Amsterdam’s housing chief is prepared to pressure rental platforms to remove illegal listings and warn tenants about excessive rents. Zita Pels told councillors that she plans to contact platforms such as Kamernet and HousingAnywhere to urge them to take a more active role.

The move comes in response to concerns that many rooms in shared houses are being advertised at illegally high prices, particularly in Amsterdam, where the average rent for a room has reached nearly €1,000. These rooms are often subject to rent controls.

Councillor Suleyman Aslami raised concerns about online housing agencies promoting overpriced apartments and rooms, undermining affordable housing laws. He pointed to examples such as a 13-square-metre room being advertised for €1,300.

Pels acknowledged that direct talks with the platforms may be limited, as they view themselves as facilitators without responsibility for user-generated content. She will also appeal to the European Commission for changes to EU legislation requiring platforms to proactively remove illegal content.

HousingAnywhere stated they are open to discussing ways to better support tenants and landlords but noted that evaluating overpriced rooms requires case-by-case assessments, often involving in-person inspections.

Tenants’ rights advocates are calling for more transparent advertising practices, such as publishing the official rent points for each room. The number of online rent price checks has doubled, and complaints about poorly maintained homes have reached record levels. The English-language rent check tool on the rent tribunal’s website has seen a significant increase in usage.