House Inspection Amsterdam
Buying a whole house in Amsterdam is a different thing from buying a flat. You own the roof, the facades, the gutters, the floor joists and usually the foundation under it, and nobody else shares the bill. That is why a proper house inspection matters more here than almost anywhere else in the Netherlands. This page is for expats and other international buyers looking at a terraced house, a canal house, a house in Noord or a family home in Zuid.
We are Premiumkeur, an independent building surveyor with an office on the Heiligeweg in the city centre. Fred Tokkie was a contractor from 1983 to 2009 and has inspected houses since 2009. Clients rate us 4.9 stars from 704 Google reviews and 104 Trustpilot reviews; you can read them on our Trustpilot page and in our English review collection.
☎ Call +31 20 773 6842 or send a WhatsApp to +31 6 2956 3190. A house inspection costs € 499 including VAT for a house up to 800 m³, plus € 0.50 for every extra m³. We are on site for one to one and a half hours and you have the report within two working days.
Not sure which English term fits? Our general page is Building Inspection Amsterdam. If you are about to make an offer this week, read Pre-Purchase Inspection Amsterdam, which is all about timing. Liever Nederlands? Bouwkundige keuring Amsterdam (in Dutch).
What a house inspection in Amsterdam includes
The Dutch call it a bouwkundige keuring (building inspection). For a house we walk the whole thing, top to bottom: the roof and the roof structure, chimneys, lead and zinc work, gutters and downpipes, the front and rear facade, pointing, window frames and glass, floors and stairs, the bathroom and kitchen, the central heating boiler, the electrics as far as you can see them, ventilation, and the crawl space under the ground floor.
We go onto the roof when that can be done safely, and we go into the crawl space instead of shining a torch through the hatch. On an old Amsterdam house those two places are where most of the expensive surprises sit.
Americans would call this a home inspection, a Brit might ask for a house survey or a building survey, and Australians book a property inspection. In Amsterdam it is the same job, done by a building surveyor, and it goes a bit further than most US home inspections because we price every defect. If you want the deeper structural survey of an old house, that is on the same visit too.
Every defect gets a condition score (NEN 2767 and NTA 8060) and a price. The cost overview is split into work needed now, work to plan for later and optional improvements, so you can see straight away how much money the house really needs.
The foundation: check it on the same visit
Most houses in Amsterdam built before about 1970 stand on wooden piles. Some are fine after a hundred years, some are not. For € 898 we combine the house inspection with a foundation risk check (phase 0). On site we measure how level the floors and window sills are, and we look at cracks in the facade. At the office we check the municipal measuring bolt data and the history of the street.
If the risk check gives reason for concern, you can go on to a foundation investigation phase 1 (€ 699 for a standard house, up to € 1,499 or more for a large or complex building) or phase 2 (from € 3,000 excluding VAT, plus the digging). More background is on Foundation Inspection Amsterdam.
A foundation label from the seller is a starting point
Sellers sometimes hand over a foundation label or a colour code from a map. It tells you something about the street or the block. It doesn’t tell you how this house is doing today, and it was often made from old data. Send it to us before the inspection and we’ll tell you what it is worth and what we would check on top.
Who comes to your house
One of our own inspectors: Fred Tokkie, Tim Hollenberg, Daan, Bo Schreurs, Moja Reus or Dirk Overduin. They all come from the building trade, they explain what they find while you walk round with them, and they do that in English if you prefer.
Premiumkeur is NHG-recognised, which matters if your mortgage lender asks for a building report. We work for buyers only. We don’t inspect for sellers, we don’t take work from estate agents and we don’t pass you on to repair firms.
The written report is in Dutch. We can translate it into English for € 100 extra.
Three houses from our 2026 files
Addresses and names are left out. Amounts are 2026 prices.
Terraced house from 1920 in Amsterdam-Noord, July 2026
A house split into two homes, with an owners’ association. The roof of the shed had a covering that looked like asbestos, and the neighbour downstairs told us there was asbestos in the vertical shaft as well. We advised an asbestos survey by a certified firm as soon as possible, because no renovation can start before that is sorted. Both dormers needed work at about € 1,800 each and the exterior paintwork € 2,500. Altogether a little over € 12,000 of work needed now.
