Amsterdam has new proposals that could see a ban on holiday rentals in some parts of the city. According to a statement issued on Wednesday, holiday rentals might be adversely affecting some neighbourhood, which is leading to poor quality of life. However, this is still a matter under investigation by the municipal council. But if the statement is indeed true, such a ban could immediately take effect.
Laurens Ivens, the city’s socialist executive in charge of housing, argues that these rentals are used as profit objects instead of places to live in. The new proposal targets brokerages services such as Airbnb Inc. and Booking Holdings Inc.
According to that statement, the city aims at reducing the increasing houses that are being rented by these platforms, since it’s becoming harder for residents to find available homes. As it stands, Amsterdam has already cut holiday rentals to a maximum of 30 days in a year.
In response to this, Airbnb through their spokesman emailed a statement saying they are not in agreement with laws restricting the right of Amsterdammers to share their homes often. And that the company’s customers accounted for 8% of overnight stays in the city.
The city is also pushing for a policy which will force vacation rentals to apply for license starting from 2020 and which will be valid for five years. The new proposal also outlines that the only person who’s legally allowed to operate a property as B&B is the one who resides in it.