AirBnB Issues in Amsterdam
 

My wife and I and another couple will be spending a few days in Amsterdam (or thereabouts) in September '19. I gather from what I've read here in the forum that an AirBnB might be an option we ought to avoid if we intend to stay in the city. How about outside the city? For instance, if we decide to stay in Haarlem will we still encounter the same risks. I'm referring, of course, to the crackdown currently going on regarding AirBnB's in Amsterdam.

I would appreciate your input. Thanks

Outside Amsterdam is okayish, but please don't help finance AirBnB's (and similar) extractive practices. That goes for Haarlem etc as well. The upside about Haarlem is that all accommodation is cheaper than in Amsterdam, or, rephrased, that you'll get more hotelroom for the same money.

If I may ask, why an apartment?

Or more airbnb or short term vacation rental (STVR) for your money.

Some in Amsterdam oppose all STVRs, as you see here, and they are restricted in some areas, in some cases only the amount of time the landlord can rent. As I understand it, there are plenty of places outside the city center where there are no issues.

Most people, such as us, who rent apartments when on vacation do so to get more room, often to have access to a full kitchen and likely at a rate less than a hotel. The attention from a landlord intent on achieving a good review, from our own experience, is often far superior to that of a front desk clerk at a hotel. When it is suggested that airbnbs are somehow immoral or “extractive”, consider that over-tourism in places like Amsterdam is because of all of us and certainly more related to hotels than to STVRs. For example, consider that just the new hotels on the drawing board in Amsterdam will create dramatically more tourism stays than ALL the existing airbnb rentals that accommodate less than 12% of all the tourists in that city.

Why should you avoid Airbnb? For my coming Amsterdam trip, we are renting in an owner-occupied building because we want a kitchen and are getting to the point of pretty much hating hotels. We like a comfortable visit and hotels are too expensive. I look for airbnb Superhosts if possible.

jannad, the most common reason is that this rental makes housing less affordable for those who live in the city.

I think it’s safe to say that there already is no affordable housing in the cities with the biggest concerns about airbnb (e.g. New York, Paris, Amsterdam, San Francisco), so the existence of airbnb doesn’t matter in that regard. Yes, some studies have suggested some minor valuation increases are possible, but still others suggest that some of the negativity surrounding fears of neighborhoods full of STVR properties might actually depress values.

Any changes generally will have impacts. Some will argue that making a city apartment available to the masses, even for a few days, is a better system than having such properties only the domain of the well-to-do.

My staying in Ari's house for a couple weeks is not the reason rents are high. He does short-term lets for some months and travels for long periods of time and doesn't seem to want a permanent tenant. This is not a new concept, renting out during academic seasons, or whenever, and is his choice. They try to blame high rent here in NYC, or SF, on Airbnb, and everybody knows they are not the real problem.

Oh -- Lordy Pete -- here we go again.

This thread will probably get closed like most others re this topic because we get all these off-topic arguments and snide attacks. The OP merely asked if airbnb's are OK in Haarlem. All this pontificating about 'wonderful' airbnb and complaints about 'bad' airbnb are totally counterproductive.

Airbnb is one of the biggest "disruptors" in the travel industry in recent times and is certainly worthy of significant interest and discussion to other travelers.

For example, consider that just the new hotels on the drawing board in Amsterdam will create dramatically more tourism stays than ALL the existing airbnb rentals that accommodate less than 12% of all the tourists in that city.>

Yes - why is airbnb always the target and not fancy hotels? Well because folks staying in fancy hotels spend more probably. As for Amsterdam airbnbs being all illegal - then why don't the authorities close them down? I'd stay in jannad's airbnb in Amsterdam in a heartbeat - chances of that place being shut down seem slim.

An airbnb study says that they account for less than 12% of the tourists but 20% of the spending.

Yeah I guess if you can save a bundle over staying in a pricey hotel you can spend more. About 8 years ago before airbnb explosion I stayed in a typical B&B about 3km outside Amsterdam centrum - for a pittance - an elderly couple had one spare room and no doubt to them the B&B money was probably great for them. I wonder if these types of B&Bs exist in Amsterdam?

Not sure but places called B&Bs but really hotels can readily be had for $100 a day:

https://www.booking.com/searchresult...ri%3D2%3B&rsf=

You can filter our B & B's on booking.com. It appears there are 9 in the link you sent above in the suggested price range. Most seem to be between 5-10 miles from the city center. If the OP wants a full kitchen or more space, he would be better served by an apartment, although many B&Bs offer the individual attention and perhaps more than you might find from some apartment landlords.

Although time is burning, I think OP should go to the Airbnb site and cruise around both Amsterdam and Haarlem. The good bookings are being snapped up for the fall, so get to it! Consider "apartment share" -- they often have private bathroom and sometimes private kitchen within the residence, and usually ridiculously cheap. I guess that would be kind of sort of like a b&b but make your own coffee.

AirBnB Issues in Amsterdam
 

Thanks to each of you who responded to my question. Frankly, I was unaware of this issue surrounding AirBnB's and the like until I began planning for our trip just a few days ago. Quite an eye-opener for me. I'm still processing the opinions you have offered and not quite sure what I'll end up doing as far as accommodations are concerned. What ever we decide to do it sounds like we ought to act sooner rather than later as you've told me places are being snapped up for the fall even now. I do rather like the idea of staying in Haarlem. I once stayed there for a few days so long ago that it doesn't really count. Travel guides make it sound like a great place to stay and launch day trips into Amsterdam. With only a 15-20 minute train ride into the city and more moderate pricing regardless of what accommodations we choose I'm leaning toward staying there. Any further input any of you may offer is much appreciated.

