Building inspection for an older or renovated apartment in The Hague

A building inspection (bouwkundige keuring) shows what an inspector can see in one visit, and no more. In an older or freshly renovated apartment in The Hague, combine it with three other checks: the maintenance plan of the owners' association (VvE) for the shared parts, the building drawings and permits at the municipality, and the pipes and installations behind the new finish.

What a standard inspection covers

The inspector looks at the visible parts of the home and does not open floors, walls or ceilings. The model report of the National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG) requires the inspector to check at least the visible building parts, and its previous version stated plainly that it is not possible to judge, for example, the foundation or the sewerage.

For an apartment, the inspection is limited to the private part. Moisture measurements, an asbestos inventory, an electrical inspection and foundation research are usually not included and are separate assignments. In 2026, price guides put a standard inspection of an apartment at roughly €450 to €550, depending on the size and the inspector.

With an NHG mortgage, a building report is required when the direct repair costs exceed 10% of the market value or when the valuer recommends one, and a report by a building firm must follow NHG's model. Lenders can set their own conditions too, so ask your mortgage adviser early whether a report will be needed.

When to book it; the cooling-off period or survey condition

A private buyer may cancel a home purchase within three days after receiving the signed purchase agreement, without giving a reason (article 7:2 of the Civil Code). The period starts the next day and must include two days that are not a weekend day or public holiday. You can book an inspection within those days, but the time is short.

A survey condition (voorbehoud bouwkundige keuring) gives you more room: you agree with the seller that you may dissolve the purchase if the inspection finds repair costs above an agreed amount, for example €10,000, before a fixed date. A condition gives the seller less certainty, so in a busy market some buyers have the inspection done before they make an offer.

What the inspection does not cover in an apartment

In an apartment building, the roof, facade, foundation and shared installations are shared parts that the VvE maintains. An inspection of the private part says little about them. Their condition shows in the VvE's maintenance plan (meerjarenonderhoudsplan, MJOP) and in the minutes of recent meetings, which you receive through the seller.

NHG does not require a maintenance plan, but your lender may check whether there is one. The municipality of The Hague also offers an online VvE check (VvE-oké-test) for people who plan to buy an apartment. Our guide to checking the VvE before you bid explains which documents to ask for and how to read the reserve fund.

Bring the maintenance plan to the inspection. Ask the inspector whether the planned dates for the roof, the facade and the window frames match what they can see from the apartment, the stairwell and, if it is accessible, the roof. A plan that postpones visible problems usually means that contributions will have to rise, or that a special levy is coming.

Older buildings in The Hague: what to check by building age

Lead drinking-water pipes are common in homes built before 1960, according to the municipality of The Hague, and the owner pays for a test. The drinking-water company Dunea is responsible for a network without lead pipes up to the water meter. Behind the meter, the pipes are the owner's: a recognised installer can check them and replace them where needed.

Buildings constructed or renovated until about 1994 may contain asbestos. Anyone who renovates, alters or demolishes in a building from before 1994 must have an asbestos inventory made first, according to Milieu Centraal. A standard inspection is not an asbestos inventory, so if the seller removed walls or ceilings, ask for the inventory that should have been made before the work.

Foundations are a shared part, but they still affect your costs. The national foundation viewer shows areas with many pre-1970 homes on weaker soil, not the condition of individual buildings. The national knowledge centre on foundation problems, KCAF, distinguishes a model-based risk report, a QuickScan from €295 and fuller research; with wooden piles, an inspection pit may be needed.

A study carried out for the municipality concluded that a large part of The Hague runs little risk of foundation damage. That is reassuring for the city as a whole, not proof for one building. Look for foundation research or repairs in the VvE minutes, and if you buy on the ground floor or with a cellar, note that owners, through the VvE for shared spaces, must keep the spaces under the home dry.

Sound insulation between apartments is not part of a standard inspection either. If the apartment was created by splitting a larger home, the municipality's permit for creating new homes (woningvorming) requires good sound insulation between them. Ask whether that permit exists: the permit file shows what was required, and the drawings show how floors and walls were built.

Renovated or 'flipped' apartments: the extra checks

A fresh renovation can hide as much as it shows, so start with the permits. In The Hague, breaking through a load-bearing wall often requires an environmental permit, and turning one home into two or more requires a permit for creating new homes, which sets a minimum of 35 m² per home and is only granted in some neighbourhoods.

Splitting a building into apartment rights requires a splitting permit (splitsingsvergunning) for homes with a rent value up to €932.93 a month. To see what was approved, look up the building drawings: those from before 2010 can be viewed by appointment at the municipality's inspection desk, with scans from €0.30 to €4, and for later drawings the municipality refers you to the Den Haag Informatiecentrum.

Then ask for the paperwork behind the finish: invoices for the work, product warranties, the installer's documents for electrical and heating work, and the asbestos inventory if walls or ceilings were removed. A renovation that was done properly leaves a paper trail. If nothing exists on paper, treat the renovation as unverified and let that weigh in your offer.

