Amsterdam appeals ruling which blocked Airbnb neighborhood ban

The city of Amsterdam has decided to appeal its courtroom loss last month which put an end to the city's Airbnb bans in three city center neighborhoods. The ban was introduced at the start of July. 

Alderman Laurens Ivens said told city council that he wants more legal clarity on the issue, which is why the city will appeal. He said the court's substantiation was based on "ridiculous reasoning".

The ban that came into force applied to the neighborhoods of Burgwallen-Oude Zijde, Burgwallen-Nieuwe Zijde and the Grachtengordel-Zuid, all located in the heart of the city, after a study found that the liveability of neighborhoods in the opinion of the residents was negatively affected by the tourist rental of apartments.

The measure taken by the municipality was based on the Housing Act, but according to the ruling, the law does not afford the city the opportunity to create such targeted bans. The low was thrown out, and the municipality must also bear the costs of the process.

The case was brought to the court by, among others, Gastvrij Amsterdam, an interest group of holiday tenants and B&B owners. According to the judge, the municipality does have other options to intervene. It could continue to limit the number of days that an accommodation may be rented out, for example.

According to the current rules, vacation rentals in Amsterdam can only be rented out for 30 days per year and to a maximum of four guests.

Over-tourism and the nuisance caused by hordes of tourists in the city center has been an issue for many local residents for years. The city has also been trying to reshape the image of the center. There were over 30 thousand Airbnb listings in Amsterdam in 2018, up from 7,000 four years earlier.