Thank you all again.

It is also due to AirBnB that Amsterdam now is the most expensive city to live in (aka be a resident in) worldwide. AirBnB and similar strive for maximum liquidity of available accommodation: in how Dutch public housing works, this means cannibalising an already dwindling rent controlled housing stock. So the question is: who would want to actively contribute to this?

AirBnB is the target ( in fact, as we speak there's a hearing about this in the Amsterdam council) because it erodes and feeds on affordable rent housing stock. This is particular to the Dutch housing market.

Can I interest you in:

https://www.bedandbreakfast.nl/bed-a...lands/c2755003

Lots of great properties

Also, in Haarlem, you'll be near the coast. The wonderful Kennemerduinen are just a bike ride away, near Overveen.

The problem with the AMS crackdown on AirBnB and Haarlem's greater attention to its workings is that apartments may suddenly "disappear" or the booking cancelled by the operator due to "plumbing problems". This risk will increase as the year progresses.

Hotels may in theory generate more tourism than AirBnB but they also provide jobs, and pay their taxes. They do not disrupt and disturb the lives of those who actually live in the city and who quite like to know their neighbours and not have to fall over suitcases, drunken/stoned tourists and piles of dirty washing to get to their own homes. Imagine how unsafe these people feel with a never ending stream of total strangers having access to their building.
AirBnB started off being a great idea but it is no longer someone letting their spare room or their house while they are away, it is big business, and a big tax dodging business what is more, that has screwed the lives of others along the way.

Hotels provide jobs but airbnb does not? How does an airbnb unit get cleaned? Sometimes by the owners who get a job; sometimes by someone they hire. Have you ever seen the wages hotels pay their maids?

Airbnb owners, who are responsible for any taxes, pay plenty of taxes all over the world.

We, and millions of other airbnb guests, do not disrupt or disturb the lives of our neighbors when we are in our apartment or coming and going thereto. I have had my sleep disturbed at many hotels (in fact owned one and experienced bad guests many times).

We have met many wonderful people all over the world and vice versa, and no one was “screwed” in the process.

whitehall, in the Dutch situation wrt rent controlled housing, this is not true. As I've been saying again and again in this thread: the particular nature of the Dutch housing market has well played into the hands of AirBnB etc, making its effects on rent controlled housing worse.

There is now an investigation underway in taxes paid by AirBnB hosts. It also turns out that in a substantial number of cases these are not owners or tenants of the properties they offer through AirBnB. And maybe you should ask Amsterdam residents whether their sleep gets disturbed by AirBnB guests.

Ok, I'm going to show my ignorance here. I've gone to the B&B site suggested by menachem and I do have interest in what I've found. But I have to ask; With regard to the crackdown discussed in this thread what is the difference between an AirBnB and a B&B? I guess I'm missing the distinction between the two arrangements in the eyes of the authorities in charge of such things. Please enlighten me.

Aside from the breakfast, of course.

Airbnb is a broker. It has nothing to do with bed and breakfasts (B&B). The short of a long story is that airbnb grew from an effort to put air mattresses on the floor of a San Francisco apartment (when the city was full for an event), and they served guests breakfast (cereal). It morphed into a short term vacation rental company similar to Home Away, VRBO and others but they had "cooler" software and set up a unique rating system for landlords and guests. And, they simply became the leader in the STVR business. So, it's basically a platform that allows a homeowner (and even companies) to rent rooms or apartments to you and me. Some B & B's even advertise on their platform. A bed and breakfast is more like a hotel but often operates in a residential neighborhood, often someone's house that may be zoned (in the case where zoning permission is required) for this use. In some areas, they may be licensed and may pay taxes. Some airbnbs may also need to get a license and pay taxes. The biggest difference is that a B&B usually gives you a room, much like a hotel room, and breakfast and normally daily maid service; an airbnb can also give you a full apartment or home generally without daily maid service.

B and B's have been around for decades, maybe longer, and, in some jurisdictions they are approved and/or licensed. In busier areas, local zoning often restricts new ones to curtail growth. Many jurisdictions have vague or perhaps silence on how to treat the fast growing STVR market, and this has created lots of litigation and lots of unresolved political angst that often gets tied in with issues of over-tourism.

Ok, I got it. Thank you for that explanation.

It's the AirBnB myth, but sadly not true.

the B&Bs on that site are registered with the Chamber of Commerce, pay their taxes, have properties that conform to fire safety regulations.
And as you can see, many offer self contained apartments.

whitehall, you keep pronouncing on the US situation, and your own practice, but it's a little different in NL. And in NL there's an even greater difference in Amsterdam.

You have claimed before that the history of airbnb is a myth. Do you have a conspiracy theory you want to share? Maybe a link?

Amsterdam's issues are not unlike those of other cities in the world. There is a new platform coming to Amsterdam (from Italy) and a few other cities that you might prefer called Fairbnb. They will try to guarantee that hosts can only offer one property and they will share their profits to help with neighborhood issues that are at the root of many housing ills there.

No, honestly, they're not, whitehall. And that's because of the housing policies and strong, but demolished rent controlled sector. FairBnB is yet another way of exploitation with an "acceptable social face". But it doesn't solve any of the issues (also it has no critical mass, so it won't fly)