During the viewing, test what a new finish can hide. Count the circuits (groepen) in the fuse box and compare them with the new appliances, switch on the extractor hood and check that it actually draws air, run the taps and the shower at the same time, and ask who services the boiler or heat pump and whether a maintenance contract comes with the apartment.

Sellers who renovated to sell, such as investors, may include a non-self-occupancy clause in the purchase agreement, stating that they never lived in the home and know little about its defects. That shifts more risk to you, although it does not cover defects the seller knew about. Agree in writing what the seller guarantees and for how long, and read what the standard clauses do and do not cover.

Questions to ask the inspector on the day

Be there when the inspector visits. The explanation on site tells you more than the written report alone, you can show the inspector what worried you during the viewing, and you can ask follow-up questions straight away. These questions help you get more out of the visit, especially in an older or renovated apartment:

• Which parts could you not see or reach, and why?
• What would you investigate further, and by whom: an installer, a foundation specialist or a moisture specialist?
• Do the dates in the maintenance plan match what you see on the roof, the facade and the frames?
• Which repairs do you expect in the next five years, and what do you estimate they will cost?
• Do you see signs of moisture, cracks or settlement?
• Did you notice anything in the renovation that does not look as if it was done according to the rules?

How we help

When you buy with us, we arrange the building inspection through a third-party inspector and tell you the cost beforehand, because it is a separate service outside our own fee. We are not always there on the day of the inspection, but we always brief the inspector beforehand, based on our own viewing of the home.

That briefing tells the inspector where to look and which parts of this particular home carry the most risk, based on the VvE documents, the seller's completed questionnaire and what we saw on site. Our specialist accompanies you to every viewing, so nothing we noticed gets lost. See what working with us on a purchase involves.

If you are selling an older apartment, the buyer's inspector will look at the same points, and buyers will ask for the VvE papers. For the digital sales file, we check the title deed, the deed of division, the VvE documents and the energy label, and the home only goes online once everything is ready. Read more about how we sell a home.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a building inspection cost in The Hague?

For an apartment, national price guides for 2026 quote roughly €450 to €550 for a standard inspection of the private part. Additional research costs more: according to the knowledge centre KCAF, firms offer a foundation QuickScan from €295, and an asbestos inventory or an electrical inspection is a separate assignment. Ask for a quote that states what is included.

Is a building inspection compulsory in the Netherlands?

No, it is your choice, unless your mortgage requires one. With NHG, a building report is required when the direct repair costs exceed 10% of the market value, or when the valuer recommends an inspection. For an older or renovated apartment, the inspection costs little compared with the repairs it can reveal.

Can I cancel the purchase if the inspection finds problems?

Only if you agreed a survey condition, or if you are still within the three-day cooling-off period, during which you can cancel for any reason. After that, a disappointing report does not by itself allow you to withdraw. That is why the timing of the inspection matters as much as the inspection itself.

Does the inspection check for asbestos and lead pipes?

Not fully. A standard inspection is visual and is not an asbestos inventory; for buildings from before 1994, an inventory is a separate assignment and is required before renovation. Lead pipes are common in Hague homes built before 1960. An inspector may spot them, but a recognised installer can test and replace them.

Who is responsible for the foundation of an apartment building?

The owners together, through the VvE, because the foundation is a shared part of the building. Repairs are paid from the reserve fund or through a special levy. Before you buy, look for foundation research or repairs in the minutes and the maintenance plan, and ask whether the VvE has ever had the foundation investigated.

Sources

• NHG, model bouwkundig rapport, Voorwaarden & Normen 2026: PDF; previous model (2024-1): PDF; NHG on direct costs above 10%: nhg.nl; NHG on valuation and the MJOP: nhg.nl
• Price guides 2026: Getkadero, Bouwkundige keuring kosten (27 May 2026): getkadero.com; Trustoo (21 July 2026): trustoo.nl
• Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7, article 7:2: wetten.overheid.nl; Rijksoverheid, bedenktijd: rijksoverheid.nl
• De Hypotheker, voorbehoud bouwkundige keuring: hypotheker.nl
• Municipality of The Hague, Advies voor VvE's: denhaag.nl; Loden waterleidingen vervangen: denhaag.nl; Wateroverlast: denhaag.nl
• Dunea, veelgestelde vragen waterkwaliteit: dunea.nl
• Milieu Centraal, Asbest: milieucentraal.nl
• KCAF, funderingsrisico onderzoeken: kcaf.nl; Indicatieve aandachtsgebieden funderingsproblematiek: data.overheid.nl; area-based foundation study for The Hague: avecodebondt.nl
• Municipality of The Hague, omgevingsvergunning: denhaag.nl; woningvorming: denhaag.nl; splitsingsvergunning: denhaag.nl; inzage bouwtekeningen: denhaag.nl
• Walter Living, Non-self-occupancy clause: walterliving.com