Building inspection Utrecht

We wrote this page for expats and international buyers who want a building inspection in Utrecht before they buy a house or an apartment. The Dutch name is bouwkundige keuring. If you come from the UK, think of a building survey: a building survey in Utrecht by Premiumkeur covers the same ground. An independent building surveyor goes through the whole property, from the crawl space under the floor to the roof, and tells you what the repairs will cost.

Buying a home in the Netherlands works differently from most countries, and almost all the information about it is in Dutch. Every year we meet expats who learned that the hard way. On this page we explain the traps we see most often in our own reports, so you can avoid them.

Premiumkeur has 4.9 stars from 698 Google reviews and 100 Trustpilot reviews. Call us on +31 30 207 2219 (030-2072219 from a Dutch phone). In most cases we can inspect the next day.

Want to read more first? Our English knowledge base for Utrecht goes into foundations, cellars, damp, owners’ associations and the purchase agreement, with 35 cases from our own reports. Bouwkundige keuring Utrecht (in Dutch) is the Dutch version of this page.

New to the Netherlands, buying a flat in Utrecht

New to the Netherlands, we purchased a flat in Utrecht and sought a (…) structural inspection to (…) seek suggestions for possible improvements. (…) The office were very helpful, with no Dutch, the friendly receptionist understood the brief and fitted us in quickly. Upon arrival, Tim Hollenberg was friendly, professional and very willing to explain his procedures and findings as he progressed his inspection. He divided his findings into a small number of jobs he felt should be executed quickly to save on bigger problems later and recommenadtions for longer term items we should address. (…) He also made observations about the exterior of the building that we will share with the VVE.

Review on Google, 5 stars

Pitfall 1: the inspector the estate agent suggests

Estate agents often give buyers the name of an inspector. For expats who are new to the country that feels like a kind offer. But look at the interests. The selling agent earns his fee when the sale goes through. An inspector who gets a steady flow of work through agents has every reason to stay on their list. That does not mean every recommended inspector does a poor job. It means their interests are not the same as yours.

You are always free to choose your own inspector. Ask these questions before you book anyone:

• Does the estate agent receive a fee or other benefit if he refers me to you?
• Do you go into the crawl space, or do you only look from the hatch?
• Do you go onto the roof, or do you take a photo from a window?
• Do you measure the foundation, for example the bed joints and floor levels?
• What do your terms and conditions say about the foundation, the roof and the crawl space?

How we work, in facts: Is Premiumkeur betrouwbaar? (in Dutch)

A house in Utrecht, from pipes to crawl space

We were in the process of buying a house in Utrecht and needed information about its condition. Daan helped us with the inspection, and we were quite pleased with his service. He was flexible with scheduling and promptly responded to our emails. Daan arrived on time and conducted a thorough inspection, checking everything from pipes and ceilings to the electricity and crawl space. He provided us with a detailed description and cost estimate. We would definitely recommend him as a technical inspector.

Review on Google, 5 stars

A rising damp problem, correctly identified

Tim Was great. Very professional and went above and beyond to make sure that the rising damp problem was correctly identified as a major issue. We hope he will continue to help us figure this building out!

Review on Trustpilot, October 2025, 5 stars

Building inspection for expats in Utrecht

Utrecht draws a lot of international people: researchers and students at the university and the hospitals, and staff of companies that chose the city because it sits in the middle of the country. Many expats rent first and buy later. When they do, they often buy under time pressure, with documents in Dutch, in a city where a large part of the housing is old.

Our inspectors know the city. In Wittevrouwen there are quite a few houses with foundation problems. Many of the listed buildings along the Oudegracht have the same issue, and the municipality is repairing the canal walls to stop them from sinking further. In Lombok and the Indische Buurt we often find damp that attacks timber floors. Knowing this helps us judge a foundation risk before you sign.

