I just reached agreement to rent a house in the Netherlands and the agent was at pains to impress upon us that verbal agreements are binding and if you apply fo

I just reached agreement to rent a house in the Netherlands and the agent was at pains to impress upon us that verbal agreements are binding and if you apply for a rental you are effectively bound to take it unless the landlord says no (or you retract your offer). Frustrating system, it puts a lot of power in the landlord's hands and lets them screw around and collect offers while you're limited to offering on one place at a time.