HOLLAND WEST MAKELAARDIJ

STAY AWAY! NVG and their brokers (Holland West Makelaardij) are the definition of unprofessional. I stayed in a 'luxury' apartment on Verbeekstraat in Leiden for 3 months in the fall of 2024 (to work at the hospital). After 2.5 months, I finally received my deposit back and can finally say what I want. Here are my reasons to stay far away from them. - The apartments are considered 'luxury', with a price of €1850 per month for an apartment of approximately 60 m2, as well as 2 months' rent as a deposit. (I’ll come back to that). The standard is the cheapest of the cheap when it comes to kitchenware and furniture. It's absolutely okay, just not 'luxury'. - My contract was supposed to start on Saturday, but after the end of the contract, I was told that I had to be in Leiden on Friday because their office is closed on Saturdays. I therefore had to change my flight to meet them at a fixed time on Friday, but when I arrived, there was no one to greet me. After several phone calls to Holland West, I was told that the person who inspected the apartment had been there the day before, and I received a code for the key box to let myself in. I saw a PDF via email with all the photos taken by this person (there are already many scratches/scratches on the walls, so it is difficult to notice everything, but this seemed well documented). - Upon arrival, the apartment smelled of sewage (with the odor coming from the shower). This would fluctuate, but never disappear. To file a complaint, call a service number (at a MINIMUM charge of €100) or send an email (free). I sent emails to both NVG and HW. HW was 'understanding' and also forwarded my emails to NVG, while NVG ignored this as 'natural' and stopped responding when I sent new emails complaining and asking someone to inspect the bathroom. I bought several air fresheners to survive there and spent as little time as possible in the apartment. - Outside of my first week, it was around 20 degrees, but then it got colder and I realized that the radiators couldn't be turned on. I heard from others that they had to be switched on centrally, and when I complained about this, it took 2 weeks for them to be turned on. I used a jacket indoors for those 2 weeks. - The noise level between the apartments was insane. You could clearly hear children screaming, people fighting, and other nighttime activities as if the neighbors were standing right next to you. - The hallways (and the ventilation system in the apartment) smelled of garbage, and the garbage flowed into the entrance of the building. - The contract is a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 6 months. You are not allowed to request another date, but as the expiration date approaches, they ask if you want to extend, for a small fee of €250. It doesn't matter if it’s 1 day longer or 3 months. I refused and stayed in a hotel for the last few days before planning to go home. - Upon check-out, someone was indeed present! She took many photos and found scratches on a wall in the bedroom that I had never touched, but I could not document at check-in that this was okay, and therefore charged me for 'repainting'. Based on the rest of the walls, I doubt they actually paint. - The deposit would be returned “within 2 months after termination of the agreement,” minus cleaning costs (€300!) and the “repainting.” After a month, I complained and was told to be patient, referring to the contract. A week after 2 months, I sent an angry email to both NVG and HW, and they both apologized. NVG stated: 'Your deposit has been placed in the next payment run.' Ultimately, the money was refunded after 2.5 months, what a relief! SUMMARY - The apartments are real, the standard is generally terrible, and the sewage smell in my apartment was awful. Their business model is to get as much money as possible from foreign tenants, in the most unprofessional way. NVG leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and Holland West should terminate the collaboration immediately.

DO NOT RENT AN APARTMENT HERE!! They will try to disregard your caution in every possible way, despite having nothing to say about the cash register... After leaving the place, they kept the deposit for five months, despite the contract obligating them to return it after two months... Also, the apartment is poorly maintained with many pieces of furniture in rough or broken condition, do not rent there...

Through Chris van den Berg from Holland West real estate agency, I was able to buy an apartment on Paradijslaan in Alphen aan den Rijn. I am very happy with it. What particularly appealed to me about Chris was his pleasant, honest, careful and quick way of working. So a recommendation!

A fine and expert consultation where the sale was realized within a very short timeframe. The aftercare was also to our satisfaction.

