The housing crisis in Amsterdam is in full swing, so stories about overpriced apartments are as common as tacky souvenir shops in the city centre.
But that didn’t scare this Amsterdam tenant when they reported their landlord to the Rent Assessment Committee — and won big time. 🥳
Not a hotel
To be fair, the tenant had just about everything pointing in their favour when they reported the landlord to the committee.
According to Het Parool, the landlord tried to present an ordinary apartment as a hotel-like property, thus only renting it out for a maximum stay of one year.
New housing laws from 2024 don’t permit temporary contracts anymore, other than in exceptional circumstances.
And, no matter how spectacular of a city Amsterdam is, living in it doesn’t exactly count as an exceptional circumstance. 😉
READ MORE | Why is there a housing shortage in the Netherlands? The Dutch housing crisis explained
Putting even more salt in the wound, the landlord was asking for a whopping €1850 per month for this 34 square metre residence.
The committee swiftly deemed this unacceptable and ruled that the rent must be reduced to €633.58 per month — an enormous reduction considering the average monthly rent for a studio in Amsterdam exceeds €2000.
The landlord was also ordered to cover the costs of the committee hearing.
Not an isolated case
The tenant was assisted by the !Woon foundation in the conflict. They consider the win to be an important victory for tenants, but also warn that the case isn’t an isolated one.
They state that landlords often try to circumvent rules prohibiting temporary contracts, which leads to sky-high rents and uncertainty for tenants.
“The ruling of the Rent Assessment Committee confirms that this type of contract must be applied very restrictively”, emphasises !Woon legal officer Imre Doff.
Do you have any Amsterdam housing horror stories? Share them in the comments!
