Funda is the largest real estate platform in the Netherlands. It is mainly owned by the NVM, the Dutch Association of Real Estate Agents. Funda has become a household name for those looking to buy homes, having the biggest selection of homes for sale in the Netherlands. However, in rental market Funda is only the second biggest website, after Pararius.
Users can browse rental properties on Funda unlimited, for free. The platform has a simple search bar where you can input your desired city, neighborhood, or postal code. To narrow down search results, Funda offers filters for location, price range, property type (e.g., apartments, studios, single-family homes), number of rooms, and amenities. Funda frequently updates its property database, so new listings appear sometimes every few minutes. Given the competitive market, especially in larger cities like Amsterdam and Utrecht, it’s crucial to be among the first to respond to new listings. You can use Uprent’s alerts bot to receive notifications about new listings on Funda directly to your phone or email.
Once you find a property that interests you, Funda provides an easy way to reach out to an agent. Click on "Apply with Uprent" if you're using Uprent's free browser extension, which inserts your pre-crafted application message. If you haven’t downloaded Uprent yet, click on “Contact agent.”
Unlike many platforms, contacting agents on Funda doesn’t require a premium subscription. Your request will be sent to the agent that will decide if you will be invited to a viewing. Keep in mind that competition on Funda is extreme, so your application message needs to stand out. Check out Uprent’s 9 Tips to Schedule More Viewings and use Uprent's browser extension to craft an effective message.
Often, calling an agent by phone will help you stand out. Uprent will let you know if it’s worth calling the agent based on the specific agency. If the agent prefers not to schedule viewings by phone, or if the phone lines are often busy, Uprent won’t suggest calling. But if it might help, you’ll see a prompt with the agent’s phone number.
For tenants, Funda is completely free to use. You can browse listings, and contact agents without any charges. The platform generates revenue through fees charged to real estate agents (makelaars) who list properties. These agents pay quarterly or annual fees to have their listings featured on Funda.
Reviews about Funda online are generally negative, but most of the criticism is related to the selling process. As a monopoly in the real estate market, Funda faces backlash for the way it dominates real estate agents on its platform. When it comes to rentals, the main complaint people have is about outdated listings. However, this is more a reflection of the overheated market — new listings attract so much interest that viewings are often fully booked within just a few hours.
Funda covers the entire Netherlands, from big cities to small towns. Occasionally, you’ll even find listings in neighboring regions of Belgium and Germany.
Only selected real estate agents can post listings on Funda. It has strict requirements for agents, including having certain insurances that can be expensive. These high standards mean fewer agents and fewer rental listings. Private landlords cannot list their properties either, at least directly. If you’re not a real estate agent but still want to list a property, you can use services like Huizenbalie, but it will still cost you more than promoting listing on, let's say, Kamernet, that is free for landlords.
Get quick summaries of lengthy property descriptions, highlighting the most important details at the top. Always in English.
Enter your work, school or university address, and the extension will show you how long it takes to get there from the property.
Answer a few questions, and… ta-da! Your perfect viewing request message is ready. Uprent will save your message and automatically paste it into application forms on any rental website in the Netherlands.
Hard to explain... Just check it out below:
In the past, many people used Google Sheets or Notion databases to track their rental applications — or didn’t track them at all — leading to missed opportunities and forgotten applications. With Uprent, every application is automatically saved to your dashboard. This allows you to easily manage and monitor all your applications in one place. Uprent also sends reminders for important follow-ups and automates tasks like creating Google Calendar events for viewings. You can even share your dashboard with your flatmate, allowing you to collaborate on the rental search.
