Amsterdam delays implementation of house-swapping vacation rules to March 2024

Amsterdam will implement rules for home-swapping vacations on 1 March 2024 instead of 1 October 2023, as platform HomeExchange recently informed its users, housing alderman Zita Pels (GroenLinks) said in a city council meeting on Wednesday. The delay gives home-swappers more time to prepare, AT5 reports.

From 1 March 2024, the same rules will apply to home-exchange vacations as do for vacation rentals through platforms like Airbnb. Home-swappers must register with the municipality and will only be allowed to swap their homes with tourists for up to 30 days per year.

The rules for holiday rentals have applied since 2014, and home-swapping falls under the same rules, Pels pointed out. She just wants to be more active in enforcement because the phenomenon is becoming a problem in the city, she said. Pels intends to prevent the rapidly growing HomeExchange platform from leading to similar problems as Airbnb.

“During the entire year of 2024, we will only issue warnings,” Pels said. “At the same time, once the housing regulation has been adopted, we will start a communication campaign so that every Amsterdam resident knows where they stand. And then we can prevent Amsterdam residents from getting into trouble with their holidays in the coming year if they use home exchange.” Active enforcement and fines will start on 1 January 2025.

Before the council meeting, Amsterdam local and home-swap user Niki Rap handed Pels a petition with over 4,200 signatures against the rules for home-swapping vacations. “I understand the municipality’s desire to regulate and reduce the number of tourists,” Rap told the Amsterdam broadcaster. “But you cannot achieve that by tacking house exchange. Because when house exchangers come, the residents leave. So there are no extra people in the city.”