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Is an offer on a house binding in the Netherlands? And can you withdraw it?

No, an offer on a house is not binding in the Netherlands. Not even when the seller says yes. As a private buyer you are only bound once you and the seller have both signed the purchase agreement (koopakte)1. Until then you may withdraw or change your offer2. After signing you still have three days to change your mind1. After that, pulling out usually costs 10% of the purchase price6, unless a condition protects you.

Calculate my bid Until when can you pull out?

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By Niek (data scientist, MSc) and Dion Smits · Updated on

Binding or not, in short

  • You can withdraw until the signatureEven after a verbal agreement, without a penalty or compensation.
  • Binding after the koopakteOnly once you and the seller have both signed (Dutch Civil Code, art. 7:2).
  • Then 3 days to change your mindAt least 2 working days, without a reason and without a penalty.
  • After the cooling-off period: usually a 10% penaltyOnly a condition still gives you a way out then.

When is an offer on a house binding?

Dutch law says that a private buyer can only buy a home in writing1. This is called the written requirement (schriftelijkheidsvereiste). So nothing that happens before the signature counts as a purchase yet: your offer, a counter-offer, the seller's yes and the agent's email confirming the agreement3.

Not binding yet

  • Your offer, even if you offer the asking price or bid through Move2.
  • The seller's yes, a verbal agreement or a counter-offer you accept3.
  • An email from the agent saying "congratulations", or a draft of the koopakte3.
  • A koopakte that only you have signed1.

Binding

  • The koopakte that you and the seller have both signed. From that moment the purchase is fixed1.
  • You then still have three days to pull out without a reason1.
  • After those three days you can only get out through a condition. Otherwise you usually pay 10% of the purchase price6.

Buying from a company works differently

A professional seller, a company that buys and sells homes as its business, usually may not withdraw after an agreement2. For you as the buyer nothing changes: you are only bound by the signed koopakte1. If you buy from a private seller, the seller may also still withdraw until the signature3.

From offer to koopakte: until when can you pull out?

An example with real dates. You make an offer on Monday 2 November 2026 and sign the koopakte eleven days later. For each moment you see whether you can still pull out, and what it costs. From the listing on Funda to the keys takes 93 days for a typical home10.

Example: you offer €385,000 on a house with an asking price of €375,000

  1. Not binding: you can pull out at no cost
  2. 2 NovMonday

    You make an offer

    You offer €385,000 subject to financing, valid until Friday 6 November 17:00. After that moment your offer lapses automatically2.

    Pull out? Yes. You withdraw or change it, without a reason and at no cost2.

  3. 4 NovWednesday

    The seller makes a counter-offer

    The seller wants €392,000. Your offer is now off the table. You can accept the counter-offer, make a new offer, change your conditions or stop2.

    Pull out? Yes. You are not bound to anything yet.

  4. 5 NovThursday

    You agree: a verbal agreement

    You accept €390,000. The agent emails that the home is yours and draws up the koopakte. That is not a purchase yet3.

    Pull out? Yes, still at no cost. Note: until the signature, the seller may also accept a higher offer3.

  5. Binding: you can only pull out in the cooling-off period
  6. 13 NovFriday

    You both sign the koopakte

    The purchase is fixed. You get a copy of the signed agreement the same day1.

    Pull out? For 3 more days, in the cooling-off period.

  7. 14–17 NovSat to Tue

    Cooling-off period

    The cooling-off period starts on Saturday 14 November, the day after you receive the agreement. Saturday and Sunday count, but it must include at least two working days. That is why it runs until Tuesday 17 November 23:5925.

    Pull out? Yes, without a reason and without a penalty. Let the seller know in writing2.

  8. Final: pulling out costs money
  9. 18 NovWednesday

    The cooling-off period is over

    From now on you can only get out through your financing condition. Without a condition, pulling out usually costs 10% of the purchase price: here €39,0006.

    Pull out? Only through a condition.

