Short Term housing on a budget

Finding lower cost accommodation in Amsterdam is always a challenge, but this can be even harder when you are only here for a short period of time 

In some cities AirBnB is an option but the municipality of Amsterdam sets a 30 days limit for private landlords renting out their homes.  Though you might find something for longer it is probably illegal.  If you live in this city for 4+ months or have a residence permit then you are obliged to register at a residential address. This won’t usually  be possible at an illegal rental. 

If you are a student or can prove that you are only in The Netherlands for a set period of time a good option is Holland2Stay.  They offer fully furnished studios and 1 bedroom apartments in 3 locations in Amsterdam. Some of their apartments are reserved for students whilst the regular apartment have a maximum income restriction.  In these apartments you have to fulfil certain requirements.  Some require you stay a minimum of 6 months whilst others you can rent for anything starting from 1 month but no more than one year. For these you need to be able show that your time in The Netherlands has a definite end date and prove your income.   If you can meet the requirements then the non-student apartments can start as low as EUR 780 per month going up to EUR 1510 for the larger ones at Europahuis.    To book an apartment you first need to create an account then new apartments get listed every Tuesday.  You register your interest  in an available apartment which you can do up until the Sunday. On Monday they randomly select one applicant to take that apartment. But you can only sign up for 1 apartment per week.  It is not normally possible to view the apartments.

 

Serviced-type temporary apartment prices in Amsterdam generally start from 100 EUR + taxes per night. This may be ok for short periods or if someone else is paying but the costs soon add up.  The lowest cost serviced- type apartments in Amsterdam are through TSH (The Student Hotel). With 2 locations in Amsterdam on Wibautstraat and in the West, TSH can offer apartments for up to 1 year.  Rates currently start at EUR 89 per night in the West building located close to Jan van Galenstraat Metro but can be lower during other times of the year.  For actual students, there are lower cost rooms available during term time for a fixed number of months.  These do get booked up early and at the start of the academic year they have long waiting lists so it is recommended to apply in advance. Both TSH locations have a restaurant and bar on-site, parking at extra cost, a shared laundry room, communal work- spaces and fitness facilities available to guests.  If like me you find their website unfriendly and difficult to navigate, you can contact them direct to check rates and availability.

Another option is Hotel Jansen, a purpose- built development close to the Olympic Stadium. Hotel Jansen’s selling point is that they are not for tourists. They offer short-stay rooms with access to kitchen facilities or hotel rooms without a kitchen. The short stay rooms are available for a minimum of 1 month and are rented for full calendar months. The maximum stay in the building is 6 months. If you register at the Hotel Jansen address then you are not required to pay city tax. At the current time Hotel Jansen’s short stay room are fully booked until 1 November though there is some availability in hotel stay in July. They give priority for rooms to employees and students from certain companies but if you contact them enough in advance they may have space. The short stay rooms can come in at under EUR 1000 per month depending on the length of stay but full details are available online via https://hoteljansen.nl/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Rates-Hotel-Jansen-VQ1-2018-1.pdf

There are of course other options including Facebook groups and several different websites. But one rule to abide by when looking for accommodation in Amsterdam is that if it seems to good to be true then it probably is. The options suggested above are at least all reputable and legal. Good luck with your search.

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