Amsterdam adjusts fines for violating holiday rental rules after Council of State ruling

The municipality of Amsterdam is lowering its fines for violating the rules for holiday rentals. Last month, the Council of State ruled that the fines were disproportionate and that the city made too little distinction between major and minor violations.

The Council of State ruling was on a case filed by a woman who had rented her home to five, instead of the allowed four tourists. The city fined her 11,600 euros. The highest administrative court called that disproportionate to the severity of the violation, especially considering that she didn’t get any complaints from neighbors. The Council reduced the fine to 2,900 euros, a quarter of the original amount, and ordered the city to adjust its fining system.

Amsterdam alderman Dirk De Jager said in a written response that the city will continue to issue fines but will lower them. According to the alderman, the ruling on one specific case says little about the entire fine policy. Amsterdam set strict rules and high fines “due to the large increase in tourist rentals and the consequences for the quality of life and the housing crisis,” he wrote.

The city will adjust the fines table to take more account of the severity of the violation. “Until the new fines table is available, we will adhere to the ruling for minor violations without a commercial character, in which the Council of State reduced a fine to 25 percent of the original amount.”

Amsterdam will examine whether fines need to be adjusted in ongoing cases, but this does not apply to fines that have been issued against which no objection or appeal was lodged.

According to AT5, the city council will discuss the fine policy and the alderman’s response on Thursday.