City Retreat City Retreat

Free online session, every other month

Renting in Amsterdam, Without the Pitfalls

A 45-minute live Q&A for people arriving in Amsterdam who need somewhere to live and don't want to learn the market the expensive way. How renting a furnished home actually works here, the scams to walk away from, what a proper contract looks like, and how companies arrange housing for staff. Then your questions.

Register for free See what we cover
No sales pitchWe don't show our apartments. 45 minutes on your situation, not ours.
Bring a listing or contractPaste it in the chat and we'll tell you live whether it's a red flag.
Every question answeredIn the session, or by email within 48 hours if we run out of time.
Checklist for everyoneRegister and you get the one-page Amsterdam Rental Red-Flag Checklist, attend or not.

Who this is for

Anyone who needs a place to live in Amsterdam

The Amsterdam rental market runs on rules nobody explains to you: what counts as a legal tenancy, why registration matters more than the apartment, why the "landlord abroad" never turns up. This session is the explanation you'd get from a friend who's been doing this since 2012.

Relocating professionalsStarting a job in Amsterdam and need an address to register at before your BSN, bank account and payroll can move.
Students and researchersPhD placement or fellowship. Tight budget, and the most-targeted group for scams.
HR and relocation teamsArranging housing for incoming staff and want to know what a compliant, invoiceable setup looks like before you commit.

What we cover

Four topics in 30 minutes, then 15 minutes of your questions

0–8 min

How renting a furnished home actually works in Amsterdam

What you're actually being offered: the difference between a holiday let, a licence and a residential tenancy, and why the 30-day rule exists. What "furnished, all-inclusive" should include. What realistic monthly figures look like for a studio, one-bed and two-bed so you can spot a price that's too good.

8–16 min

The red flags and the scams

The eight patterns behind almost every Amsterdam rental scam, from the landlord "working abroad" to the deposit requested before a viewing. How to reverse-image-search photos, check a company in the KvK register and confirm who actually owns the property. What to do if you've already paid.

16–24 min

Getting the right contract

What a proper Dutch residential tenancy agreement contains and what a "licence" or "occupancy agreement" quietly leaves out. Deposit limits under the Good Landlordship Act, notice periods, initial periods, service costs, and the clause about registering at the address, which is the one to read twice.

24–30 min

Corporate and relocation housing

How companies arrange housing for staff: who signs, who's invoiced, who's the tenant, and how to keep the arrangement legal for the employee's registration. The questions HR should ask a provider before signing, and the ones providers hope you won't.

30–45 min

Your questions

Anything about renting in Amsterdam. Paste a listing or a contract clause into the chat and we'll go through it live. Anything we don't reach gets a written answer within 48 hours.

A preview

Eight signs you should walk away from a rental

Any one of these is a reason to pause. Two or more and it's almost certainly a scam.

  1. Money before a viewingDeposit, "holding fee" or first month requested before you or someone you trust has been inside.
  2. The landlord is abroadWorking in the UK, on a mission, in hospital. Keys will be "couriered" once you pay.
  3. Off-platform, fastPushed from Funda, Pararius or a Facebook group to WhatsApp or Telegram within two messages.
  4. Price well under marketA furnished one-bed in the canal ring for €1,400 all-in doesn't exist. Check our price guide for what does.
  5. Told not to registerIf the landlord says the address is off limits for registration, the let is usually illegal, or the flat is already someone's registered home.
  6. Untraceable paymentCrypto, Western Union, a foreign personal account, or "a friend's account" for the deposit.
  7. Agency fees charged to youAn agent acting for the landlord cannot charge the tenant a fee in the Netherlands. If they try, they're either a scam or breaking the law.
  8. Photos that belong to someone elseReverse-image-search them. Stolen listings reuse photos from Funda, Airbnb and travel sites.

Already paid? Report it to the police (politie.nl, "internetoplichting"), contact your bank immediately to attempt a recall, and report the listing to the platform. Come to the session and we'll talk through the next steps.

Dates and format

Second Friday of every other month, 11:00

Online on Google Meet, 45 minutes, free. Register once and we'll send the link for whichever session you choose.

Next

Fri 9 October 2026

11:00–11:45 CET, Google Meet

Timed for autumn moves and January job starters planning ahead.

Fri 11 December 2026

11:00–11:45 CET, Google Meet

For anyone starting in the new year, plus a look at what changes in Dutch rental law from January 2027.

Fri 12 February 2027

11:00–11:45 CET, Google Meet

Spring relocations and the September student cohort starting their search early.

Your host

James Evans, City Retreat

James Evans, Managing Director of City Retreat

James has lived in Amsterdam since 2006 and founded City Retreat in 2012. Since then the team has housed thousands of internationals on formal Dutch tenancy agreements, sat through the same registration appointments, and seen most versions of the rental scam land in tenants' inboxes.

City Retreat is an operator member of ASAP, an industry trade association, and a partner of IN Amsterdam, the city's expat centre. This session is our contribution to the partner programme: the same advice we give our own tenants, made available to everyone.

Common questions

About the session

Is it really free?

Yes. No fee, no card, no follow-up sales call. We ask for your name and email so we can send the Meet link and the checklist, and nothing else.

Do I need to be in Amsterdam already?

No. Most people join from abroad while they're still searching, which is exactly the right time. Sessions are at 11:00 Amsterdam time; that's 10:00 in London, 05:00 in New York and 14:30 in Mumbai.

Will you look at my contract?

Paste the clause you're unsure about into the chat and we'll read it live. We're not lawyers and this isn't legal advice, but we can tell you whether it's normal, unusual, or a reason to walk away. For anything contentious we'll point you to !WOON, the Huurcommissie or the Juridisch Loket, which are free.

Is the session recorded?

No, so people can ask about their own situation freely. Register and you'll receive a written summary of the questions asked (anonymised) along with the checklist.

I work in HR. Is this relevant to me?

Yes. The corporate rentals segment covers how to structure a rental so the company is invoiced while the employee is the tenant and registers at the address, and what to check in a provider's contract. See also our corporate rentals guide.

Why does City Retreat run this?

Partly because we're an IN Amsterdam partner and this is the kind of thing partners are asked to contribute. Mostly because every scam and bad contract makes the whole market harder to trust, and we'd rather people arrive knowing the rules. If some of them later rent from us, fine. That's not the point of the 45 minutes.

Register for the next session

Friday 9 October 2026, 11:00 CET. Free, online, 45 minutes. Register and the Red-Flag Checklist is yours whether or not you attend.

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