The municipality of Amsterdam has proposed a plan for further restrictions on residents who rent out their homes to tourists. As part of a plan to reduce the nuisance caused by overtourism, the limit for holiday rentals will be cut from 30 nights per year to just 15 in parts of the Dutch capital.
Dutch capital to further limit holiday rentals
If the city’s plans are approved, from April 2026, Amsterdam residents will only be allowed to rent their homes to tourists for 15 nights a year. These stricter rules would apply to the city centre and De Pijp districts, where many residents have reported tourism nuisance related to holiday rentals, reports AT5.
This follows a years-long battle where the municipality has tried to reduce the number of holiday rentals. Since 2014, the city has introduced several requirements for vacation rentals to deter residents, such as the need for permits and registration to be able to rent out their homes. The maximum number of rental days allowed has also been reduced before: in 2019, the limit was slashed from 60 nights per year to 30.
All these measures follow a step-by-step “escalation ladder”, where every time a new rule does not have the desired effect in limiting tourism to a certain level, a stricter rule is imposed. This means that further restrictions could crop up if the current limit is unsuccessful - a complete ban on holiday rentals for three years, for example.
Airbnb claims Amsterdam hotels are the problem
Rental platform Airbnb claims that stays in vacation rentals are not as much of a problem as hotels are. "Entire homes on Airbnb account for approximately 2 percent of total overnight stays in the centre of Amsterdam," Airbnb told NOS. "Economic opportunities for local residents and small businesses must be preserved."
The company also believes that the chances that the new restrictions will solve overtourism in the Dutch city are slim. "This new restriction is just a political distraction from the real challenges Amsterdam is facing."
After Stay Away campaigns and plans to cut river cruises, Amsterdam also introduced additional measures in an attempt to curb mass tourism last year, including banning hotels from adding more beds and spreading out coffeeshops.