Amsterdam Fines Airbnb Hosts; Repels The Very Visitors It Wants To Attract

Coffee, canals and... legislation?

Amsterdam Fines Airbnb Hosts; Repels The Very Visitors It Wants To Attract

Amsterdam’s authorities are set to review the rental legislation of The City Of Coffee & Canals. Current laws restrict home-owners from Airbnb’ing their places for more than 60 days per year, however, a majority of municipal council members want to investigate alternative holiday rental platforms which can be more easily controlled by the government.

This comes after property consultant Colliers (allegedly) found that 41% of Airbnb’s were rented out longer than the stipulated 60 days per year. The report also found that Airbnb demand was increasing roughly 450% year on year, stealing customers from the city’s tax-paying hotels and hostels.

The city is also experiencing a housing shortage.

Airbnb dispute these figures, claiming that only 3.2% of properties are rented out longer than they should be, and, as I Am Expat points out, “Since January 2019, the number of days you are permitted to rent out your property has been cut to 30.”

That said, the Airbnb demographic is a surprising one for the Amsterdam government to target, given that the city’s reputation for being ‘trendy’ depends more on its populace than the latest tax-figures of the Hilton.

Granted, the stuffy tax figures do contribute to the local economy, but so do young Airbnb travellers, in their various purchases, and in the atmosphere they provide, which attracts the young-at-heart over at The Hilton.

Anyway… Since 2017, Airbnb hosts have been legally required to notify the municipality that they are playing the field with their house. However, according to expats, only 25% really do, despite the threat of a fine which could range between 6,000 and 20,500 euros.

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