  10. 8 JanFriday

    Your financing condition ends

    Eight weeks after the koopakte. If the bank turns down your mortgage, you cancel by letter before this date8. After that you are bound for good.

    Pull out? No, unless you cancel before today.

  11. 1 FebMonday

    Transfer at the notary

    You sign the deed of transfer (leveringsakte) and get the keys. For a typical home there are 93 days between the listing on Funda and this moment10.

    The home is yours.

The dates are an example. The cooling-off period follows from art. 7:2 of the Dutch Civil Code and the General Time Limits Act (Algemene termijnenwet)15; you agree the period of the condition yourself. What you arrange between the koopakte and the transfer is explained in bidding on a house.

Made an offer on a house: what happens now?

After your offer, the ball is in the seller's court. The seller does not even have to respond2. These are the four things that can happen, and what each one means for how bound you are.

  1. The seller accepts your offer

    You have a verbal agreement. The agent confirms it by email and draws up the koopakte. Until you both sign it, you may still withdraw and the seller may still accept a higher offer3. What you arrange in the meantime, such as your mortgage and a structural survey, is explained in after the agreement.

  2. The seller makes a counter-offer

    That rejects your offer and names another amount. You are now negotiating: accept, make a new offer, change your conditions or stop2. A sensible next amount is worked out in how much to bid on a house.

  3. The seller does not respond

    That is allowed. So always put a date and time in your offer until which it is valid. After that moment it lapses automatically and you are free to bid on another home2.

  4. A higher offer comes in

    As long as nothing has been signed, the seller may take it up, even after an agreement with you3. An NVM agent puts such an offer to the seller, who can hold a new round or continue with the new bidder4. How to keep your chance then is explained in multiple offers on a house.

Withdrawing an offer on a house: how to do it

You may always withdraw or change your offer as long as the koopakte has not been signed by you both2. That also applies after the seller has agreed. You do not have to give a reason and you pay no penalty or compensation2.

  1. Tell the agent in writing

    An email is enough: "I hereby withdraw my offer of €385,000 on [address]." If you made the offer through Move, you withdraw it there and get a confirmation straight away4. Keep that confirmation.

  2. Rather change it than withdraw it?

    You may also change your offer: a different amount, a longer period for your financing, or a structural survey condition added2. That is often better than stopping altogether if you still want the home.

  3. Know that you lose your place

    After you withdraw, the seller is free to continue with another buyer. You also lose the right to see the bid log afterwards4. You may make a new offer, but the seller decides whether to take it up.

  4. Already signed? Then the cooling-off period applies

    If you have already signed the koopakte, you no longer withdraw an offer. You cancel the purchase, within three days and in writing. How that works is explained under the cooling-off period.

Does the seller withdraw?

A private seller may also do that until the signature, for example because someone else offers more. According to the Dutch Supreme Court (Hoge Raad), the seller then does not have to pay you compensation39. Only in very exceptional situations is that different2. To make that less likely, ask the agent to draw up the koopakte quickly.

After signing: three days to change your mind

Once you have signed the koopakte and received a copy, your three-day cooling-off period (bedenktijd) starts at 00:00 the next day2. During those days you can pull out of the purchase without a reason and without a penalty5. The seller has no cooling-off period2. If the period ends in a weekend or on a public holiday, it runs on to the next working day, and it must include at least two working days25.

Pick a date and you will see until when you can still pull out without a penalty.

    Three days from the day after receipt, with at least two working days and an end on a working day25. Public holidays under the General Time Limits Act: New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, King's Day, Liberation Day, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. A calculator, not legal advice: check the date in your koopakte.

    1. Cancel in writing

      Send the seller a letter in which you cancel the purchase; the seller's address is in the koopakte. Send it by registered post, and by email as well to be safe, so you can prove it was on time28.

    2. Use the days

      Have a structural survey done in the cooling-off period if you had not done one yet, and have your mortgage adviser work out your financing. Then you know in time whether you want to go ahead.

