Holiday Apartments in Amsterdam

In line with the rest of Europe, it is safe then to assume Amsterdam holiday apartment rental will remain big business for as long as the demand for freedom of space and connection with local communities exists - luxuries rarely afforded by a stay in a hotel. Or is it?

An Amsterdam holiday apartment owner recently passed on advice outlining a government crackdown on the Amsterdam short-term rental industry including Amsterdam apartment rentals for rental periods less than six months. The Amsterdam apartment owner sited illegal hotels operating in Amsterdam and a housing shortage as the reasons behind the Government's crackdown, and went so far as to remove his short-term holiday let from the market pending the introduction of permits, which, he explained, would allow the rental of Amsterdam holiday apartments to tourists.

The holiday apartment owner in question remains hopeful that permits will materialise in time for the summer crowds, but do his concerns have a basis in reality?

It remains easy to book short rental periods for Amsterdam accommodation including apartments in Amsterdam. The normal required minimum length of stay is three days, but can sometimes be even shorter. And there are plenty of apartment owners and agencies specialising in Amsterdam apartments operating on the Internet. A quick look through google using such popular search phrases as 'holiday Amsterdam apartment' or 'apartment rental Amsterdam' does little to corroborate our cautious apartment owner's concerns.

In fact the only information in support of a government crackdown is a dubious forum post and subsequent thread that alleges the action against certain types of accommodation in Amsterdam extends to customers: Unfortunate holiday goers have allegedly been evicted from premises up-and-down Amsterdam, and turfed out like yesterday's newspapers, onto the street. But, if this were true, one might expect a trail of complaints and warnings to other leisure travellers left by unhappy consumers, of which there is none in evidence.

It is possible there is some bureaucratic oddity to circumnavigate when placing an apartment in Amsterdam on the market for holiday rentals. In Catalunya, Spain, for example, a law exists stating that in some areas holiday rentals must be registered with the council. But since Spanish law holds jurisdiction over Catalunyan law, a rental contract between the landlord and guest negates this apparent necessity.

Similar could be so for at least some areas of Amsterdam. The dodgy forum post claims the Dutch government is targeting illegal hotels including short term apartments in the centrum [sic]. Inner city problems could convincingly explain the need for monitoring the use of dwellings, especially in areas of high housing need. But there is a wide gap between monitoring and targeting.

When all is said and done, the likelihood of the authorities kicking you out of your holiday apartment in Amsterdam seem slim at a conservative estimate, and probably fantastical. Nor are there any reliable grounds for concern for owners of holiday apartments. Holiday apartments Amsterdam has mileage in the tourist industry yet.