Asking for the bidding log: what you see and what it says about the sale

The biedlogboek, often called the biedingslogboek or bidding log, is the digital record of the bids on a home: for each bid the amount, the time it was submitted and the conditions. In an NVM sale under the bidding protocol, you can view it as a bidder for one month once the purchase is final.

You bid on a house and want to understand how the sale went. Ask the estate agent when you can see the biedlogboek, the bidding log. It holds the recorded bids with details such as the amount, the time it was submitted and the conditions. Put your own bid confirmation next to it. That way you first check whether your proposal is recorded correctly.

You see which bids were recorded, but not, in itself, why the seller chose a particular buyer.

In Radar's research of 23 February 2026, participants reported confusion about late bids and about access after the event.

When you can see the log

In an NVM sale covered by the bidding protocol, the log becomes available once the sale is irrevocable. The statutory cooling-off period and the agreed conditions must have passed by then. So it can still take a while after you hear the house has gone to someone else.

Under that protocol, the bidders are notified at that point and the log is available for a month. Anyone who withdrew their bid early is excluded from access. The protocol also makes an exception for bidders the seller does not regard as genuine, for instance where there has been misuse. The agent has to inform that bidder and, on request, explain why access is being refused.

So if you are refused, ask for the reason and the rule being applied. Do not rely on being told only that you did not get the house.

The obligation does not apply to every sale

An NVM agent uses a bidding log for the sales that fall under the protocol. The protocol has exceptions, including an off-market sale and a private sale between people who know each other. Other industry bodies have their own rules as well. So ask which arrangements apply to this sale.

The NVM describes the obligation as an industry obligation. With an agent who belongs to no industry body, do not assume you will get the same log.

Start with how your own bid was recorded

Compare the amount and the conditions with the confirmation you received. Look at the time too, and at any changes or a withdrawal. If you bid through the agent rather than in the portal yourself, check that entry. The NVM log shows when an agent entered a bid on a bidder's behalf.

If something is wrong, make your question specific. For example: "My confirmation includes a financing condition. I do not see it against my bid. Could you explain how that was recorded?" Attach the confirmation. That puts a checkable difference in front of them.

Save the log as soon as you have access. Note your questions alongside it, so you can still tell later which line you meant.

Look beyond the highest amount

With the other bids, compare the conditions as well. A higher amount with a financing condition is a different proposal from a lower amount without one. A completion date can also weigh with the seller. So the size of a bid does not tell the whole story of the choice.

Then look at the order. Did the bids come in before the announced closing time? Was there a new round later? Put the messages about that round next to the times in the log. If the agent entered a bid manually, ask whether the time shown is when it was received or when it was entered. That way you compare the right moment with the closing time. The NVM protocol has an arrangement for late bids. So even a bid that genuinely came in after the first closing does not in itself prove a breach.

The personal details of other bidders are anonymised. You cannot work out from the record who is behind the amounts. Nor can you read the seller's full reasoning from an amount and a condition. Ask the agent to explain if that is what you want to understand.

What to do if the record raises questions

Send your questions to the agent's office in writing first. Name the procedure that was announced, the line in the log and the difference you see. Ask for an explanation or a correction. If it stays unclear, the routes from there are in complaining about an estate agent.

Use the record for your next house too. A rejection does not tell you that you now have to bid without conditions or always need a higher figure. Your financial room and the house itself can both be different next time. How to set that limit of your own is in how much to bid on a house.