    3. Once per home

      If you cancel and buy the same home again from the same seller within six months, you do not get a new cooling-off period1.

    After the cooling-off period: what does pulling out cost?

    After the three days the purchase is final, unless a condition in your koopakte still gives you a way out3. If you want out anyway without a condition, most purchase agreements state what that costs67.

    Deposit or bank guarantee, usually 10%€39,000
    Penalty if you pull out without a condition: 10%€39,000
    Or performance: 0.3% for each day you are late, up to a maximum of 10%€1,170
    Deposit and 10% penalty according to the KNB6, performance with 0.3% per day according to the standard purchase agreement7. The seller chooses between cancelling with a penalty and demanding performance7.

    1. Financing condition

      If the bank turns down your mortgage before the end date in your koopakte, you cancel without a penalty8. At the end of 2025, 40% of buyers bought without this condition11; they carry the risk themselves. Everything about the period and the amount is explained in financing condition.

    2. Structural survey condition

      If the survey finds more defects than the amount you agreed in your offer, you can cancel the purchase8. You put this condition in your offer; adding it later only works if the seller agrees.

    3. Without a condition: 10% or performance

      The seller can cancel the purchase and claim the 10% penalty, or demand performance with 0.3% of the purchase price per day up to a maximum of 10%7. Your deposit of usually 10% is then already with the notary6.

    This page explains when an offer is binding and is not legal advice. In doubt about your koopakte? Show it to your notary or to the Juridisch Loket, the Dutch legal aid desk.

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    Offer an amount you will not have to take back

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    Example: your offerChance of getting the home

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    2. €361,68750%
    3. €372,16370%
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    From the report for Karel Doormanlaan 378 in Hilversum: asking price (vraagprijs) €350,000, expected sale price €361,687. View the sample report

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    Questions about a binding offer and withdrawing it

    When is an offer on a house binding?
    Only once you and the seller have both signed the koopakte. Until then your offer does not bind you, not even if the seller has said yes. After signing, as a private buyer you still have three days to change your mind12.
    Is a verbal offer or a verbal agreement binding?
    No. For a private buyer, the purchase must be in writing. A verbal yes, a counter-offer you accept or an email from the agent is therefore not a purchase yet13.
    Is an offer by email or through Move binding?
    No. How you make the offer does not matter: by email, by phone, through Move or on a bidding form. You are only bound by the koopakte you both sign2.
    Can you still withdraw an accepted offer on a house?
    Yes, as long as the koopakte has not been signed by you both. Tell the agent in writing. After signing you can still pull out without a penalty for three days; after that it usually costs 10% of the purchase price26.
    Do you have to pay compensation if you withdraw your offer?
    Normally not. Without a signed koopakte there is no purchase, so there is no penalty either. The same applies the other way round: if a private seller withdraws, you usually have no right to compensation23.
    Can you withdraw your offer after a structural survey?
    Before the koopakte always, without giving a reason. After the koopakte only in the cooling-off period, or after that through a structural survey condition you included in your offer28.
    How long is an offer on a house valid?
    As long as you state in your offer. Name a date and time: after that moment your offer lapses automatically. If you state nothing, it stands until you withdraw it or the seller rejects it2.
    May the seller withdraw after an agreement?
    A private seller may, as long as the koopakte has not been signed. The seller may then also accept a higher offer, and according to the Dutch Supreme Court does not have to pay you compensation. A professional seller is usually bound by their yes39.
    Does the weekend count in the cooling-off period?
    Yes and no. The cooling-off period lasts three days and starts the day after signing. Saturday, Sunday and public holidays count, but it must include at least two working days and it ends on a working day. If you sign on a Thursday, the cooling-off period ends on Monday25.
    Can you withdraw an offer on a house in the Netherlands without a penalty?
    Yes, until you and the seller have both signed the koopakte, and after that during the three-day cooling-off period. After that you can only pull out without a penalty through a condition, such as a financing condition26.