What this shows: in a house from before 1994 you plan an asbestos survey before you plan a new kitchen.
Canal-belt house from 1740 in Amsterdam-Centrum, January 2026
The chimney was made of a material we suspected of containing asbestos. Several lead flashings were old and cracked, and there was a crack in the lead around a roof penetration that explained a leak. Outside the paint was tired, with wood rot in places. The surprises inside were smaller: a poured floor that needed repair (€ 1,200) and fall protection on the stairs (€ 850). The largest item, € 10,000 for new interior paintwork, was an improvement, not a defect.
What this shows: on a house this old the lead on the roof decides whether the house stays dry.
Terraced house from 1876 in De Pijp, March 2026
The buyer asked us to focus on the main structural points. The crawl space needed € 3,000 of work, the rear facade € 2,000 and the roof € 1,750. In the toilet we saw signs of leaking and mould, and there was a stain in a ceiling corner. Because the wet rooms were dated and showed leak marks, we wrote that problems behind the tiles or under the floor could not be ruled out. Total work needed now: about € 11,200.
What this shows: a short inspection still has to be honest about what it cannot see.
Other English pages for house buyers
We keep our English pages linked, so you can go straight to the part that matters for your house:
- Buying a House in Amsterdam: the Dutch buying process from the offer to the notary.
- Building inspection knowledge base: our long English guide with cases, costs and terms.
- Structural Inspection Amsterdam: load-bearing walls, floors and roof structure in older buildings.
- Pre-Purchase Building Survey Amsterdam: the structural side of an old house, explained for British buyers.
- Property Inspection Amsterdam: for investors, listed buildings and mixed-use property.
- Crawl space inspection: what lives under an Amsterdam ground floor.
- Independent roof inspection Amsterdam: a second opinion on a roofer’s work.
- Monument Amsterdam knowledge base: buying a listed house.
- Knowledge base foundation investigation: timber piles, foundation labels, measuring bolts and what repair costs.
- Knowledge base foundation investigation phase 1: what a phase 1 investigation includes, how long it takes and what it costs.
- Knowledge base foundation investigation phase 2: inspection pits, pile measurements and timber samples.
- VvE maintenance plan Amsterdam knowledge base: owners’ associations, the MJOP and the reserve fund.
- Roof inspection Amsterdam knowledge base: roof types, leaks and what a roof inspection covers.
- Handover inspection knowledge base: the snagging list and the handover of a new-build home.
- Pre-construction survey knowledge base: recording the state of your home before the neighbours start building.
Questions about a house inspection
These are the questions we get most from people buying a house rather than an apartment. Want a question answered that isn’t here? Call or WhatsApp us.
Price and planning
How much is a house inspection in Amsterdam?
€ 499 including VAT for a house up to 800 m³, plus € 0.50 per extra m³. With the foundation risk check (phase 0) it starts at € 898. The English translation of the report is € 100 extra.
How soon can you come?
Often the next working day, sometimes the same day. The report follows within two working days.
The house itself
Do you go onto the roof and into the crawl space?
Yes, when it is safe. If a roof is too steep or too high for a ladder, we tell you and we write it in the report, so you know what has not been seen.
Can you check a house for asbestos?
We point out materials that look like asbestos, but asbestos is not part of a building inspection. In a house built before 1994 we advise a survey by a certified asbestos firm before any renovation.
Buying a house as an expat
Do I need a house inspection if the house was just renovated?
We’d still do it. Fresh paint and a new kitchen say nothing about the roof, the joists or the foundation, and renovation work itself sometimes hides problems.
Will the inspector speak English?
Yes. All our inspectors explain their findings in English on site. The written report is in Dutch unless you order the translation.
Foundation
Is the foundation part of a house inspection?
