Amsterdam short stay policy to be revised

Press release, 22 December 2011

Amsterdam is determined to improve the service offered to people who come to work in the city for a short period of time and therefore require short stay accommodation. In order to help achieve this goal, the City of Amsterdam is to update the existing short stay policy by reducing the number of regulations and providing improved support to short stay tenants. Research agency Regioplan recently evaluated the existing short stay policy on behalf of the City of Amsterdam and the Chamber of Commerce. Regioplan’s evaluation indicates that the current policy does not sufficiently contribute to achieving the envisaged goals and that it can be more effective. The recommendations arising from the evaluation will be followed.

Short stay accommodation

Short stay is defined as the letting of non-controlled rental accommodation for periods of less than six months. The primary users of short stay accommodation are those working in Amsterdam on a temporary basis. There is also increasing demand for temporary tourist accommodation in a residential setting. Commercial accommodation for periods of less than one week is only permitted in a hotel or bed & breakfast. In recent years, an increasing number of international companies opted to locate operations in Amsterdam. The short stay policy is focused on providing a sufficient amount of accommodation for (primarily international) workers and ensuring that Amsterdam remains an attractive business location for international companies, in particular. However, welcoming short stayers to Amsterdam should not come at the detriment of the city’s liveability and the supply of affordable rental accommodation.

Improved support and fewer regulations

The Amsterdam College of Mayor and Aldermen is keen to reduce the number of regulations that short stay letters are subject to. City Districts will be able to impose quotas for areas where the liveability stands to be negatively affected by the large amount of short stay accommodation. Individuals that do not form a household will soon be permitted live in short stay accommodation, with up to a maximum of four people in one residence. This means that colleagues will be able to share accommodation. Improving the standard of information regarding authorised accommodation should help to more effectively unite supply and demand. The College advocates the introduction of a hallmark to recognise and support letters offering legal accommodation.

More stringent enforcement

Short stay will remain governed by regulations to a certain extent. The rental period cannot be for less than five days. Short stay is only permitted in non-controlled rental accommodation to ensure that affordable accommodation remains available for those with a low income. Amsterdam is determined to tackle the problems of people offering accommodation illegally, nuisance and excess. Those who violate the regulations risk having their licence revoked. The research conducted by Regioplan suggests that approximately 2,000 illegal short stay letters operate in the city.

Preserving the positives

The College is pleased that the Expatcenter has been launched successfully in such a short space of time and that projects have started to construct new short stay complexes and extended stay hotels (hotels featuring facilities that allow for longer stays). These developments are also beneficial to other areas of the city. Amsterdam is now able to start closing the gap with cities such as New York, Madrid and Paris where extended stay hotels are commonplace. A positive factor worth noting is that the majority of companies and cultural institutions do not experience difficulty finding accommodation for international workers and guests. Amsterdam will continue to strive to offer a sufficient supply of short stay accommodation without pushing out house seekers in Amsterdam in an already tight housing market.

Find out more about the Expatcenter.

City of Amsterdam Press Office, 22 December 2011