Pitfall 3: the building inspection condition and the deadlines

In the Netherlands you make an offer first and inspect afterwards. To protect yourself, make your offer subject to a building inspection condition. In Dutch that is an ontbindende voorwaarde, often called a bouwkundig voorbehoud. If the inspection shows repair costs above an agreed amount, you can cancel the purchase without a penalty.

The catch is time. The condition usually runs for one or two weeks. If you have not had the house inspected by then, the condition expires and the purchase stands.

When you buy a home, there is also the cooling-off period, the bedenktijd: three days after you receive the signed purchase agreement, in which you can withdraw without giving a reason. Some buyers fit the inspection into those three days. It is short, so call us as soon as your offer is accepted.

Pitfall 4: foundations under older houses

Until about 1970 many houses in this part of the country were built on timber piles or on a shallow foundation. Utrecht has a lot of clay and peat, and an old house on that soil can subside. The year of construction tells you something about the type of foundation, but nothing about its condition. Only measurements do.

Look out for these signs at a viewing: sloping floors, doors that stick, cracks above windows and doors, joints in the brickwork that are no longer horizontal. Not every crack means a foundation problem, though. Shrinkage or a heavy bathroom floor can cause cracks too.

For a house built before 1970 we advise a foundation quick scan (phase 0) during the inspection: we measure the bed joints and the floor levels. Together with the inspection this costs from € 898. If the figures call for it, a phase 1 investigation follows (€ 699 to € 1,499) or phase 2, where the foundation is excavated (from € 3,000). More about the quick scan: Funderingsrisico-onderzoek fase 0 (in Dutch).

A walk on the roof

Fred was responsive, open and thorough. He set a date for the inspection the day I called, and a few days later we were through. He did an extremely thorough walk-through, including a walk on the roof, and checked all the window frames. Following, he shared a detailed report with proposed costings for some of the fixes, which the owner is taking care of. Fred is independent and truly works for the buyer.

Review on Google, 5 stars

Pitfall 5: apartments, the VvE and the MJOP

When you buy an apartment, you also buy a share of the building. The owners’ association, the VvE (Vereniging van Eigenaars), pays for the roof, the facades, the foundation, the balconies and the communal areas. If the VvE has saved too little, the owners pay the difference.

Ask the seller for the minutes of the last VvE meetings, the annual accounts, the size of the reserve fund and the long-term maintenance plan, the MJOP (meerjarenonderhoudsplan). During the inspection we look at the apartment and at the parts of the building we can reach, and we tell you what we see in the communal areas. Ask the VvE whether the neighbours have the same damp complaints. That often tells you more than one measurement.

What you get from us

The inspection takes 1 to 1.5 hours. When we have finished, we walk you through the house and show you what we found. Many of our clients are expats, and the inspector explains everything on site in English. You can also ask your questions in English by phone and email.

You receive the report within 2 working days. It lists the defects, how urgent they are, and an estimate of the repair costs: what needs doing now and what can wait. The standard report is in Dutch; we can translate it into English for € 100 extra. Buyers use those figures to renegotiate the price or to ask the seller to repair things before the transfer.

Prices

All prices include VAT (October 2026).

• Building inspection: € 499 for a home up to 800 m³, plus € 0.50 per extra m³
• Building inspection with foundation quick scan (phase 0): from € 898
• Foundation investigation phase 1: € 699 to € 1,499
• Foundation investigation phase 2: from € 3,000
• Roof inspection, crawl space inspection or damp inspection: from € 499
• English translation of the report: € 100 extra

All rates are on Diensten en tarieven (in Dutch).

Canal houses and listed buildings

Utrecht has a large historic centre, and many expats fall in love with a canal house or a listed building. These buildings need a different approach: old materials, earlier repairs, and often a shared VvE. Some of them have wharf cellars (werfkelders) under the street along the canal. We tell you honestly when a part of a building needs a specialist that we are not.

More about inspecting a monument: Bouwkundige keuring monument (in Dutch).