Amsterdam to cut down further on bed and breakfasts to fight housing shortage

Amsterdam will further restrict the existing limits on bed & breakfast accommodations (B&Bs). That means that no new B&Bs can open in the busy parts of the city unless an existing one closes, the city announced. That is one of Amsterdam’s proposals to fight the housing shortage in the city.

Amsterdam plans to lower the existing number of B&Bs currently set for each district by up to 30 percent, with the exception of Weesp. “As a result, no new B&Bs are possible in busy parts of the city. Only when a B&B closes will there be room for a new application,” the city said. The city plans to change this limit in the Housing Ordinance next year. By reducing the number of tourist accommodations, the city hopes to create more housing for locals.

Another change to the Housing Ordinance proposed for next year is to give special education teachers priority when it comes to rental housing and add police officers in training to the existing priority arrangement for the police.

The city also wants to give a “declaration of urgency” to vulnerable, economically homeless people. These are people who have become homeless because they lost their job or got divorced and can’t find a new home in the overheated housing market. They can’t go to social shelters because they are self-reliant, so the municipality wants to give them some extra help.

Amsterdam residents can respond to the amendments to the Housing Ordinance until July 16.