Rental platform Airbnb has removed more than 80 percent of its existing advertisements in Amsterdam after the introduction of a landlord registration obligation. This is apparent from a poll by the municipality of Amsterdam, where de Volkskrant write about Monday. On October 1, the day it went into effect, Airbnb removed more than 13,700 listings from tenants without a registration number from its website. In total, the company still rents out about three thousand homes in Amsterdam.

The total supply of advertisements in the city also decreased: from 18,715 to 4,128. Airbnb’s ads make up the bulk of that. Expedia lost nearly three quarters of the ads, Tripadvisor about 20 percent and VRBO just over half. Only the number of Booking.com advertisements rose slightly, from 203 to 252. The municipality has not yet provided an explanation for this increase.

Since 1 April, landlords of rooms or houses are obliged to register them with the municipality of Amsterdam. They are given a registration number that they must include in their advertisements. The number is linked to an address, which makes it possible to check whether landlords are complying with municipal regulations regarding the maximum number of rental nights allowed. If the registration number does not appear to have been provided during a check, the landlord risks a fine of up to 83,000 euros. The municipality of Amsterdam has enforced the measure since 1 October.

There are various explanations for the fact that so few providers have applied for a registration number, the municipality writes. This may concern ‘dormant’ advertisements of which the tenant is no longer active. For example, because the corona pandemic has shut down tourism in Amsterdam for a long time. According to the municipality, it is still unclear how many providers have removed their advertisement because they do not actually have permission to rent out their space. For example, the Home Owners Association must agree to rental.

Also read: From 1 July, the control will be stricter on rentals via Airbnb