Everything went as expected, expert in real estate. Clear in communication. Great experience, just good😀

I rented an apartment through Holland West on Verbeerkstraat for 6 months, I moved out in mid-September. The landlord is Nationale Vastgoed Groep (NVG), who represents Holland West. Almost 3 months have passed since my move and I still haven't received my deposit of over 3000 euros from NVG. They have no reason to withhold the deposit, according to the inspection report everything was in order. I strongly advise against renting through this company, as you may need to take legal action to get your deposit back. Moreover, the apartments (advertised as luxury…) on Verbeekstraat are poorly maintained, the hallway smells and is dirty, the furniture, the floor is worn out, dirty, smelly, dirty and old. The apartments look like they haven't been renovated for at least twenty years. And of course it’s not possible to view the apartment before you rent it, they send you an old low-quality video, and that's all. Walls were dirty, windows weren't cleaned once while I lived there. A dead bird lay on the roof for months. When I moved in, I had to clean for days to make it somewhat livable, and even repair things like the shower hose. That’s funny, because they deduct ‘professional’ cleaning costs of almost 300,- from the deposit – but the apartment was completely dirty.) The neighborhood is disgusting, always full of garbage. Especially for the price you pay, not worth it at all. As an extra, they wanted to deduct 30(!) euros from the deposit per non-working lamp, even if those lamps didn't work from the beginning…

Excellent service! The entire process went perfectly thanks to the professional and engaged approach of this real estate agent. This real estate agent from Het Groene Hart is also familiar with the Bollentreek and therefore also Noordwijk, which greatly helped us in making the right choices. Recommended for everyone who wants to buy or sell without worries!

They think along with you well, are honest in their assessment and have an open communication. You feel heard and your wishes are properly followed. Nice company!

I can wholeheartedly recommend this real estate agent and actually you see this agent too little in the street scene of Alphen aan de Rijn. The communication from the real estate agent is very good. They think along, provide good information, and you can always contact them with questions. All in all very satisfied!

Contact flowed easily and smoothly. Sometimes I did get the feeling that the sale had to be easy and quick, quickly agreeing to an offer and not wanting to extract the utmost. The shed wasn't included initially, it took a while before that was changed.

Holland West helped us well; the communication took place via email, telephone and WhatsApp with various people. The process was well guided and the bids were presented clearly. I wholeheartedly recommend Holland West.

Excellent service and personal contact with Holland West.

From the very first moment of contact, we were received hospitably and kindly. Expertise and knowledge of the industry were clearly visible, and there was a collaborative approach. Throughout the entire process, contact was maintained and we were informed.

The contact was very pleasant and professional. The real estate agent had a lot of market knowledge, but also helped us with strategic decisions by giving good advice.

Expert and proactive service. Very nice to work with, and I have done that several times now 👍

My girlfriend and I rented an apartment on Verbeerkstraat via Holland West from 29/03/24 to 28/06/24. The company that manages the property is Nationale Vastgoed Groep (NVG), who represents Holland West. As of the time we are writing this, we have still not received our deposit of over 3000 euros from NVG. They have given us no reason to withhold our security deposit; on the contrary, we received an almost perfect inspection report when we moved out. If you are considering renting a room via Holland West on Verbeekstraat, you may need to take legal action to get your deposit back. Holland West does not retain your deposit, but they represent NVG who do, and if you look at the reviews below, it appears that Holland West is aware of their behavior. Holland West should not cooperate with these people, and as long as they do, they are enabling this kind of behavior at best, and in the worst case exposing vulnerable expats to a potentially unscrupulous company.

Very poor communication. We had to ask ourselves for updates regarding the sales process. No proactive attitude towards us. No noticeable or visible efforts were made to expedite the sale or make it attractive to potential buyers.

Extremely happy that I went with Holland West for the sale of my apartment. From the very first contact moment, it felt professional, but at the same time personal and involved. The entire process ran smoothly, partly thanks to the clear communication and sound advice. The real estate agents Arie-Jan and Chris in this case knew exactly how the property had to be put on the market and kept me constantly informed of every step. In short, a professional ma…

It went completely well. Good price and sold within a few days. Professional experienced realtor with extensive knowledge.

The realtor didn't show up for the appointment. The house turned out to have already been sold, but we weren't cancelled. Poor and not customer-friendly!

Proactive and practical real estate agent with business acumen. No beating around the bush, just action. Top!

Excellent contact and expert advice, the ideal realtor for us, very knowledgeable, without fuss..

Excellent contact; fast service. The agent was familiar with the apartment due to participation in the same homeowners association, which made it easy to involve them in the sales process.