We look at the signs above ground, such as cracks, sloping floors and sticking doors. A real foundation check is the extra risk check (phase 0) or a foundation investigation phase 1 or 2.
What does foundation repair on an Amsterdam house cost?
It depends on the house and how many neighbours join in. In our reports we have seen estimates of tens of thousands of euros per house and well over € 100,000 for a whole building.
Contract and mortgage
What is a ‘bouwkundig voorbehoud’?
A condition in the purchase contract that lets you pull out if the inspection finds serious defects. It usually runs for a few days only, so book the inspection right away.
Does my bank accept your report?
Premiumkeur is NHG-recognised. Lenders that ask for a building report accept ours.
In the photos below, from left to right: 1. solar panels on a flat roof above an Amsterdam canal; 2. inspector examining old timber beams and the foundation in a basement; 3. inspector standing on the roof of a house to check it from above; 4. roof inspection on a listed building in Amsterdam, looking at slate, lead and timber.
Defects the seller agreed to fix
Fred helped me excellently with the inspection of a single-family home in Amsterdam Noord. Thanks to his help, defects were found that the seller is now going to fix and that I would not have found myself. Also useful tips about renovating and negotiating. He is also a direct and cheerful man who will certainly save you money with his advice!
Review on Google, May 2016, 5 stars (translated from Dutch)
Two short films before you book
The first video shows a foundation risk check (phase 0) on an Amsterdam house: the level measurements and what we look for in the facade. The second takes you into a crawl space in Amsterdam, where we check the joists, damp and the old sewer pipes. Both are in Dutch, but the pictures speak for themselves.
Old houses, old construction
A large part of Amsterdam’s housing was built before 1940. Those houses were built with timber joists resting in brick walls, lime mortar, single glazing and roofs covered in tiles or slate on timber boarding. None of that is wrong. It just needs different maintenance from a modern house, and when it has been neglected for years the bills come in all at once.
We see the same items again and again: joist ends that have been sitting in damp brickwork, lead that has worked loose, front facades that need repointing, and gutters that overflow into the wall.
Two more films: a listed house and a leaking gutter
Next to this text you’ll find a video of an inspection of a listed house (rijksmonument) in Amsterdam, and one of a leak investigation at a box gutter, a classic cause of damp walls in terraced houses. Both films are in Dutch.
Defects you can’t see on a viewing
Dutch law expects the buyer to investigate. If you could have found a defect with a normal inspection, you will have a hard time claiming from the seller afterwards. The seller does have to tell you what he knows, but many problems in old houses are simply unknown to the people living there.
So the inspection is your protection. Viewings are short, the house is tidied up and the furniture stands where it hides things. We move the rug, open the hatch and climb the ladder.
Your house inspector should be your own choice
Because the Dutch system is new to you, it is natural to follow your agent’s suggestions. Keep in mind that the agent is paid when the sale goes through. An inspector who gets a lot of work through agents has an interest in keeping that relationship good. That is a structural conflict of interest, and it applies to the buying agent as well as the selling agent.
So pick your inspector yourself, even if the agent or mortgage adviser mentions a ‘partner’. You are always allowed to bring your own. Ask any inspector: Do you receive work or fees from estate agents or mortgage advisers? Will you go into the crawl space and onto the roof where it is safe? Do you assess the foundation? Can you confirm your independence in writing? And read the terms and conditions for words like ‘global inspection’ or limits on roof, crawl space and foundation.
Premiumkeur doesn’t work with estate agents or mortgage advisers, doesn’t pay or receive referral fees and doesn’t inspect for sellers.
In the photos below, from left to right: 1. inspection of a flat roof, its edges and its drainage; 2. shower floor with a linear drain and tiling, checked for leaks; 3. inspector with safety harness on a roof terrace; 4. inspector on a red tiled roof next to a flat roof with standing water.
Every nook and cranny
He radiates experience. Fred examined every nook and cranny of the home precisely. I advise everyone to look at the home together with Fred. He shows you personally where problems are and explains in lovely plain Dutch (be it Amsterdam or Zaan style) how things stand.
