The Front Office

I saw something on Twitter (er, X) today that I simply couldn’t believe.

New place, who dis.

Also, I will never get over the fact that in the Netherlands it's somewhat common for the tenant to take the floor with them when they move out. pic.twitter.com/P1mYdHKHJe

— Perttu Lähteenlahti (@plahteenlahti) August 5, 2026

And, well, you better believe it.  This is a real practice that is happening the year 2026.

And like all things quirky, it comes with its own fun names:

• Kale oplevering – bare delivery
• Kaal – bare/naked property
• In oude staat herstellen – restoring to the original state
• Leeg opleveren – delivering completely empty

When you sign a standard bare-rental lease, the rule of thumb is simple: if it isn’t part of the structural shell of the building, the outgoing tenant takes it.

That means when you move into that new kaal apartment you just leased, you better come equipped with flashlights and a table lamp or two. In addition to ripping up the flooring, the previous tenant is taking their light fixtures, (including the light bulbs), with them, leaving you with bare wires dangling from the ceiling. 

You won’t find any curtains or blinds, either. Major appliances? Missing. Be prepared to DoorDash for a few days until you can get a stove and fridge delivered.

Oh, and if the previous tenant didn’t like the standard hardware, you might even find yourself in need of doorknobs, cabinet pulls, or light switch covers.

I can’t say how often this happens, but in some older properties, a unit might be rented with no kitchen at all.  Just a capped water line and a drain pipe sticking out of the wall.  Good luck with that.

You know what they say: Be careful what you wish for.  When you want the kaal, you really do get the full leeg opleveren.