This blog post is written as a result of the episode ‘Slapend Rijk’ of VPRO Tegenlicht. If you are interested you can watch this documentary through the following link: http://www.npo.nl/vpro-tegenlicht/18-09-2016/VPWON_1257586.
In 2014 the city council of Amsterdam made an agreement with Airbnb. Within this arrangement lies for example the agreement to cooperate in the fight against illegal hotel rentals on Airbnb. Besides this, the company is responsible for the collection of taxes to the municipality. It concerns a tourist tax of five per cent, which the city yielded 5.5 million last year. This arrangement makes Amsterdam a worldwide forerunner in the field of Airbnb policy. But the agreement does not solve the problem: Airbnb is becoming increasingly popular in the city centre and thus increasing the inconvenience caused by tourists. The new buzz is accompanied by the sound of clanging trolleys and people screaming. The main problem lies in the illegal hotel industry. Less and less houses to live in in Amsterdam are used for actually living in them but are only bought to rent them throughout the year. This not only results in unfair competition for hotels but also transforms entire neighborhoods.
The area around the well known Zeedijk is a good example. Twenty years ago this neighborhood was known for almost some sort of Amsterdam subculture. In all the small alleys around the Zeedijk, you could meet the real Amsterdam people; meaning people who grew up in Amsterdam. Tourists only came here to visit the shops or to sleep in one of the ‘few’ hotels. This all is in sharp contrast with the situation today: almost no one lives in the area anymore. Every house gets bought by an investor who rents it out, in a lot of cases through Airbnb.
Is Airbnb actually a good thing? It has two sides in my opinion. At first, it has some great benefits. You can meet people from all over the world and actually see how these people live and therefore closes down the gap between cultural differences. Furthermore, we are all free individuals right? Why wouldn’t we be allowed to rent out our own house? But when whole neighborhoods start to evaporate, I think it’s time to start asking questions.
Dear Max, thank you for your interesting post! I have heard a little bit about the situation in Amsterdam, but I did not know yet that whole neighborhoods solely existed of AirBNB rental appartments. On the one hand, we are indeed free individuals and we should be allowed to rent out our house. However, in order to rent out your house fulltime, you need to follow specific rules. For example, if you have a mortage, you officially need to ask the bank whether you can rent out your house. Then, if you get permission, you need to get permission again from your municipality (http://www.duinstramakelaars.nl/mag-ik-mijn-huis-verhuren/). One the other hand, AirBNB is not really renting out your home, since it is only for a few days and not for a minimum period of six months. Hence, in order to prevent neighborhoods from starting to evaporate, I think municipalities such as Amsterdam need to make more specific rules regarding AirBNB and similar rentals. Afterall, if you rent through AirBNB, isn’t part of the charm also that you are in a ”real” neighborhood?
Thank you Max for the interesting post about the Airbnb and problems that it may cause to the cities and their citizens.
Berlin is the other city which had to tackle the problem caused by the Airbnb and similar platforms. However, in case of Berlin, the problem were the rising rental prices in the city, which could make the housing not affordable for the local people and newcomers . Between 2009 and 2014 rents in Berlin rose by 56%, because of the limited property supply and an increasing trend to let apartments to tourists through Airbnb and similar sites.
In order to solve the problem of increasing rents, the authorities in Berlin have introduced a new law, which is in effect since 1st May 2016, that forbids short-term rentals of entire flats, limiting owners to renting only rooms. The area rented for short-term period cannot exceed 50% of the apartment, unless one has a permit from the city. The owners who do not obey the new law, may risk a fine of €100,000.
So, as we can see Airbnb besides bringing the advantages to travelers and landlords, may cause problems, as seen in Berlin in Amsterdam, to the citizens of the city. Although I believe that the Airbnb is a valuable initiative that brings cheaper and wider housing opportunities to tourists, the short-term rent via platforms such as Airbnb should be regulated in order to solve the problems of flat shortage and evaporating neighborhoods that locals and newcomers may face. Airbnb clearly makes the cities more traveler-friendly, but probably less friendly to live for longer period.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/08/berlin-ban-airbnb-short-term-rentals-upheld-city-court
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/may/01/berlin-authorities-taking-stand-against-airbnb-rental-boom
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/airbnb-rentals-berlin-germany-tourist-ban-fines-restricting-to-protect-affordable-housing-a7008891.html
Hi Max, great article and very interesting documentary which I’ll definitely watch. It just shows that Airbnb is making such a huge impact with their innovative business. They really found a way to turn every home into a business.
When you say that: “Why wouldn’t we be allowed to rent out our own house? But when whole neighborhoods start to evaporate, I think it’s time to start asking questions.” This indicates a bigger problem. Commercialization of the city centre has been going on for quite a long time, before Airbnb was created or introduced in the Netherlands. When you focus on the positive sides of Airbnb, you mention meeting new people, I think it can also be mitigating its own problem. Living in Amsterdam has become much too expensive for a lot of Dutch people, eventhough it is a dream of many, especially young people. Buying a house is a big investment which usually doesn’t bring much or any financial return, only depreciation like any other asset. Airbnb offers a way to home owners, or future homeowners, to earn back some of their investment. For these people, Airbnb can be an opportunity to be able to afford that house in in the city and live their dream. As with all things, this should of course be proportionate and in balance with the planning of the area. Although I think this is the responsibility of the municipality and not of Airbnb or its users.
http://www.quotenet.nl/Nieuws/Quote-tip-koop-voorlopig-geen-huis-in-Amsterdam-of-trek-naar-Noord-176327
http://www.parool.nl/amsterdam/huizenprijzen-in-amsterdam-stijgen-steeds-sneller~a4224399/