Rent Collection Seminar 2026: Financial Insecurity | Ultimoo
On Wednesday, 7 October 2026, Van der Valk Hotel Breukelen will open its doors for the Rent Collection Seminar (Studiedag Huurincasso). For the ninth time, credit managers, social housing managers, customer consultants, and policy advisors from housing associations will gather to share expertise on the sector. While the 2025 edition focused primarily on financial resilience and the first concrete applications of AI, this year the organisation has chosen a theme that touches the core of our field: rent collection in times of financial insecurity.
Ultimoo is proud to be the main sponsor of the seminar again this year. From this role, we look ahead to what you can expect and are pleased to share how we, as a collection partner for housing associations, view this theme.
The numbers demand a different perspective
The seminar organisers back this theme with figures that many housing professionals will recognise. Approximately 140,000 tenants were in rent arrears in 2024. While payment arrangements were made with over 100,000 households, the situation ultimately led to an eviction in around 1,300 cases. Rising fixed costs, inflation, and changes in income support mean that not only low-income households, but also average-income earners can lose their financial balance more quickly.
We see this development daily in the cases we handle on behalf of housing associations. Rent collection has long ceased to be just about collecting rent. It requires early intervention, people-oriented communication, and close cooperation with partners in the social sector—precisely the shift that the seminar highlights this year: from reactive collection to proactive prevention.
Alexander van der Beek, Rent Collection Team Leader at Ultimoo, recognises this shift in practice: "Financial insecurity is no longer an abstract concept; it is the daily reality for many tenants we speak to. As a result, our role is also changing. It is no longer just about collecting a debt as quickly as possible, but about identifying a tenant who is at risk of falling behind as early as possible and offering them the right help in time. That is exactly what we at Ultimoo have been focusing on for years, and it is great to see this issue so prominently on the seminar's agenda."
This vision aligns directly with how we work for clients in the essential services sector. We know that behind every rent arrear lies a human story, and we constantly look for the balance between results-oriented performance and social responsibility. This leads to concrete results: a 75% contact rate within ten days, legal recovery procedures limited to just 0.5% of cases, and a success rate of over 92% for our clients.
From identification to activation
The 2026 programme again features a wide range of topics that connect directly to the daily practice of rent collection. For instance, it will cover stress-sensitive communication—an approach that prevents discussions about arrears from causing extra stress and instead activates tenants to address their situation. The Debt Clearing House (Schuldenknooppunt) will explain changes in early intervention reporting, and the Dutch Council for the Judiciary will present new initiatives such as Community Courts (Wijkrechtspraak) and the Mediation Judge (Regelrechter).
These topics relate directly to how we handle cases. Early intervention only works if the first step—actual contact with the tenant—is respectful and non-judgemental. Our employees are trained for this, keeping the person behind the debt in mind and having the courage to ask further questions when a situation demands it. This same people-oriented approach is why housing associations like Woonbron and Eigen Haard entrust their collection processes to us.
Our knowledge session: AI in the tenant contact of tomorrow
In addition to our role as main sponsor, we are hosting a knowledge session again this year, focusing on a topic we work with daily: the deployment of artificial intelligence in tenant contact. Stephan Peters, Manager of Process & Innovation at Ultimoo Incasso, will guide participants through the practices of today and tomorrow, in collaboration with 10FORIT.
This will firmly be a practical session about what already works, rather than a theoretical talk about what AI could potentially do. Topics include the use of AI in telephone conversations, handling chat and email, and effective quality control within the collection process. The underlying goal is simple yet powerful: by reducing administrative and repetitive work, employees gain more breathing room to do where they make the real difference. A phone call where they can actually take the time to listen. An extra home visit for the tenant who just needs that supportive push.
This principle also forms the core of our own working method. We automate what we can and personalise what we must. The use of smart technology at Ultimoo is never a goal in itself, but always a means to give our people more room for personal attention, especially for those tenants who need it most.
See you on 7 October
For us, the Rent Collection Seminar is a valuable annual opportunity to share knowledge with colleagues from the housing sector and to work together on an approach that is effective, people-oriented, and socially responsible. We look forward to meeting you on 7 October in Breukelen, during our knowledge session or simply over a cup of coffee.
Are you curious about how Ultimoo can strengthen your rent collection process with the same combination of intelligence, empathy, and expertise that takes centre stage at the seminar? Please feel free to contact one of our specialists.
