Netherlands: Amsterdam City Council bans the operation of vacation rentals in parts of the Old Town and the canal area, and pledged to introduce permits for guests to operate rentals in other parts of the city from July 1.
The ban, covering sections of routes 1012 and 1017, was implemented to reduce perceived problems caused by tourism, including noise nuisance and overtourism.
Housing alderman Laurens Ivens told DutchNews.nl that vacation rentals, booked through platforms such as Airbnb, have a significant impact on local residents.
He said: “Local residents should be able to enjoy life in their own neighborhood. They already have to deal with the consequences of street tourism, so it is important that they do not also encounter problems in their own neighborhood. “
The restrictions will include a ban on tourists from renting short-term properties in the aforementioned areas through Airbnb, but this will not apply to guesthouses with the appropriate license.
Meanwhile, permits will be filed from early July for properties that are usually occupied, not rented for more than 30 days at a time and can accommodate no more than four people. Each owner will have to register rental periods with city authorities, and those who do not obey the laws could face a fine of up to € 21,000.
This follows an earlier court ruling this year when the Council of State ruled that all vacation rentals in the Netherlands must legally operate with a license.
Airbnb statistics revealed that one in 15 properties in Amsterdam has been rented through the platform to date. All online listings will also need to display registration numbers, to facilitate greater transparency between owners and city authorities, with Airbnb saying it will implement the change in six months.
Speaking to DutchNews.nl, Airbnb criticized the “illegal” proposals in Amsterdam and said they “introduced new effective tools to tackle noise and nuisance which have already been welcomed by Alderman Ivens”.
And last month, ShortTermRentalz announced that Airbnb was set to pay a bill totaling 200 million euros after an Amsterdam court ruled it was not entitled to claim booking fees for Dutch national travelers.
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