Surprising Airbnb victory: non-refundable service charges | Money

This is apparent from the answers of the Supreme Court to questions from the Court of Rotterdam. He is handling a case of the American company. Earlier, the subdistrict court in Amsterdam had decided that double charging of those mediation costs was not allowed. The court in Rotterdam is now taking the judgment of the Supreme Court into account in the process.

Disappointing

Last summer, the Advocate General stated in his advice to the Supreme Court that consumers who reclaim these costs are within their rights. Various claim clubs, including the Consumer Association’s Claim Service, demand reimbursement of the mediation costs. More than 40,000 people have registered with Claimservice, an average of about €250 per customer. “The answers of the Supreme Court are an unexpected and disappointing outcome,” said Joyce Donat of the Consumers’ Association. “We are now going to study these answers carefully.”

Ban

The ban on double brokerage fees was originally intended to tackle abuses in the housing market and, according to the Advocate General, also applies to online brokerage platforms such as Airbnb. However, according to the Supreme Court, this prohibition should not be applied more widely than necessary. Therefore it does not apply to holiday rentals. Now we have to wait and see how the Rotterdam court will decide.

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