Review on Google, December 2018, 5 stars (translated from Dutch)
The report: one cost overview for the whole house
At the front of the report is a table with every defect, its condition and its price. Work needed now, work to plan within about five years, and improvements. Behind it are the photos with an explanation per item. When you take the report to the seller or to your own buying agent, that table is what they will look at.
In the photos below, from left to right: 1. inspection of a thatched roof; 2. checking a zinc gutter for leaks, sagging and blockages; 3. inspection of a slate roof on an older building in Amsterdam; 4. a white house with a thatched roof.
Using the inspection to talk about the price
A report full of small items won’t change much. One or two big ones will: a roof that needs replacing, a facade that needs repointing, joists with rot, a foundation with a question mark. With the cost estimate in hand, your agent can go back to the seller and ask for a lower price or for the work to be done before the transfer. Many of our clients do exactly that.
Fast and honest
Fred is a hero. Recently had my home inspected in Amsterdam; he works fast and efficiently. He is skilled and knows exactly what to look at. If you want honest advice, this is the right place. The building report is well organised and affordable.
Review on Google, March 2016, 5 stars (translated from Dutch)
In the photos below, from left to right: 1. foundation repair work with steel beams and props under a building; 2. inspector checking a roof light on a flat roof; 3. inspector on a flat roof between dormers, with Amsterdam rooftops behind him; 4. inspector climbing a ladder along a timber-clad wall.
Terraced houses: you share walls, gutters and piles
Most Amsterdam houses are joined to their neighbours. You share a party wall, often a gutter, sometimes a chimney stack and almost always a row of foundation piles with the houses next door. If the neighbours’ roof leaks into your wall, or the whole block needs new foundations, you can’t solve it on your own. We look at the connections with the neighbouring houses and tell you where you depend on them.
Why buyers pick us, and how we look at cracks
The third pair of videos explains in Dutch why we work for buyers only, and shows a crack investigation: how we tell a harmless shrinkage crack from one that points to movement in the building.
Houses in Noord, Oost and Nieuw-West
Not every Amsterdam house is a canal house. The garden villages in Noord, the 1920s and 1930s streets in Oost and West, and the post-war houses in Nieuw-West each have their own weak spots. In Noord we often see wooden ground floors over damp crawl spaces and soft ground. In post-war houses it is more often asbestos, old flat roofs and cavity walls with poor wall ties. The inspector who comes to you knows these differences.
A real Amsterdammer
Fred is a top building expert. A real Amsterdammer who switches quickly and easily, with a mountain of experience, a lot of know-how and honest advice. In short: a breath of fresh air among the many profiteers and amateurs. Fred ROCKS
Review on Google, July 2022, 5 stars (translated from Dutch)
In the photos below, from left to right: 1. surveyor taking level readings with an instrument on a tripod in an Amsterdam street; 2. close inspection of roof tiles, ridge tiles and the underlay beneath them; 3. measuring heights at the front door of a brick facade for a level survey; 4. inspector on an Amsterdam roof with a church tower in the background.
What to arrange before the inspector arrives
- Ask the agent to make sure the roof hatch and the crawl space hatch can be opened.
- Ask for the seller’s information form (vragenlijst) and any list of items that are excluded.
- If there is an owners’ association (VvE), ask for the minutes, the maintenance plan and the reserve fund.
- Send us any foundation label, building drawings or reports you already have.
And come along if you can. You learn more in an hour next to the inspector than from any report.
For buyers and sellers in Amsterdam
We recommend the company Premiumkeur wholeheartedly and without hesitation to buyers or sellers of houses in Amsterdam, or in case of planned renovations. Our experiences with Mr Tokkie and his staff are nothing short of excellent. A fine company!!
Review on Google, July 2024, 5 stars (translated from Dutch)
In the photos below, from left to right: 1. rafters and battens of a roof seen from below; 2. inspector lying in a crawl space under water and drain pipes; 3. inspector checking roof tiles by hand on a pitched roof; 4. inspector with a headlamp checking a pipe in a crawl space.