Holland West seems organized. They respond directly to questions. I was initially concerned because they only conduct online transactions, so if you are an expat, it's difficult to decide whether to transfer the rent plus deposit to a company that you haven’t seen yet. But they do deliver and the keys were left where they said. I rented a property from NVG via Holland West. Although Holland West is good (especially Yvette whose email responses were professional and well-written), NVG isn't. Despite what is stated in the contract, NVG did not return my deposit on time. There have been MANY emails required and their response (if they even respond) is always 'next week'. There must be a misunderstanding about what “next week” means. I contacted Holland West to facilitate my request. With their help, I received my deposit two months AND 26 days after I left the property. And NVG says they are returning the deposit to the account source for security reasons. So if you leave NL, you may need to keep your account open until the deposit is returned. What a hassle. In conclusion: Holland West is okay (especially Yvette). If they offer you a property owned by NVG, you’d best avoid it.

Always fun

Excellent!

2 months have passed and I still haven't received my deposit back, as should be according to the contract they themselves drafted. I will be taking legal action against this.

Both Holland West and NVG are not responding to the refund of my deposit. According to the contract, they are obligated to return the deposit 'within' 2 months after leaving the rented space, but after two months I still have not received a refund and they are also not responding to emails, phone calls and messages.

Incompetent or fraudulent - after more than 3 months since our agreement ended, I still haven't received the deposit back. After many attempts to contact them, I was ignored or received a very general response ('I will check it'). It is not worth making agreements with this company about lawyers.

Great help with the quick sale of my house. I was spoken to politely and kept professionally informed. Friendly men who know what they're doing. All in all, a good recommendation for everyone who appreciates good and transparent service.

Everything went smoothly, there was good contact with the real estate agent. We were kept well informed of the bids and interests

Chris is very friendly. Very pleasant in communication! The sale of our apartment went smoothly.

We are very satisfied with Holland West Real Estate Agency. They think along, have a lot of knowledge of the housing market, respond quickly, and are customer-friendly.

Despite the fact that I took the house off the market twice and finally decided to sell it for the 3rd time, the real estate agent remained patient and full of enthusiasm, standing by me (without extra costs!!). They also perfectly arranged the entire sales process for me, advised me extremely well, and completely relieved me of worries. Thank you!

I sold my house and business premises through Holland West. These men have expertise and understanding of the market. A pleasant collaboration with a good result.

Contact with the real estate agent was good, professional, friendly and courteous, always willing to provide information, service-oriented. Preparation and guidance during the sales process excellent.

I am very happy with the service and guidance from Holland West real estate agency when selling our house. Even after the sale, Chris from Holland West was still there for us and shared in our experience when a problem with the house turned out to be present. I would definitely recommend Holland West.

Very satisfied with Holland West real estate agents. Nice, enthusiastic and skilled people. That they sold my house within a week was also nice :-)

Good and pleasant contact, quick actions and also reachable outside office hours and even during vacations for sales. Super!

Holland West Real Estate Agency guided the sale of my apartment very well. The communication was smooth and they actually took everything out of my hands. I would definitely recommend Holland West Real Estate Agency and especially Chris.

everything was great, the entire process went smoothly, good guidance, pleasant collaboration, will definitely recommend Holland West!

Great how everything went, really people with expertise create a beautiful presentation with very nice photos and take the time for that too. And do everything in good consultation. Really recommended if you want to sell your house.

Expert, thorough and skilled, resulting in our house being sold within a week. Keep up the good work

I am very happy that I followed my feeling and went into business with Holland West. Very good communication. Viewings arranged in close consultation. You could always turn to them for questions. Thank you, team Holland West, for the good guidance.

I hereby revise my assessment. Your apologies are accepted with this.

Excellent real estate agent, nice to have had them in hand for the sale of our house. Pleasant demeanor but also professional We highly recommend them

Excellent real estate agent.

Good brokers. Well varied offer

Enthusiastic real estate agents with a knack for presentation

The real estate agent reacted very arrogantly when the keys were handed over. Rented a property for 1.5 years but never listened to our problems. Treated the new tenant differently than he had treated us. We had to clean everything ourselves, but the new tenant received a cleaner which we had to pay for. We had delivered the apartment clean, but the real estate agent still felt compelled to make a remark about whether we had ever cleaned here at all, very unprofessional and unsocial with regard to the new tenant. (It was also simply clean) We do not recommend this real estate agent!

Best real estate agency for when you need something in Alphen and surrounding areas

Never been spoken to so unfriendly on the phone by a real estate agent, absurd. Even a simple question about a viewing was too much to ask.

Excellent assistance with the sale of our house. Friendly and knowledgeable