Amsterdam plans to fine owners who leave their homes vacant for too long

Fines can reach up to 9,000 euros

The Municipality of Amsterdam plans to address the housing shortage and in particular, the long-term vacancy of homes more efficiently, as the city website reported yesterday. This is set to be done with new rules on the regulation of vacant homes, which will force owners to occupy them as soon as possible or be subject to a fine of up to 9 thousand euros.

Fighting housing shortage in Amsterdam

As a capital city, a student and business hub and an attractive tourist destination, Amsterdam is a typical example of a city experiencing a housing crisis. Despite the fact that many people are in dire need of housing while others pay exuberant rent to have it, authorities are observing the presence of too many vacant spaces that could mitigate the problem.

That is why they have decided to tackle long-term vacancy of homes differently and more efficiently. They intend to do this by obliging owners to have the property occupied as soon as possible, including by renting it out, otherwise, they will have to pay a solid fine. The previewed fine for not reporting a vacancy is 9,000 euros for professional landlords and 4,500 euros for other offenders.

“We have too few homes. Too many houses are unnecessarily empty. I am glad that we can tackle the vacancy because empty houses are incomprehensible in these times. We ensure that houses are used again for what they are for, for living in,” Alderman Zita Pels van Wonen was quoted as saying in a media release.

According to city authorities, the planned changes follow popular consultations during which they received wide support at home. Still, the ordinance has yet to be voted by the city council in November. If this happens, the rules will take effect on 1 December this year already and will be in effect until 1 January 2025.