How do I make a reservation?

What's your reservation procedure? How do you determine which reservations you accept?

What's the minimum/maximum stay?

What sort of payments do you accept?

Why do you have a maximum initial term of 3 months?

Do I have to rent on the basis of a calendar month, or can I rent it per day?

What if I start with a stay less than 3 months, but change my mind and stay longer.   Do I still have to pay the higher rent for the first 3 months?

What does it mean to have a fixed term rental agreement?

What other costs are there besides the rent?

How and when do I get my deposit back?

What's the neighborhood like?

I'm moving to Amsterdam to live for a while, is it okay to move into your apartment?

Is the apartment suitable for people with limited mobility?

Why don't you work with housing agencies?

Can I register with the city?

Kitchen - Eating table with 4 chairs, microwave, self cleaning oven, stove top, dishwasher, dishes and silverware for 4 people, pots and pans, cutlery, measuring cups and spoons, and many other things commonly found in a kitchen.

Bedroom - 2-person bed, clothes cabinet, bedding, towels, pictures on wall.

Bathroom - shower, toilet, sink

Living Room - Modern flat-screen TV, VCR, stereo, 2+3 couch set, buffet, 2 floor lamps, fan, TV furniture with bookshelf, pictures on wall.

Utility Room - washing machine, dryer, cleaning supplies

In addition there is a limited supply of some consumable items like toilet paper, soap, etc.

If it's available, then to make a reservation you need to sign and return 2 copies of the rental agreement together with a photocopy of your passport, and pay the deposit in advance. When we receive the signed copies of the rental agreement and deposit, we will sign one copy of the rental agreement and return it to you, thus confirming your reservation. The first month's rent will be due on arrival. Please see below on how to pay the deposit.

If you're making a reservation very close to the time of arrival, and there is not time for the paperwork and the payment of the deposit, we will make other arrangements. Please ask.

Normally, from the time you tell us that you intend to make a reservation, we will hold the apartment for 2 weeks to allow you to complete the payment and paperwork. If the reservation is not completed within this time, we may offer the apartment to someone else. In this case we will refund your deposit.

If you cancel your reservation 30 or more days in advance, you are entitled to a 50% refund. If you cancel 60 or more days in advance, you are entitled to a 100% refund.

If you become a long term tenant, on good terms, you will probably be able to stay as long as you want. In this case, we stop accepting reservations from other people, and wait until you decide not to renew your rental agreement. The one exception to this is that any pre-existing reservations will always have to be honored.

If you want to make a reservation, and there is a long term tenant in the apartment, it may not be clear if your reservation can be accepted. In this case we may ask you to offer your name for a waiting list. If this happens, no deposit is necessary and when your name comes up on the list, you're not obliged to take the apartment if you don't want it. Generally at the time we put you on a waiting list, we explain the situation to you and give you an indication of the likelihood of you being able to make the reservation as requested.

If you're on a waiting list and your name comes up, you have 14 days to secure your reservation by completing the paperwork and paying the deposit. After 14 days, the apartment may be offered to someone else for that time period. If you pay the deposit after the 14 days, and it is no longer possible to accept your reservation, we will immediately refund the deposit. We don't refund any fees you may have paid to your bank, or any losses due to currency fluctuations.

Sometimes we have several simultaneous inquiries for the same time period. Normally in this case, if you're the first person to tell us you're sure you want the apartment, we will hold it for 14 days to give you a chance to do the paperwork and pay the deposit. If you're interested in the apartment and someone else is in the middle of their 14 day period, we offer you the chance for your name to be put on a mini waiting list with the same conditions as above.

It's also possible the reservation you want to make creates a scheduling conflict or a potential conflict with other people. For example, if you want to take the apartment from 25 June to 3 August. This would be right in the middle of the busy summer season, and since many people rent the apartment on the basis of a calendar month, this may mean we can't rent it to anyone else for the remainder of June or August. In this case, we may ask you to reconsider your dates or pay extra, or we may be unable to accept your reservation.

Once you have completed the paperwork, and paid the deposit, your reservation is confirmed and won't be cancelled by us.

The maximum initial term is 3 months.

After the initial term there is in principle no maximum stay. Normally, a month or two before your current term expires, we would write you a letter inviting you to extend the rental agreement for another term, you would simply sign and return the letter to us if you agree. A term would normally be 3-6 months, but depending on your needs we might agree on another length of time.

If you have special circumstances, for example you're going to be in Amsterdam for 4 months and want to make a reservation that covers the whole period, let us know. We can be flexible.

Normally, if you stay for at least one month, it's possible to move in and out whenever you want, and pay a pro-rated daily rate based on the monthly rate and the number of days you stay.

During busy periods, we may require you to rent it on the basis of a calendar month. If you stay for at least a few months, we may make an exception to this.

If you pay the short term rent, and then end up staying longer, you will get a refund or a rent credit for the difference.

Holland has a very complicated set of rules governing property rental, and I won't try to explain it all here. In the broadest terms there are so-called social rentals, primarily for people with low incomes but also sometimes for people who already live in specific areas, and there are free market rentals. This apartment is the later, a free market rental and is open to anyone.

