Dutch property appraisal: everything you need to know

A valuation (waardebepaling) is informal and free, usually by your agent. Good for setting a sale price or challenging your WOZ tax value.

An appraisal (taxatie) is formal and paid, by a certified appraiser. Required for a mortgage application, legal proceedings (divorce, inheritance) or when the bank requires specific certainty.

Both deliver a value indication, but only the appraisal is officially usable by banks and courts.

• Mortgage application: banks almost always require a valid appraisal
• Divorce: to divide the property based on an official value
• Inheritance: the tax authority requires a valuation for inheritance tax
• Estate matters: for succession
• Business loan collateral: banks want a certified value
• WOZ objection: sometimes the municipality asks for a counter-appraisal

A regular sale does NOT need an appraisal — a valuation from your agent is enough.

NWWI (Nederlands Woning Waarde Instituut) is a quality mark: an NWWI-validated appraisal means an independent body has checked the report for quality and consistency. Virtually all mortgage providers require an NWWI-validated report.

NWWI checks whether the report meets all requirements and whether the valuation is properly substantiated. Only after validation is it usable for banks. A non-NWWI appraisal is rejected by most banks.

An NWWI-validated appraisal report contains among other things:

• Market value of the property (on a specific reference date)
• Property description: year built, surface area, layout
• Location analysis: neighbourhood, accessibility, amenities
• Comparable reference properties recently sold
• Energy label and sustainability aspects
• Assumed renovations or condition adjustments
• Any value reservations or special features

The report is usually 25-40 pages and valid for six months.

An NWWI-validated appraisal costs on average €500-€800 in 2026. For larger or more complex properties (detached villa, monument) this can rise to €1,000-€1,500.

Lead time: 1-2 weeks from commissioning to delivered report. Plan for this during your mortgage application.

Tip: a mortgage advisor often arranges the appraisal for you and has appraisers in their network who can deliver quickly.