Houses with an extension, a dormer or a roof terrace
A lot of Amsterdam houses have been extended over the years: a rear extension, a dormer at the front, a roof terrace on top. We check how they were built and how they are connected to the original house. Leaks at the joint between old and new are common, and an extension on a different foundation can pull away from the main building. Whether it all had a permit is something you check with the municipality, but we tell you if something looks like it was built without one.
In the photos below, from left to right: 1. inspector at work in the hallway of a home; 2. underfloor heating manifold and pipes in a cupboard; 3. inspector pointing at a crack in a plastered wall; 4. moisture meter against a damp wall with blistering paint, the kind of reading we take in basements and ground floors.
Into the crawl space, every time
Under most older houses is a crawl space of forty to eighty centimetres. That is where you find damp, rotting joists, woodworm, old cast-iron sewer pipes and sometimes standing water. We go in when it is accessible and safe, we measure the moisture in the joists and we take photos. If the hatch is screwed shut or tiled over, we tell you before the inspection so the seller can open it.
Measuring bolts and a zero measurement
Many Amsterdam buildings have municipal measuring bolts in the facade. Readings over twenty or thirty years show whether the building is still sinking and how fast. We look them up for every house on a foundation check. Planning to renovate, or are the neighbours about to build? Then a zero measurement (nulmeting) records the state of your house before the work starts, so damage can be proven later.
In the photos below, from left to right: 1. an old farmhouse with a red tiled roof; 2. inspection of a bitumen covering on a flat roof, looking for blisters and cracks; 3. inspector bent under the original floor beams in the basement of an old building; 4. inspector measuring a brick facade.
Hired again
By now, Fred did the second inspection for us. Very satisfied with his inspections; we would always hire him again! Thorough inspection and knowledgeable, thank you!
Review on Google, 5 stars
The electrics, the boiler and the ventilation
A building inspection is not a full installation test, but we look at what you can see: the fuse box and the number of circuits, earthing in the bathroom, the age of the boiler and when it was last serviced, the flue, smoke detectors and ventilation. In older houses the fuse box often has too few circuits for a modern kitchen, and we regularly find boilers that haven’t been serviced for years. We put a price on all of it.
Patient with questions
Daan was great. He was flexible with me and my appointment, patient with questions, and provided a very thorough report. Highly recommended. I really felt like he was objective and trustworthy
Review on Google, 5 stars
When we tell you to walk away
It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes the honest advice is not to buy. A house with a failing foundation and no plan from the neighbours, or a structure that has been badly altered, can cost more than the difference between your offer and the asking price. We’d rather tell you that on the doorstep than see you again a year later.
In the photos below, from left to right: 1. fred Tokkie smiling from a crawl space hatch; 2. inspector in a crawl space next to the brick foundation piers; 3. inspector checking a fascia board along the edge of a flat roof; 4. inspector walking a flat roof with Amsterdam houses behind.
After you’ve bought: we’re still around
Many clients call us again after the purchase, when the builder comes with a quote or when a leak turns up. That’s fine. A short question by phone is free. For a second opinion on a contractor’s work or a dispute, we do a separate inspection and report.
Renovating the house you just bought
If you plan a big renovation, tell us before the inspection. We then look more closely at what the plans depend on: the state of the joists if you want to remove a wall, the roof structure if you want a dormer, the crawl space and the drainage if you move the kitchen. We also give free tips on order and timing, because doing the roof after the new interior is an expensive mistake.
In the photos below, from left to right: 1. inspection of a pitched roof with tiles, checking the ridge and the flashings; 2. inspector on a roof terrace after climbing a ladder to trace a leak; 3. level measured along a mortar joint in the brick plinth of a house; 4. a roof being renewed, with new underlay and battens.
A house inspection is not a valuation
Your bank will send a valuer (taxateur) to decide what the house is worth. The valuer doesn’t go into the crawl space or onto the roof and doesn’t price the defects. The valuation protects the bank; the inspection protects you. You need both, and they are done by different people.
