DON’T MISS
IamExpat FairIamExpat Job BoardIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Housing
Dutch news & articles
New rules for renting your house in Amsterdam to tourists
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

New rules for renting your house in Amsterdam to tourists

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:



Related Stories

Student housing in Rotterdam: A tale of laughter and enduranceStudent housing in Rotterdam: A tale of laughter and endurance
5 ways to avoid getting scammed when looking for a place in the Netherlands 5 ways to avoid getting scammed when looking for a place in the Netherlands
Living in The Hague
Amsterdam vs Rotterdam: Which city is best to live in?Amsterdam vs Rotterdam: Which city is best to live in?
Antikraak: Cheap rent in exchange for being a live-in guardianAntikraak: Cheap rent in exchange for being a live-in guardian
Relocating to Rotterdam: the best neighbourhoods for expats to live inRelocating to Rotterdam: the best neighbourhoods for expats to live in
Interview with Ivo Schmetz: Go Green at OT301Interview with Ivo Schmetz: Go Green at OT301
Shoebox or Suburbia? Finding a house to rent on an expat budget..Shoebox or Suburbia? Finding a house to rent on an expat budget..
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usSitemap
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat FairsWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Apr 16, 2013
Valeria Scimia
I live in Amsterdam since 13 years, I speak Dutch and I like to snoop in and reveal all those regulations and info that are hardly available to the English audience. Read more

In these times of crisis it is certainly convenient to have a spare room that you can rent to tourists or turn into a B&B.

Thanks to the now worldwide website Airbnb more and more people in Amsterdam are turning their spare room, or house, into a small revenue. Unfortunately the Dutch government has settled new laws that will prevent that and at a very high cost to the people who do not follow the new rules.

Rooms or houses rented to tourists are considered "illegal hotels." Since February 2013, 25 apartments-hotels have already been closed for safety reasons.

The Stadsdeel Centrum and the dienst Wonen, Zorg en Samenleven (Housing, Welfare & Community Service) of Amsterdam are working together to locate these illegal hotels in the city of Amsterdam, based on the fact that there are not enough safety regulations for tourists (for ex. in case of fire or burglary) in such illegal premises.

They also take away houses and rooms that should be allocated to social housing, an already strained sector considering the demand for such housing. The penalties for using your house as hotel or Bed & Breakfast are thus quite severe, with fines starting at a minimum of 12.000 euros and, if caught again, rising to 18.500 euros.

So, do people who want to rent their house for just once or twice per year need to worry about this? The Gemeente is going to focus on those establishments that are suspected to be illegal hotels, that is, those that rent the premises all year round. They’re going to work on a list of addresses that comes from different sources, including internet booking sites.

Recently, a conversation took place between municipal officer Ossel and booking site Airbnb. Amongst the topics discussed was the issue of how landlords should be aware of the rules in Amsterdam.

By Valeria Scimia