# Housing in and around Amsterdam



## pusskey (Sep 22, 2010)

Loeske17 said:


> Hi Stuart,
> 
> I'm a dutch girl living in The Hague, but I've live all over the place including the States.
> I hope i can help you with your question. First, Amsterdam is the most internationally oriented city in the netherlands (though most of them are). Therefore, rental appartment prices are INSANE.
> ...



Hi Loes, 

i got an opportunity from my company for a job in Amsterdam. as i searched some info in d internet, looks like Amsterdam has the highest rent possible among other cities in Netherland.
may i know, how are the apartments there? is it fully furnished? does the rent includes all sort of utilities (water, electricity, gas, other)?

alternatively, if i am going to commute, what's the optional city(ies) that usually become the options?


thanks
Indra


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

I've moved this to a thread of its own to see if we can attract a bit more attention. The thread you replied to was rather old (from 2007) and some of the participants may or may not be around these days.
Cheers,
Bev


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## gerrit (Jul 15, 2008)

Below 1000 euro a month you'd be EXTREMELY lucky to find a flat in Amsterdam city proper, and if you do find it I wouldn't be surprised the place would be a dump. Many locals pay well over 1000 € a month so if something cheaper is presented you gotta wonder where's the catch. Despite these very high prices, flats won't be big, but generally in a good state. Normally your salary should be quite high, not much below or even slightly above 2000 euro a month, this should cover the expenses.

Note that there are long waiting lists for apartments, sometimes a Dutchman waits for 4 or 5 years before being assigned a flat. When you move from far away you skip that waiting list so don't forget to use that benefit.

Cheaper options are Amsterdam suburbs (note: quite often dangerous and relatively far away from the city proper), Utrecht and Arnhem (about half an hour by train , but Utrecht is also quite expensive), and I believe Heist, Hilversum and Haarlem are cheaper as well but these towns are smaller and while cheaper than Amsterdam, don't expect housing to be cheap.

As I said, a lot comes down to your salary. Make sure you get a proper salary because the Netherlands are more expensive than its neighbouring countries. Normally the pay is higher as well, luckily


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## jmcbubbles (Sep 23, 2010)

Hi everyone! I'm an Irish gal moving to Amsterdam in about a month, I've just accepted a position there (Hullenbergweg) which luckily pays quite well so I should be able to afford 1200 euro/month for rent - my question is how do I go about finding somewhere?? I'll obviously need to find somewhere short term until I can find somewhere more permanent but I have no idea where anything is! Does anyone have a map of the different areas in Amsterdam that I could use as a guide, and recommendations for websites to find short term stays? Any tips or advice anyone might have would be gratefully received 

Amsterdam here I come!!


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## gerrit (Jul 15, 2008)

In the Netherlands, estate agencies tend to be called either "immobiliën" or, more frequently, "woningbouwstichting" or "woningbouwvereniging". The latter literally translates as "foundation for building homes". They tend to have quite a good offer but with long waiting lists. I know Dutch people who were on the waiting list for 5 years for a flat in Groningen, I can imagine in Amsterdam the waiting list may be even longer. But, here comes the good news for you , people moving from far away can skip the overwhelming majority of the queue because they are considered in more urgent need of a home than someone who lives at driving distance from the city. So if you visit these estate agents, make sure to mention you're moving from as far away as Ireland, and then you will avoid those long waits.

There are options as well to rent directly from owners and I believe that there's also state run estates. Of the latter I don't know much but renting directly from the owners is something you gotta be careful for as there is some abuse there.
Normally your employer should push you into the right direction.

One notable remark is the so-called "anti-kraak". Kraak comes from the verb "kraken" which means squatting. People who leave their own home for a longer time or people who need to rebuild or drastically repair their homes and thus move out themselves for a while, often are concerned about squatters occupying their homes while they are away. Hence there is the anti-kraak movement which lets people rent homes for short terms (going from a few months to a 2 years or so) for cheap prices, avoiding that way that squatters can occupy the flat. This is cheap but the one downside is that you rarely know exactly how long you'll be able to rent the place.

I'd ask the employer for advise, they can certainly push you in the right direction.

As for areas to live in: the cheapest area is the newly built Amsterdam Zuidoost, the area of the Ajax football stadium. Unfortunately, the area is known to be more prone for criminality. If your salary allows to rent more centrally, then I'd say go for it.


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## decentJ (Apr 25, 2011)

I just joined the expat forum, but I live here in Amsterdam for almost a year now. I pay ****loads of money for my flat (still "reasonable" compared to others, as it seems), but, to be honest, I am sick of watching my money going down the drain just because I don't want to live 50 k away from the city centre. 
However, Gerrit: I really wanna try Anti-Kraak, as I am very flexible and reliable, as I travel a lot for my job as well, I don't have much stuff. Where can I go, where can I register? Any ideas? Thanks a lot for any hint!

X J


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