Amsterdam seems to be all geared to repair the holiday rental rules quickly with the help of a permit. This seems to be the result of the decisions taken by the Council of State in late January. It was stated that the holiday rentals like on Airbnb can be regulated only with a permit.
In recent years, the rental of rooms by tourists and residents has grown to a great extent. And, for this reason, the municipality has come up with a slew of conditions regarding this. Until now, the holiday renters who meet these conditions do not have to apply for a permit. Recently, the Council of State ruled this practice as contrary to the Housing Act.
Permit for holiday rental
In order to repair the holiday rental rules quickly, Amsterdam will introduce a permit for holiday rentals. The Housing Regulation will also be adjusted quickly. The advantage of introducing this new permit for holiday rental is to prevent illegal activities and oblige to the rules and regulations.
However, arranging a permit system within a short time is a major challenge and the council is investigating how to go about with the same both quickly and user-friendly. Simultaneously, it is also preparing changes to be made to the Housing Regulation.
Well, this includes Airbnb rentals too. Airbnb, an online marketplace offering accommodation also needs to have a permit to rent properties and will be limited to certain neighbourhoods only.
Conditions to be met
At the moment there are certain conditions that holiday homes have to meet. One can rent out their home for not longer than 30 days and the owner should live in the home and register it under the Personal Records Database. Also, an owner cannot rent the property to over four people at the same time and holiday rental of a corporation house is not allowed. If someone fails to meet these conditions, then the municipality will issue a fine of €20,750.
Why this new rule?
Often, investors in the city buy houses and split the same into smaller rooms and rent them to tourists and residents. As the cost of rentals is increasing in the city, this lets them make a good fortune. However, it is said that 80% were illegally turned into rental rooms as either the house was not in the owners’ possession or the owners lacked a valid license to rent the rooms.
With the new rental rules, the city’s municipality is giving these owners a chance to legalise their properties. Moreover, there is a limit on the number of licenses per neighbourhood to assure better quality of life.
Stock photo from Tero Vesalainen/Shutterstock
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