As a tourist, staying in an Airbnb or other rental house in the historic center of Amsterdam is no longer possible from 1 July. Rental platforms will now be banned in the Burgwallen-Oude Zijde, Burgwallen-Nieuwe Zijde and Grachtengordel-Zuid districts.
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Renting a house or apartment in the old center of Amsterdam to tourists is prohibited from July 1. The measure applies to the districts Burgwallen-Oude Zijde, Burgwallen-Nieuwe Zijde and the Grachtengordel-Zuid. There, tourism puts pressure on the quality of life for residents to such an extent that a ban on holiday rental is necessary, the city believes.
In the rest of Amsterdam, it is only allowed with a permit and then for a maximum of thirty nights per year to a maximum of four people. The scheme is provisionally valid for two years. If it turns out that there is also nuisance from holiday rental in other neighborhoods, then new forbidden neighborhoods can be introduced.
Skyrocketing rents
The tourist rental of housing in the capital has grown strongly in recent years. For example, one in fifteen homes in Amsterdam is offered online and the offer on the various rental platforms has increased fivefold to approximately 25,000 advertisements per month. It means that rents have meanwhile skyrocketed and residents are being chased out of their homes. Moreover, the influx of all those tourists causes a lot of inconvenience.
‘Confusing and harmful’
Airbnb is angry about the proposed measure. “We are very concerned because these proposals are illegal and violate the basic rights of Amsterdammers, as well as decrease income in these difficult times,” it sounds. “We want to work with Amsterdam on sustainable solutions, but not on short-term solutions that are costly, confusing and harmful to residents and local businesses.”
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