The municipality of Amsterdam issued 500 residential fraud fines last year. In total, a record amount of EUR 6.4 million in fines was imposed. That is 2.6 million more compared to the previous year.
According to councilor Laurens Ivens (SP), homes are used too often to earn money instead of living in. “This is reason to continue to focus on enforcement against illegal tourist rental, illegal room rental, illegal subletting and other forms of housing fraud in the coming period.”
Due to the imposed fines for residential fraud, a total of 1307 homes have been released for legal use, both private homes and those of housing associations. Illegal subletting is again the most common form of housing fraud involving social rental housing. Private homes are illegal room and holiday rental.
Perverted stimulus
The councilor emphasized in it NOS Radio 1 Journal that it is forbidden to use your home for anything other than habitation. In addition, it is illegal to rent out to tourists more than thirty nights in a year. “In the end, it is just allowed to use a normal tenant for a normal rental amount. We only really try to tackle that enormous perverted incentive to rent out your home for 3000 or 4000 per month to tourists.”
Housing fraud does not help to combat the housing shortage, says Ivens. Especially if people keep renting out to tourists at high prices. “If people are going to do that, that will only push up the price even more. At the moment you can find a home in Amsterdam if you take a very thick wallet with you, but with an average or low income you are really screwed.”
Most reports that the municipality of Amsterdam received of housing fraud were about tourist rental. Illegal subletting and room rental are number two and three. “We receive a lot of reports from Amsterdammers,” says Ivens. “Very much indicate where things go wrong and what happens in their neighborhood.” The municipality is also increasingly looking online for potentially suspicious addresses.
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