    About this page

    Who wrote this, and where the information comes from

    We were both looking for a house and got stuck at the same moment: the offer. A buying agent felt too expensive, and as if agents were arranging things among themselves. Read our story.

    • Niek

      Niek

      Data scientist (MSc) · co-founder

      Niek spent ten months on the calculation model behind every report. He calculated the time from listing on Funda to transfer at the notary.

      More about Niek
    • Dion Smits

      Dion Smits

      Online entrepreneur and marketing specialist · co-founder

      Dion wrote the explanations on this page. He once lost a home to another bidder himself.

      More about Dion

    Updated on . This page explains when an offer on a house is binding and is not legal advice.

    Sources (11)
    1. Dutch Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek), article 7:2 (in Dutch): a private buyer's purchase of a home is only valid if it is made in writing (paragraph 1), the buyer receives the agreement or a copy and then has three days to cancel the purchase (paragraph 2), and buying the same home again within six months gives no new cooling-off period (paragraph 2).
    2. Juridisch Loket, Bod op huis: rechten en plichten (in Dutch, from the Dutch legal aid desk): an offer does not bind you, not even at the asking price; you may always withdraw or change it, also after the seller agrees; an offer with a validity date lapses automatically; without a signed contract the seller may still back out, usually without compensation; a professional seller usually may not withdraw; the 3-day cooling-off period includes at least 2 working days, starts at 00:00 the day after signing and ends 3 days later at 23:59; after that the contract often states a 10% penalty.
    3. NVM, Bieden op een huis (in Dutch): a verbal agreement is not enough; the purchase is only final when both parties have signed the koopakte; the Supreme Court confirmed that the written requirement also protects the seller, so as long as nothing is signed the seller may take up a higher offer without compensating the first buyer.
    4. NVM, Protocol Transparant Bieden Woonruimte (in Dutch, mandatory for NVM agents since 1 February 2026): what goes in an offer and withdrawing an offer (art. 3.5), offers that come in after an agreement (art. 3.3) and the bid log, which you can no longer see after withdrawing your offer (art. 4).
    5. Dutch government (Rijksoverheid), Hoeveel bedenktijd heb ik na het kopen van een woning? (in Dutch): 3 days, from the day after you received the purchase agreement; if the period ends on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, it runs on to the next working day; you can pull out without a reason and without compensation; a longer cooling-off period is allowed, a shorter one is not.
    6. KNB (Royal Dutch Association of Civil-law Notaries), Een huis kopen. Hoe werkt dat? (in Dutch, October 2025): after the cooling-off period and without a condition you pay the agreed penalty of usually 10% of the purchase price when pulling out; the deposit or bank guarantee is usually 10% of the purchase price, due a few weeks after the purchase agreement.
    7. Vereniging Eigen Huis, Mijn verkoper wil de ontbindende voorwaarde niet verlengen (in Dutch): if the buyer does not go ahead, under the standard purchase agreement the seller can cancel with a 10% penalty, or demand performance with 0.3% of the purchase price per day up to a maximum of 10%.
    8. Vereniging Eigen Huis, Ontbindende voorwaarden: dit zijn de belangrijkste (in Dutch): you agree conditions with your offer and they go into the koopakte; you cancel with a letter within the period, by registered post and by email as well to be safe.
    9. Dirkzwager, Professionele verkoper niet gebonden aan mondelinge koop (in Dutch): a professional seller is as a rule bound to a verbal agreement with a private buyer; on 9 December 2011 the Supreme Court ruled that a private seller can also rely on the written requirement.
    10. Own calculation by Biedadviseur.nl: time from Funda to transfer at the notary, a median of 93 days across all transfers from July 2025 to June 2026. Explained in bidding on a house.
    11. De Hypotheker, Rust op de huizenmarkt: minder bezichtigingen en biedingen (in Dutch, 16 January 2026): 40% of buyers buy without a financing condition.

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