Within free market rentals, there are 'normal' and 'fixed term'.

Fixed term rentals are generally furnished, more expensive, easier to find, and in better neighborhoods. Fixed term rentals are normally for short term use, but some people may live in them for a long time.

This apartment falls under the category of fixed term, and for better or worse, there can be no exceptions to this in the rental agreement. We must choose a fixed start and end date in advance, but extensions are normally not a problem.

Included in the rent is €100 for gas and electric use. For most people this is about right. Depending on the time of year you rent the apartment, your utility use might be a little more or less than this. This estimate also assumes you are reasonably thrifty, turn off or down the heat and lights when not in use or when you sleep, don't use an unreasonable amount of hot water and so on.

In addition, the costs are settled on an annual basis, so if you stay for a longer time it's possible to carry the unused portion of your utilities forward to the next month or backwards to previous months. If you use significantly more or less utilities, you may have to pay extra or might be entitled to a small refund.

Depending on how you make payments or how you receive a refund of your deposit, your bank may require you to pay a fee.

The city of Amsterdam has a property tax for occupants of property. Depending on how long you stay in the apartment, and if you register your presence with the city, you may have to pay this tax. This is a few hundred euros per year.

You are obliged to return the apartment clean and free of damages that are beyond normal wear and tear. If this is not the case, then all or some of your deposit may not be returned.

If when you leave the situation is clear, in that you're obviously entitled to your entire deposit back or it is easy to calculate the amount to be withheld, you may be entitled to a cash refund when you vacate the apartment, if you like. Refunds can also be made by bank transfer.

If the situation when you leave is unclear, it may take up to a few months to sort out. In this case a refund will be made by bank transfer at a later date, or by other arrangement.

If, for any reason, a portion of your deposit is not refunded you will receive a clear written explanation of the amount withheld.

In addition, if your deposit is payment for a reservation that is canceled, you may be entitled to a full or partial refund.

Near the apartment there is an abundance of public transportation, taking you almost anywhere you could want to go. There is also paid parking on the street or in garages nearby.

The city's main square, the Leidseplein, is a 5 minute walk offering some of the city's best restaurants and nightlife.

Two nearby streets, the Elandsgracht and the Kinkerstraat, offer many shopping possibilities including several supermarkets and an outdoor food market.

Of course, you're welcome to stay in the apartment for an extended period. In the past some people have stayed as long as 3-4 years, and in fact I prefer longer term tenants. There is no preset maximum time limit.

Please read the explanation above about fixed term versus normal rentals, and in particular please understand that there will always be some uncertainty if your rental agreement will be renewed. If you're going to stay for a while it may be cheaper if you find an unfurnished apartment to buy or rent, and buy your own furniture.

The services of housing agencies in Amsterdam are not free.

As a rule agencies charge the equivalent of one month rent and the renter must pay this in addition to rent on the apartment. This means the effective rent you pay will be 100-200 euros higher than what's advertised -- if you stay for an entire year! They're unlikely to spend more than about 2 hours helping you find a place to live, and that's if you work with a particularly good one who takes you around town to look at available places.

Think about that. The only other people I know of who earn so much money with so little work are drug dealers. These are often not reputable people, and often pursue self interests like promoting rentals of friends or business relations. They don't usually promote the interests of renters!

There are many housing agencies in Amsterdam, in part because pretty much anyone with a website can start one. They come and go, and while some are reputable, many are not and it's hard to keep track of which is which. This sort of a situation isn't good for anyone. It's not good for people like me who offer rental properties, and it's certainly not good for people like you looking.

This is why I don't work with agencies, and suggest people looking for a place to live avoid them if possible too. If you must work with an agency, choose one that clearly displays their fees on their website and preferably offers fees competitive with others.

All housing agencies must now be licensed by the city of Amsterdam, and you should ask for a copy of this or preferably choose an agency that displays this on their website. It will be in Dutch, so type a few words of it into Google translate to ensure it really says it's what it is. Anyone can get this license, and there are not many rules that go along with it, so don't take it as any guarantee of quality. Be sure not to work with an unlicensed agency! A few agencies who are part of larger chains of realtors (like the NVM) are exempt from licensing, and this is explained elsewhere on the Internet in English. Be sure to research this if you encounter this situation.

If you aren't interested in renting from me, consider using Google to look for non-agency rentals. There are also a few places on the Internet listing such places like on DMOZ.

Otherwise, look for discussion forums or websites that offer free listings of housing to property owners and that let you contact the owners directly, for example expatriots.com. To test this, pretend to be a property owner and try to list something -- perhaps not actually going all the way through with making a fake listing. Remember agencies can make listings in these places too, and often make fake listings! When you call, ask up front if you're talking to an agency, and if there will be any agency fees. If you don't get an immediate and clear answer to your question, hang up and try someone else.

Yes! This rental is legal in every way and is not subletted. You can safely register it with the city. This registration is necessary in many cases for residence and work permits or other official reasons.