Amsterdam to ban Airbnb in the city center and introduce permits for vacation rentals

Amsterdam City Council is to ban tourist rentals in the heart of the old town and part of the canal zone, and will bring special permits for the rest of the city from July 1.

The ban will roughly cover postcode areas 1012 and 1017 and is being introduced after research showed the number of tourist rentals is having a major impact on locals.

“Local residents should be able to enjoy life in their own neighborhood,” said housing alderman Laurens Ivens. “They already have to deal with the consequences of street tourism, so it is important that they do not face problems in their own neighborhood as well.”

Some 80% of inner-city residents face problems caused by tourism, Ivens said.

Guest rooms

The holiday rental ban will not apply to licensed bed and breakfast operations but will halt all other forms of rental to tourists through platforms like Airbnb.

The city also provides permits for vacation rentals in the rest of the city. Permits will only be granted if the property is inhabited most of the time, if the property is not rented for more than 30 days and is not rented to more than four people. Landlords will also need to register each rental period with the city.

The fines will amount to nearly €21,000. Officials say the new permit system will make it easier to check that owners are not breaking the rules.

Court decision

The introduction of permits follows a Judgment of the Council of State earlier this year, who said vacation rentals in the Netherlands are technically only possible with a license.

The city’s research shows that one in 15 properties in Amsterdam have been rented out through Airbnb at some point and that there are around 25,000 listings a month for vacation rentals in the capital on various platforms.

The Hague City Council is effectively banning all residents to rent their property or a room through agencies like Airbnb following the court decision. It has decided not to set up a licensing system.

National rules

The Hague ban is likely to last until the end of this year, by which time the government will have finalized national legislation to cover vacation rentals. These national rules will allow local authorities to require holiday rentals to be registered in areas where housing supply is scarce.

The registration number must then appear in advertisements on platforms such as Airbnb. But the platforms have already made it clear that they will not require landlords to immediately include the registration number, leading campaigners to say the legislation does not go far enough. Airbnb said it would enforce use of the number after six months.

EU rules

Acting Housing Minister Stientje van Veldhoven said late last year that websites like Airbnb could not be forced to pass information to councils for verification, as it would go against guidelines in the EU who regard vacation rental sites as information platforms.

Airbnb told DutchNews.nl in a statement that 95% of listings on Airbnb are outside these areas and help disperse tourism and spread financial benefits throughout the city.

“We are also deeply concerned that these proposals are illegal and violate the fundamental rights of local residents,” Airbnb said. “While City Hall worked on measures to take income away from Amsterdam residents and businesses, Airbnb introduced effective new tools to tackle noise and nuisance which have already been welcomed by Alderman Ivens. “

The agency points out that a third of Airbnb owners say they need their income to make ends meet.