A cost indication before the report
I had a very pleasant experience with Bo. He took the time to thoroughly inspect all rooms and sent an indication of the possible costs even before he sent his final report. He was happy to answer all of my questions and explain in detail what we have to be aware of. I can highly recommend to use Premiumkeur!
Review on Google, 5 stars
In the photos below, from left to right: 1. inspector checking the threshold and seal of a balcony door; 2. a measuring bolt set in the brickwork of a facade; 3. inspector examining a skylight on a flat roof; 4. brick apartment buildings from the 1930s in Amsterdam.
Damp, mould and leaks in old houses
Black spots on a bedroom wall can come from condensation, a leaking gutter, rising damp or a pipe in the wall. Each needs a different fix. During the house inspection we measure where it seems damp and look for the cause. If it needs more time, we do a separate damp investigation. Our page Mold and damp Amsterdam explains the usual causes.
A clear report for a house sale
What a service! We were in desperate need of some professional advise in regards to our soon to be sold house. We got a very professional report that clearly showed things we needed to do to sell our house in professional manner. We highly recommend this company!
Review on Google, 5 stars
Listed houses and canal houses
Buying a listed canal house means you can’t change everything you’d like, and maintenance has to be done in the traditional way. We inspect many monuments and know what to look for: the timber of the roof structure, the hoist beam, the gable, the rear house and the foundation. Our Building Survey Amsterdam page has more for British buyers of old houses.
Help after the purchase
Fred Tokkie, aka De Huizendokter, provides very good service. Fred helped us during the purchase of an apartment in Amsterdam (building inspection), and afterwards he stood by us with advice and help during the renovation. Always reachable, always practical, always thinking along. Excellent!
Review on Google, February 2016, 5 stars (translated from Dutch)
In the photos below, from left to right: 1. fred Tokkie measuring old timber foundation piles in an inspection pit with a ranging rod; 2. inspector on a flat roof checking a dormer window; 3. a thorough look at a pitched roof, its tiles and its timber structure; 4. inspector bending over the edge of a flat roof.
Booking your house inspection
Send us the address, the year the house was built if you know it, and the date by which you need the report, for example the end of the inspection condition. We’ll confirm the time and tell you what to arrange. Booking by phone or WhatsApp is quickest; our contact page is in Dutch.
Where we inspect houses
Across Amsterdam and the places around it. Some of our local pages (in Dutch):
- Amsterdam-Noord (in Dutch)
- Amsterdam-Oost (in Dutch)
- Amsterdam-Zuid (in Dutch)
- Amstelveen (in Dutch)
- Diemen (in Dutch)
More inspections for house owners
- Roof inspection Amsterdam (in Dutch)
- Damp investigation Amsterdam (in Dutch)
- Basement inspection
- All services and rates (in Dutch)
Premiumkeur in the press
Dutch media wrote about our work, among them De Groene Amsterdammer (2023, about crawl spaces) and NRC (2021), both in Dutch. Our videos are on YouTube.
Two more house buyers
From our Google reviews.
It took me a long time to decide who to trust with the analysis of crucial structural decisions throughout the coming decades. In the past my object was patched left and right whenever it was needed. Planning ahead and identifying major risk management and cost savings through genuine expertise was a long needed dream. I am very grateful to have met a team, with such empathy, operational structure, speed and critical thinking – overall the best kind of expertise to work with. The customer orientation is top class, while being open for any discussion during consultation. If I could give 20 stars, I would.
Review on Google, 5 stars
Heard about Bouwkundige Keuring Amsterdam through the grapevine. Very nice that there are still real experts who are also really honest. In short: thanks to Fred’s advice I was able to save thousands of euros.
Review on Google, June 2018, 5 stars (translated from Dutch)
Contact details Premiumkeur Amsterdam
Premiumkeur B.V.
Heiligeweg 30
1012 XR Amsterdam
Phone: +31 20 773 6842
Email: premiumkeur@gmail.com
Chamber of Commerce (KvK): 81106130
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