So, we knew the reasons why we wanted to move to Amsterdam, we had made the commitment to try, and now we needed somewhere to live. We were firmly set on living the dream of a Canal Life, on one of the ‘Dam’s famous houseboats. Many people advised us it was incredibly hard to find one as an ex-pat, but we were determined, and ultimately successful. Below is my experience based advice on how to go about it.
Firstly, find temporary housing, and then take your time to look. Many people say that London is a difficult and expensive place to rent. This is true, but, Amsterdam is even harder. As a non Dutch speaking ex-pat you can feel trapped into using one of the city’s Makelaars, or Estate Agents. In London the Landlord is responsible for paying the commission to the agent for renting their flat. In Amsterdam, ex-pat tenants are charged, on top of their rent and deposit, one month’s rent as a commission. If you do not have time to look at, and learn the other options as an outsider, this may be the only way to find your home in Amsterdam. It will usually mean you compromise on what you would like to live in, pay over the odds for a home only targeting ex-pat tenants, and incur the ridiculous commission levied by the Makelaars. Privately you will find somewhere nicer, you won’t have to shell out a month’s rent to the upstarts who open the door for you, and invariably the monthly rent will be cheaper. To achieve this we rented a room in a shared flat while looking – these are easy to find on line at Craigslist Amsterdam, it may take a little more time and effort, but it will be worth it in the end.
After making some great friends with local knowledge we were directed to a few local websites used by the Dutch; rooftracker.nl and elynx.nl. These sites are used by private landlords to advertise good accommodation, and very often the prices are far less than the properties targeting the ex-pat community. Elynx.nl is particularly good for houseboats, which are few and far between (there are only 2,500 in Amsterdam). Amsterdam really is a city that works on a “who you know” basis, get to know people, tell them what you’re looking for and you never know what might turn up.
The above advice focuses on how to find any home in Amsterdam. When you find the one you want, and you like the landlords (as a private tenant you need to like and trust your landlord), sign your contract and pay your deposit, any delaying will cost you, as if you like it, so will others. At this point I should mention a couple of points on Dutch tenancy agreements. 1. They automatically renew unless two months advance written notice is given and 2. There is no such thing as a break clause.
Houseboats are far less common than flats in Amsterdam and for this reason the first thing you must do to find one is keep your eyes and ears open. Rarely do houseboats become available on ex-pat websites as most owners know of many people who will rent it from them without them having to advertise it. The houseboat community is strong and, as alluded to above, word of mouth is the tool of choice in Amsterdam. With this in mind make sure you talk about your search. The Dutch, as a rule, are a direct bunch, and they will have no problem letting you know if they do, or do not know of anyone who may be able to help. When you are walking the beautiful canals of Prinsengraacht etc. Keep your eyes open for “Te Huur” (for rent) signs hanging on the railings on in the windows of boats.
When you see one advertised on line or on the street, or find out about one from a contact, go and view it asap, it may be the only one that comes up for a while. We were very lucky, we missed out on one by delaying for one day. Clouded in our disappointment we learned of another one only twenty four hours later. We viewed it the next evening and having learned once the hard way, agreed to rent it there and then. By the next night we had signed the contract and paid our deposit and celebrated our time and effort paying off.
Now, all there is to do is enjoy life on an Amsterdam Canal. More to follow....
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