The Rental Agent

What The Rental Agent does

De Aanhuurmakelaar (The Rental Agent) is a privately held Dutch commercial real estate advisory firm founded in April 2009 by Wouter van Dijk and headquartered on Maliebaan in Utrecht. The firm exclusively represents tenants rather than landlords, helping Dutch businesses of all sizes — from single-location entrepreneurs to multi-location enterprises — identify, negotiate, and renew leases for office, retail, industrial, and distribution space. Arno Brunink joined as a second partner in 2012. The company is bootstrapped with no external funding and operates as a lean team of roughly eight people as last reported in 2019.

The service offering is organized around three core advisory modules — Aanhuren (new lease acquisition), Verlengen (extension and renegotiation), and Dromen waarmaken (premium 'dream' workspace discovery) — augmented by four proprietary tools: Marktinventarisatie (full-market inventory including latent supply), Vestigingsonderzoek (commuting-pattern and CO2-based location optimization), Klimaatonderzoek (sensor-based indoor climate monitoring), and Medewerkersonderzoek (employee collaboration platform for workspace requirements). The business is differentiated by a fee structure aligned to negotiation outcomes rather than annual rent, a sustainability/CSR positioning (member of MVO Nederland, Nudge, United Economy), and a referral-driven go-to-market executed through content marketing, business networks (MKB Amsterdam, Directeuren Netwerk Nederland), and direct B2B advisory.

Revenue is generated entirely through professional-services fees on a project basis, with no disclosed subscription or recurring component. The customer base spans more than 25 named logos including CIP, BULL/Atos, Alfam (ABN AMRO), Cordaid, Bagels & Beans, Brunotti, Colora, FC Utrecht, FSC, and Triangle Interim, distributed across technology, retail, fashion, finance, healthcare, NGO, hospitality, and government verticals. Geographic operations are confined to the Netherlands, with active mandates covering Utrecht, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Amersfoort, Apeldoorn, and other regional cities.

Name

The Rental Agent

Legal name

De Aanhuurmakelaar

Website

https://aanhuurmakelaar.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

De Aanhuurmakelaar (The Rental Agent) is a privately held Dutch commercial real estate advisory firm founded in 2009 and based in Utrecht, exclusively representing tenants across the Netherlands. It helps businesses of all sizes rent, renew, or renegotiate office, retail, and industrial leases using proprietary market-inventory, mobility, climate, and employee-research tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Office Tenant Representation (BPAJALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial & Logistics Tenant Representation (BPAJALAC), Specialty & Adaptive-Use Tenant Representation (BPAJALAJ)

Keywords

• Commercial real estate advisory
• Tenant representation
• Lease negotiation services
• Commercial property brokerage
• Workplace consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Advisory and Brokerage Services: Fee structure directly tied to negotiation results rather than annual rent, aligning company incentives with clients. Services include commercial space search, lease renewal negotiations, and contract advisory.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

De Aanhuurmakelaar (The Rental Agent) is a Dutch commercial real estate advisory firm that represents tenants in renting, renewing, and locating commercial properties in the Netherlands. The firm combines three core advisory services — renting, lease extension, and bespoke search mandates — with four proprietary research tools covering market inventory, location analysis, climate assessment, and employee workplace needs, all sold either as bundled advisory engagements or as standalone products.

Product overview

The Rental Agent (De Aanhuurmakelaar) is a Dutch commercial real estate advisory firm founded in 2009, offering a unified service portfolio centered on helping businesses rent and manage commercial space. The core offering comprises three integrated service modules: Aanhuren (Renting) for new lease acquisition, Verlengen (Extension) for lease renewals and renegotiations, and Dromen waarmaken (Fulfilling Dreams) for premium workspace discovery. These services are enhanced by four proprietary analytical tools: Marktinventarisatie (Market Inventory) for comprehensive market scanning, Vestigingsonderzoek (Location Research) for mobility and optimal location analysis, Klimaatonderzoek (Climate Research) for indoor environmental assessment, and Medewerkersonderzoek (Employee Research) for workforce engagement in housing decisions. Since 2018, the firm has specialized in sustainable housing solutions aligned with CSR objectives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers33 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MVO NederlandcoreOthersMember of MVO Nederland (Corporate Social Responsibility Netherlands), demonstrating commitment to sustainable business practices and socially responsible entrepreneurship in line with company values.
• NudgecoreOthersMember of Nudge organization, supporting behavioral economics approaches to sustainability and responsible business practices.
• United EconomycoreOthersMember of United Economy, collaborating on sustainable economy initiatives and responsible business practices.
• SDG Nederland (Social Development Goals)minorOthersSupporter of multiple Social Development Goals, aligning company operations with UN sustainable development objectives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Knight Frank: International CRE consultancy with commercial agency, tenant rep, and advisory services across major Dutch markets. Comparable in office and industrial leasing advisory but operates a broader landlord-and-tenant model.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global CRE services platform formed in part from DTZ Zadelhoff's Dutch operations. Provides tenant representation, agency leasing, and valuation across the Netherlands, comparable in service scope but with full-service landlord and capital markets capabilities.
• Savills: Global real estate services firm with Dutch operations covering commercial agency, tenant representation, and advisory. Comparable in target customer (corporate occupiers) and service mix, but with significantly greater scale and cross-border reach.
• Colliers International: Global CRE services firm with active occupier/tenant advisory, project management, and valuation practices in the Netherlands. Comparable offering to De Aanhuurmakelaar but as part of a multi-disciplinary, multi-geography platform.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global CRE services firm with a dedicated Occupier Services and tenant representation practice serving corporate occupiers in the Netherlands. Comparable in offering but vastly larger, multi-service, and not exclusively tenant-side.
• CBRE Group: Global commercial real estate services giant offering brokerage, valuation, and advisory including tenant representation across all major Dutch and European markets. Overlaps with De Aanhuurmakelaar's office and industrial leasing advisory but as part of a far broader portfolio.
• Avison Young: Global CRE services firm with a strongly tenant-focused principal-led model and growing Dutch presence. Comparable to De Aanhuurmakelaar in its occupier orientation while operating at much larger scale.
• Newmark Group: Global CRE services platform with a dedicated tenant representation practice and Dutch operations. Comparable in occupier-side advisory focus, but as part of a diversified capital markets and landlord services firm.

Emerging players

• SquareFoot: Tech-enabled commercial real estate brokerage serving tenants and occupiers with a digital platform for office leasing. Comparable in tenant-side focus and target customer, but with a fundamentally different technology-driven delivery model and primarily US footprint.

Direct peers

• Cresa: Largest global commercial real estate advisory firm exclusively representing tenants, occupiers, and investors and never landlords. Closely comparable to De Aanhuurmakelaar in mission, business model, and pure tenant-side positioning, though at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aanhuurmakelaar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Rental Agent