and Dutch
A complete letter to the owner of a Dutch house that is not for sale, in English and in Dutch, with estate agent Jiri's notes on why each line is there and what to change. One click puts it in the send form.
- A letter to a whole street in the Netherlands: template in English and Dutch
A letter you can send to every house in a Dutch street or neighbourhood, in English and in Dutch, with estate agent Jiri's notes on how to stay personal when you write to twenty doors at once.
- A personal letter with your offer on a Dutch house: template and what the seller really reads
A template for the personal letter that goes with your bid on a Dutch house that is already for sale, in English and in Dutch, with estate agent Jiri's notes on when such a letter decides the sale and when it does not.
Frequently asked questions
What should a letter to a Dutch homeowner say?
Who you are in one sentence, one reason why this house or this street, that you are not an investor or an agent, and that you ask only for a conversation if selling ever comes up. As an expat, add that you came here for work and are staying. No figure, no deadline. The templates on this page put those parts in the right order.
Should I write in English or in Dutch?
Both versions are here, line for line the same. In Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague and the university towns an English letter is normal; in a village or for an older owner send the Dutch one, or print English on one side and Dutch on the other.
How long may the letter be?
Short. Four or five paragraphs is enough; an owner reads a letter on the doormat in a minute. DoorLetter's send form takes at most a thousand characters, and every template here fits.
Do I need to know the owner's name?
No. "Dear resident(s) of" plus the address lands on the same doormat, and it does not feel to the reader as if you looked them up. The name is in the Kadaster, the public land registry, but for a first letter you do not need it.
What happens after I send the letter?
DoorLetter prints it and PostNL delivers it, with a personal code. With that code the owner reads the letter online and can reply anonymously, also months later. The first letter is free; after that a letter costs from 2 euros in a pack.
Write your first letter, free.
Pick the address where you would like to live and write in your own words why, or start from one of the templates above. The first letter is free, printed and delivered by PostNL; the owner can reply anonymously with the code in the letter.
Write your first letter