Press release Short Stay

The City Council of Amsterdam has tabled a new proposal to introduce a Short Stay Policy in the Dutch capital. Following a public consultation exercise, several amendments have been made to the policy. Under the new proposal, the number of properties allocated for short stay accommodation will be expanded. Furthermore, the proposal will provide reductions in permit costs. These amendments should ensure that the policy meets the needs of the current housing market and that the regulations provide a strong legal basis for its implementation. A total of 30 responses were received during the public consultation exercise.

The new policy promises easier access to accommodation in Amsterdam for Dutch and foreign employees. This is considered vital for the city’s economic position. According to Tjeerd Herrema, councillor in charge of the new policy, “Being able to provide a well-regulated short stay accommodation sector is essential to becoming one of the top 5 European centres for business investment. This policy will help us meet the demand for short-term accommodation without distorting the balance of the existing housing stock.”

The new proposal sets the maximum number of properties earmarked for short stay accommodation at 1350 (up from 825 in the previous proposal). Based on public response, the owner’s obligatory contribution has been reduced from 3% to 1.2% of the property's official local authority value, known as the WOZ-value. On 15 October, the proposal will be presented to the Council’s Public Housing Committee for consideration. The policy is expected to be adopted by the City Council on 19 November 2008 and will become effective as of 1 March 2009.

What are the conditions for Short Stay?

Short Stay will only be available in rental properties in the deregulated housing market where the rent is above the minimum monthly amount (142 points; as of 1 July 2008, this is equivalent to €647,53 (per 1 juli 2009). Houseboats will also be eligible to apply. The minimum period of stay is one week and the maximum is six months. In any one district, a maximum of 5% of the deregulated housing stock may be allocated for Short Stay accommodation, except for the central district where the maximum is set at 15%. The total quota for the entire city is 1350 properties. If the number of applications exceeds the quota, lots will be drawn to determine the order in which these applications will be considered.

Under the new regulations, the owner of a property may apply for a Short Stay permit valid for five years. On expiry, this permit may be renewed once without going through the lot-drawing procedure. The owner of the property concerned is obliged to pay a compensation fee to the council’s affordable housing fund (Fonds Woningonttrekking) for reallocating a property listed as part of the city’s residential housing stock. Based on the public consultation exercise, the compensation fee has been set at 1.2% of the WOZ value for a permit valid for up to 5 years. Properties specifically designated by the Council as short stay accommodation before the end of 2008 will be subject to the transition policy.

http://www.wonen.amsterdam.nl/english/press_release_short